Joseph, Truely successful colleges pay attention to both recruitment and retention. One of the best ways to positively impact both is to create an unmistakable atmosphere of caring that can be felt by current and prospective students as they enter the building. Things like contacting students when they miss class are important, but the quality of what happens in the classroom, (or the online classroom), is what really makes the biggest difference. A focus on hiring great faculty members and providing them with excellent training in teaching methodology is probably the most effective way to positively impact outcomes.