Can Involvement in a Mentoring Program Affect Enrollment Persistence for Minority Students?

Michael T. Kelly, Ed.D. and Flora Llacuna, M.A.
Summer 2000 "Mentoring Connections"

INDEX:

• NEIU Student Mentor Program Goals
• Institutional Information - NEIU
• The Knowledge Base
• NEIU Student Enrollment Persistence Data - 1995-1998
• Conclusions

• acclimate students to life on campus
• provide essential leadership training
• afford the newcomers the opportunity to connect with role models who will advise them throughout their undergraduate experience.

Northeastern Illinois University is no different. The Minority Student Mentoring Program (MSMP) is facilitated by the Office of the Dean of Students and is known as ìPartners for Successî

The goals of the program are to:

• guide students in ìlearning the ropesî at NEIU
• assist them in developing a plan for academic and career success
• enriching their personal growth through contact with a university mentor (a faculty member or administrative professional).

Institutional Information - NEIU
Northeastern Illinois University is an urban, commuter institution offering Bachelor's and Master's degrees, and has a total enrollment of approximately 10,000 students. The minority student population of NEIU (i.e. African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Latinos, and Native Americans) is 54 percent, making it one of the most culturally diverse universities in the United States.

Over the past fifteen years or so, a wealth of research has been conducted to determine if a causal relationship exists between involvement in student affairs programs and changes in student persistence rates. Though individual studies examined different variables as to their impact on student persistence, in sum the research generally indicates that there is at least some measurable positive correlation between studentsí participation in student affairs activities and persistence in their degree programs.

Examples of other student activities where this finding is likewise valid include campus employment, clubs, student governance organizations, and sports teams.

In addition, it has been shown that involvement on campus also increases the overall level of studentsí satisfaction with their undergraduate experiences as well as promotes academic success. This finding has been seen through comparative analyses of grade point averages between groups of ìinvolvedî and ìnot-involvedî students.

NEIU Student Enrollment Persistence Data - 1995-1998
In 1998, the NEIU Office of Institutional Studies compiled student persistence data covering the period 1995-1998. In specific, the data were organized to compare persistence rates among those freshmen who participated in the Minority Student Mentoring Program to corresponding rates of non-mentored freshmen as they moved through their degree programs.

A caution is in order. The analysis of the data was not scientific and was not originally designed to conclude to what extent involvement in the Minority Student Mentoring Program influenced student persistence in the cohort being examined. Nor would it be correct for analysis to determine that involvement in the program was the only factor influencing persistence. Never-the-less, the charts below do suggest that participation in the program is likely to have at least a minimal positive effect on student persistence within the MSMP sub-group.

Chart A: Percentage of NEIU undergraduates that enrolled for their second year of study.

Incoming Class	MSMP Students	Non-Mentored Freshman of 95, 96, 97
1997	77.8 (+13.7)	64.1
1996	80.9 (+14.5)	66.4
1995	78.3 (+13.9)	64.4

Chart B: Percentage of NEIU undergraduates that enrolled for their third year of study.

Incoming Class	MSMP Students	Non-Mentored Freshman of 95 and 96
1996 (Fall 98)	53.9 (+10.2)	43.7
1995 (Fall 97)	68.3 (+14.5)	43.8

In addition, data on NEIU undergraduates who enrolled for their fourth year of study in the Fall term of 1998 (i.e. 1995 freshmen) indicate a similar trend. The group of fourth-year students who participated in the Minority Student Mentoring Program had persisted at NEIU at a rate of 14.7 percent above fourth-year students within the non-mentored cohort.

Conclusions

A more thorough study of this trend may reveal to what degree participation in the Minority Student Mentoring Program actually contribute to student persistence at the University. However, this information does communicate that a relationship between the two factors may, indeed, exist.

In general, these data are highly consistent with the view of researchers in higher education,that student participation in activities such as the Minority Student Mentoring Program have at least some impact on elevating student retention rates. Thus, encouraging students to take advantage of such activities is essential to contributing to their return to campus to complete their degrees.

Further information about the Minority Student Mentoring Program is available by contacting:

Office of the Dean of Students, Northeastern Illinois University
550 North Saint Louis Ave.
Chicago, Illinois, 60625-4699
773-583-4050, extension 3167.

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