FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas’ improving retention of African American freshmen was featured in the Oct. 26 edition of Black Issues in Higher Education, a biweekly national magazine published by Cox, Matthews & Associates in Fairfax, Va.

In the article "Staying Power: Colleges Work to Improve Retention Rates" (pps. 42-46). Dr. Johnetta Cross Brazzell, vice chancellor for student affairs, was the source for the following paragraphs, cited verbatim:

"Retention is the lifeblood of an institution," says Dr. Johnetta Cross Brazzell, who spent five years at Spelman College as vice president of student affairs before moving on last year to the same position at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. "It says a lot about the quality of the experience for the student. It’s something a university has to be responsive to.."

".Though not an HBCU, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville is working hard to ensure that freshmen return the following year. The university has seen increased retention rates among African American students on its campus, up from 80.7 percent in 1999 to 86 percent this year. In 1998, the African American freshmen retention rate was 73.2 percent.

Arkansas’ Brazzell credits the university chancellor, Dr. John A. White, with putting the issue of retention on everybody’s radar screen as one of the most important issues facing the state and the university.

"How do we introduce them [students] and engage them in this campus, so that they don’t dream of leaving? That’s what we’ve been focusing on," Brazzell says.

Last year the university introduced a new program called Connections, in which first-year students come one week before classes start and attend both a series of academic and social activities—all in the university’s effort to prep them for what life will be like at the University of Arkansas. The university also opened two residence halls that house mostly freshmen.

Brazzell also cites the benefits of history and tradition.

"What I learned at Spelman is that rituals and tradition mean something. Things that make people feel bonded to an institution cause the leaving rate to diminish considerably," Brazzell says. "For example, at Arkansas, a university tradition is the 'Senior Walk’—everyone who graduates from the university gets his or her name engraved on the walk. And this year, the students in the freshman dorm attended a matriculation ceremony where they pledged to graduate."

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