Recruitment efforts are important in a college setting. With only six remaining poultry science departments, they specifically need recruitment to help meet extreme demands for students by the industry. However, little is known about which recruitment efforts are effective or if poultry science majors prefer specific recruitment methods. Chapter II of this dissertation is an assessment of current recruitment practices and enrollment of the six poultry science departments in the U.S. Results revealed that all departments currently have recruitment programs and differences were observed within each. Some were in the budget, time spent recruiting, amount of faculty dedicated to recruitment efforts, and activities utilized in recruitment efforts. Chapter III of the dissertation was a comparison of recruitment programs with student numbers, graduation rates, and student satisfaction. This study was conducted in an attempt to understand which recruitment practices work for a given poultry science department and which department, if any, could benefit from a change. Departments with low enrollment counts had variations in recruitment practices when compared to other departments with higher enrollment counts, such as their perceived effectiveness of FFA national convention, direct mailing and brochures, and hosting 4-H and FFA poultry activities. In Chapter IV, a survey was conducted to determine the influence of factors on student choice among poultry science students. This study determined that conversations with a poultry faculty member or department representative, campus student activities, cost (consist of tuition, room, and board), scholarships, preparation for employment, job opportunities, and high school agriculture teachers were the most influential factors for poultry science students in the decision to major in poultry science. Collectively, these three studies reveal that conversations with prospective students, including campus tours where these conversations can occur, should be utilized. Scholarships, cost, and employment opportunities are also very important to students. Additionally, poultry science department personnel should target FFA events and/or 4-H programs as recruitment opportunities. Other efforts could be used to raise awareness about a poultry science department or poultry science as a major, in general, but might not be effective in recruiting students to a specific department.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the rate at which community college transfer students graduate from the 4 year college and what variables can be used to explain the corresponding graduation rates. In addition, the study attempted to answer the identical question regarding the rate at which native students graduate from the 4 year college and the variables that can be used to explain the native student graduate rates. Finally, the study made comparisons between the community college transfer student variables that explained the corresponding graduation rates and the native student variables that explained their corresponding graduation rates to determine if differences existed between the two groups. The data collected on the community college transfer and native students at Mississippi State University was analyzed in a two-group logistical regression. For each group, a logistical regression was built, that included the independent variables of the student demographic characteristics (age, gender, race and academic discipline) and the ability measures/lower-level academic success measures (ACT/SAT test score, high school grade point average and lower level college grade point average). The results from the logistical regression for the transfer and native students were compared. Delta-Ps, the change in predicted probability, were calculated for each independent variable and then compared for transfer and native students. The conclusions of the study were the following native students appear to be better prepared to graduate than community college transfer students, the lower-level grade point average and number of lower-level credit hours earned appear to consistently explain the rates of graduation for both groups, as these two variables were significant for both groups. Transfer and native students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) category appear to be less prepared to graduate or encounter more obstacles to graduate than students in the other academic discipline categories. Running separate logistic models for each academic discipline category was effective in assessing the particular variables that impact graduation for the community college transfer and native students.

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This study addressed the broader issue of the negative impact of the community college practice of hiring large numbers of part-time faculty on graduation rates. Prior research has determined that higher ratios of full-time faculty correlate significantly and positively with community college graduation rates. This study extended the research of institutional models affecting community college graduation rates and investigated the nature of regional accreditation for the adequacy of full-time faculty as a determinate of graduation rates. This study included all public 2-year institutions in the United States. A correlational research design was implemented using data available through the National Center for Education Statistics and the nation’s six regional accrediting agencies for community colleges. Among the major findings in the study, graduation rates were found to be significantly correlated among schools belonging to different regional accreditation agencies. The study also determined that ratios of full-time faculty, institution size, instructional spending, and ratios of full-time students correlated significantly with increased graduation rates. When comparing community colleges among regional accreditors that had no standards for regulating the adequacy of full-time faculty with those who do, graduation rates did not correlate significantly. These results contribute to the body of knowledge for institutional effects on graduation rates and also have important implications for regional accreditors. The results suggest that regional accrediting standards for the adequacy of full-time faculty may need to be more prescriptive in nature to provide a direct impact on graduation rates.

Since the federal law IDEIA of 2004 allowed for the determination of LD eligibility for Special Education services, it was expected that School Psychologists would have begun spending less time devoted to standardized tests, and more time providing other services such as counseling, consultation, and interventions. Moreover, any benefit that these services might have for students would ideally extend beyond the K-12 period when they receive these services. This study compares the time school psychologists spend engaged in service delivery unrelated to testing with post-school outcomes for special education students. Data are compared from all 50 states, as well as other variables such as the ratio of students to psychologists, socio-economic status, and per pupil spending. While time not testing did not correlate with post-school outcomes, other variables proved to correlate significantly, and are discussed in accordingly. Data were collected from a variety of sources, including state and national governments, education departments, professional school psychology organizations, and research institutions. Students' post-school outcomes were tracked for eight years after high school, and measured and compared based on level of education. The ratio of students to school psychologists proved to correlate significantly with the graduation rate of special education students both from high school and from four-year secondary institutions, suggesting that the fewer students a psychologist serves, the better the outcomes for those students. However, socio-economic status (as represented by students receiving free lunch or lunch assistance) was by far the most significant correlate with school and post-school outcomes, necessitating comparisons between statistics with that variable removed. Ultimately, variables for which school psychologists have little control, such as socioeconomic status, the ratio, per pupil spending, the percentage of students receiving ELL instruction, and other factors, proved to be more significant in their correlation with graduation rates and post-school outcomes than how much time psychologists spent providing services other than testing. Further study is recommended, as various elements of this study proved to limit the value of the results, such as the use of states as units of study, as opposed to smaller units, the inability to further divide the ways in which psychologists allocate their time, and the inability to obtain post-school data for more specific subsets of the special education population, such as LD. A study employing smaller units of comparison, such as school districts, and which could accurately measure time school psychologists spend in a variety of service delivery capacities, as well as more uniform groups of special education students, is recommended. / School Psychology

This study examined the retention and graduation patterns of a cohort of students at one baccalaureate, public, commuter campus. Quantitative and Qualitative data were analyzed to develop a campus specific retention model (risk model). The results of this study are used to inform retention initiatives on this campus. Recommendations for a specific strategy to improve the year-to-year student retention rate and improve the 6-year graduation rate are made based on the findings of this study. / Educational Psychology