Cesar Cerna-Philmon

Building credibility, increasing value, and building departmental connections are important components to an effective orientation. It is very important to make all students feel like they already belong by building our orientation to provide them with all the information, materials, and supplies before they leave that will make them feel like they are already a student.

Transparency and being accessible are keys to retention. 

"The institution cannot, and should not, assume responsibility for solving the student's problem. The institution cannot be all things to all people and cannot solve all the problems that students present. The student must develop confidence in their ability to confront and control the issues that impact their lives." This was my takeaway from this section. I liked how I have heard from many colleagues that they have felt more responsible for the student success than the student did. So I do think this is an important thing for many new hires to understand.  

"The path from behavior through feelings to thinking is the most reliable way to get to the real thoughts behind an event. If you jump from behavior to thought directly, you will likely get a reconstruction of the thinking that validates the choice of behavior – a rationalization. Accessing the feelings and moving from there to thoughts is the best way to get at the interpretation of the events leading up to the selection of action." This was my biggest take away from this section. 

How we help students with stress and how approachable we make ourselves for students to come to us for help can make a huge difference in retention. If a student is stressed but not feels comfortable to talk to us about it then they will try to deal with it in their own way that will possibly fail and cause them to leave. Or they will try to get rid of it by simply leaving and not trying anything. 

Retention is the responsibility of everyone at any Institution. It must be a part of the culture to strive for student success and instilled into each member of the institution. "Retention is the by-product of doing the right things the right way, of having the right people in the right place at the right time"