I believe the responsibility should be a "team effort". I sometimes find people like to pass the blame solely on the instructors, and this just isn't the case.

I don't believe that all student attrition can be predicted or prevented. Recentlly, I had a very capable student suddenly withdraw. After talking with some of her close friends, her reasons for leaving school seem to be excuses. None of them, at least to me, were necessary or predictable. How do you identify with possible student withdrawal, if there are no evident signs? V-.

;-) Don't you think that even with a mentoring program, some students find it difficult to "fit into the main stream' of the academic envirnonment?