Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Program

Educational Administration

Department

Educational Administration

Major Professor

Broadhurst, Christopher

Second Advisor

Noyes, Caroline

Third Advisor

Stoever, Colby

Abstract

Abstract

Each year, colleges across the United States admit new students, initiating them into their academic journeys. Yet, according to recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse, fewer than 70% of these students are retained by the institution that admitted them (National Student Clearinghouse, Persistence & Retention, 2023). In response to this phenomenon, institutions of higher education have instituted various intervention efforts in the hopes of mitigating student attrition. Many of these initiatives are based on an extensive body of literature exploring the most effective ways to impact student retention. One disparity in this scholarly collection is the examination of how foundational school policies might influence a student’s ability to stay in school.

Academic policy tends to exhibit considerable uniformity across higher education institutions, a pattern that institutional theory attributes to the enduring nature of organizational structures. While such homogeneity poses challenges for studying the effects of policy innovation, institutional theory also suggests that change is possible through targeted experimentation. In this context, an urban-serving public institution implemented an alternative grading policy for all first-time college students. This quantitative study employed binary logistic regression and interaction analysis on cohorts from fall 2018 to fall 2023 to evaluate the policy’s impact on first-year student retention and its differential effects across student groups. The findings revealed a notable increase in retention following the policy’s introduction and indicated that institutions may already be engaging in micro-level policy adjustments to support retention, signaling potential for broader application.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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