{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/26303"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/26303","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Increasing Success: Strategies to Address Factors Affecting Student Retention from First to Second Year at a Canadian, Undergraduate, Liberal Arts University","abstract":"As demographics shift, student retention and attrition rates are increasingly becoming of greater concern to the overall viability and longevity of post-secondary institutions. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines some of the challenges faced by a small, liberal arts, faith-based university in southern Ontario which, in recent years, have impacted its enrolment and retention from first to second year. With some of the probable challenges identified, the study provides a strategy for guiding institutional change and possible solutions which may aid in the encouragement and support of continued enrolment from those students who would normally be at risk for withdrawing. Using existing public institutional data on enrolment and student services, as well as data from various federal and provincial government bodies, the case for this institution’s declining enrolments and its organizational impact is illustrated. Based on these findings, an examination and application of theories of educational leadership and frameworks for organizational change is discussed. Creating institutional awareness and a sense of urgency of the situation will permit suggestions and potential implementation of an improvement plan which considers best practices and proven methods from other comparable institutions that may positively affect retention at this university.","abstract_html":"As demographics shift, student retention and attrition rates are increasingly becoming of greater concern to the overall viability and longevity of post-secondary institutions. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines some of the challenges faced by a small, liberal arts, faith-based university in southern Ontario which, in recent years, have impacted its enrolment and retention from first to second year. With some of the probable challenges identified, the study provides a strategy for guiding institutional change and possible solutions which may aid in the encouragement and support of continued enrolment from those students who would normally be at risk for withdrawing. Using existing public institutional data on enrolment and student services, as well as data from various federal and provincial government bodies, the case for this institution’s declining enrolments and its organizational impact is illustrated. Based on these findings, an examination and application of theories of educational leadership and frameworks for organizational change is discussed. Creating institutional awareness and a sense of urgency of the situation will permit suggestions and potential implementation of an improvement plan which considers best practices and proven methods from other comparable institutions that may positively affect retention at this university.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cunningham, Tracy L.A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Brook, Paula","Beynon, Carol","Leschied, Alan","Suderman, Jeff"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-09","date_published":"2017-05-09","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:11Z","subjects":["student retention","first-year","change","improvement","best practices"],"languages":["en_ca"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/26303","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Brook, Paula","Beynon, Carol","Leschied, Alan","Suderman, Jeff"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cunningham, Tracy L.A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-06-30T18:46:33Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-06-30T18:46:33Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2017-05-09"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["student retention","first-year","change","improvement","best practices"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_ca"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/26303"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["As demographics shift, student retention and attrition rates are increasingly becoming of greater concern to the overall viability and longevity of post-secondary institutions. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines some of the challenges faced by a small, liberal arts, faith-based university in southern Ontario which, in recent years, have impacted its enrolment and retention from first to second year. With some of the probable challenges identified, the study provides a strategy for guiding institutional change and possible solutions which may aid in the encouragement and support of continued enrolment from those students who would normally be at risk for withdrawing. 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Creating institutional awareness and a sense of urgency of the situation will permit suggestions and potential implementation of an improvement plan which considers best practices and proven methods from other comparable institutions that may positively affect retention at this university."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Increasing Success: Strategies to Address Factors Affecting Student Retention from First to Second Year at a Canadian, Undergraduate, Liberal Arts University"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Brook, Paula","Beynon, Carol","Leschied, Alan","Suderman, Jeff"],"dc:creator":["Cunningham, Tracy L.A."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-06-30T18:46:33Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-06-30T18:46:33Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2017-05-09"],"dc:description":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). 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