Student retention is of policy significance to higher education systems. In the United States, student retention is a major problem in higher education affecting students, universities, and society. Most of the research on student retention has focused on first-year students. Little is known about the retention of college students after their first year. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic and academic characteristics on the decision of traditional-age, undergraduate students to re-enroll at a research-extensive university. The population was defined as all traditional-age undergraduate students who entered the selected university during the fall 2005 semester. A total of 16 independent variables were collected from admissions and student aid databases and transferred to a computerized, recording form that served as the research instrument. Using stepwise multiple discriminant analysis, the researcher identified a significant model that increased the researchers ability to accurately explain the retention status of traditional-age, undergraduate students. The model correctly classified 86.7% of the cases, which was a 39.3% improvement over chance. The researcher recommended further studies to increase the percentage of correctly classified cases by integrating these variables with others to further explain retention status. Variables suggested were: a more detailed examination of the students financial aid portfolio; students GPA during their second and subsequent semesters of enrollment; students involvement in other student activities and organizations; and survey and/or focus group data regarding the perceptions of enrollment management personnel. The researcher further found that many non-retained students entered the study institution with very good high school academic records, contrary to previous studies. The researcher recommended further study to determine why students with strong academic credentials leave college before their third year. The researcher suggested the use of exit interviews of students leaving the university. The researcher also found that a small portion of the retained students received one of the universitys five major academic scholarships. There is strong evidence to suggest that scholarships have a significant influence on student retention. The researcher recommended that the study institution seek more funding to increase the number of scholarships to award to incoming students.

Preliminary research isolated a set of thirteen candidate principles that military officers need to understand to conduct effective and humane counterinsurgency. A meta-synthesis of eight classical theorists of counterinsurgency sought support for and consensus on these principles and discovered considerable consensus on all of them. Therefore, this set could be considered a classical model of counterinsurgency for use in counterinsurgency campaign planning. The contemporary global political environment is very different from that the classical theorists faced. Therefore, additional research attempted to understand the changes in the environment and in the nature of insurgency to determine the changes necessary to update the classical model. The most important changes in the environment included the end of the Cold War and of superpower rivalry, the increase in the number and influence of important non-state actors, urbanization, and globalization of media and communications technologies. Corresponding changes in the nature of insurgency included the changed objectives of insurgent groups; the globalization of local national struggles; the formation of global terrorist groups that can be perceived as insurgencies; the advent of networked, rather than hierarchical, insurgent organizations; and increased emphasis on the use of media to generate support for insurgent causes and to spread fear. Nevertheless, analysis found the classical principles to be remarkably durable. While the tactics and techniques needed to put each principle into action might be very different from those of the 1950s and 1960s, the principles remain valid, and are still useful for campaign planning.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the World Wide Web (Web) has become a major media outlet for disseminating information. Government and Higher Education institutions have both embraced Web technologies to serve the needs of their clientele. Thus, a method of developing targeted Web-based material that is optimized for the viewer to provide the greatest impact in terms of usefulness is needed. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic characteristics on the perception of usefulness among United States resident viewers of an information delivery website. The accessible population for this study was all viewers of the LSUAgCenter.com Website for the timeframe from February, 2007 through February, 2008. Viewers of the Website were asked to participate in an anonymous voluntary pop-up survey that asked their age, gender and Zip Code. These data were tracked as users accessed the various features of the Website including Webpage usefulness rating forms, comments sent to authors, and Webpages referred to friends. Using multiple regression analysis, the following variables were analyzed to determine if a model exists that explains a significant portion of the variance in the viewers overall perception of usefulness: age; gender; whether or not the viewer is a resident of the state of Louisiana; month of rating; whether or not the viewer has referred at least one Webpage to a friend; and whether or not the viewer commented on at least one Webpage. The researcher discovered that these variables explained only 3.3% of the variance in the viewers perception of usefulness of the pages they rated on the LSUAgCenter.com Website and recommends that more research be conducted to discover additional factors to enhance the model. The researcher found that differences exist in the perception of Website usefulness based on age, gender, and geographic location of the viewer. The researcher also found that viewers find the Webpages of the LSUAgCenter.com Website to be useful overall.

The Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) Program was designed to assess the impact of a five-day intensive pre-freshman program on success and retention of biological science majors at a large research university. The program combined content lectures and examinations for the Introductory Biology course for Science Majors, as well as learning styles assessments and informational sessions to provide the students with a preview of the requirements of biology, and the pace of college. Students were tracked following their BIOS participation. In the pilot year of the program the BIOS participants performed significantly better on the first and second exams, had a higher course average, and had a higher final grade than the control group. These students also had higher success rates (grade of A, B or C) during both the Fall and Spring semesters and remained on track through the first semester of their sophomore year to graduate in four years at a significantly higher rate than the control group. As the students progress through their college careers BIOS participants show increased retention in the biology major and remained on track to graduate in four years than students who did not participate in BIOS. The BIOS program has been shown to be a very effective orientation for incoming freshman science majors at a large research university. This one-week boot camp was originally designed to ease the transition from high school to college, but has proven to have a positive effect on the long term success and retention of students in the biological science major. While summer-long bridge programs are difficult to fund and staff with large numbers of students, and first semester programs offer help too late for many students, a one-week boot camp can be feasible at large universities and provide help for students before they make their first semester mistakes. BIOS organizers have compiled useful information for college departments that wish to replicate a pre-freshman boot camp.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the lived experience of couples residing in Southeastern Louisiana who were diagnosed with infertility and underwent infertility treatments. The study was a phenomenological qualitative research design, with researcher-developed guiding questions to help direct interviews. The sample was purposeful and was drawn from the patient base of a local endocrinologist. The couples who participated were greater than 18 years of age and had discontinued treatment one year prior to implementation of the study. Two married couples participated in the study while only the women of the other three couples agreed to be a part of the study. All couples were Caucasian and were considered to be middle-class as all either had some college education or held a bachelor degree or Master of Science degree. A total of seven interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed within 24 hours of conducting the interviews. Confidentiality of the participants was maintained throughout the data collection and analysis process. Two methods were used to analyze the data collected: Moustakas and Van Kaam. The findings of the study were consistent with the findings of other qualitative studies that have been conducted in the past. All the women participants discussed having feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, and frustration. The women also engaged in behaviors that in some way seemed to help preserve their self-esteem. These included focusing on work, removing themselves from gatherings that reminded them of their infertility, and confiding in only a few friends and family. The men, on the other hand, seem to reflect two opposing positions with regards to the impact infertility had on their wives, their lives, and their feelings. Finally, the final analysis of the research indicated that infertility is a major life crisis that often results in numerous losses. Grieving their losses was a consistent theme that emerged. However, all the participants seemed to be at different stages of the grieving cycle. For those who were able to adopt a child, infertility no longer had any meaning to them.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the manner in which volunteer alumni recruiters at a flagship institution were able to recruit prospective students both in and out of the formal recruitment setting. Due to the challenges facing Louisiana State University with out-of-state recruitment, volunteer alumni recruiters provide a cost-effective alternative to assist this effort. Findings of this study can be used to expand the current alumni volunteer recruitment effort by providing insight into the strategies that result in success in the recruitment process, all the while encouraging fellow alumni to assist their effort. The methodology for this study was a one-time, in-depth informal audio taped interview of purposely selected volunteer alumni recruiters. Saturation of the data was determined after six interviews. The following themes emerged from this method: motivation for involvement, volunteer training programs, social networking, minority recruitment, recruitment of new volunteers, recognition, other forms of recruitment efforts, parental involvement, the use of the internet for recruitment, and the reliance on the Division of Outreach as a tool in the recruitment effort. Findings from this study revealed the following: volunteer alumni are motivated because of their passion for the University; many began their recruiting efforts without formal training; volunteer recruiters are able to network interest in different community settings; many reach out to communities labeled as under-privileged, but they do not approach the recruitment process differently; volunteer recruiters solicit fellow alumni to join the effort, and have no trouble retaining them; many gain feedback from students as to why they would not attend LSU, but are rarely given feedback concerning the recruitment effort of the Division of Outreach. Implications for research are to increase qualitative and quantitative studies of volunteer alumni recruiters to establish a framework of the fundamental approach that these individuals take inside and outside the formal recruiting setting. Further research should discuss the manner in which these individuals solicit other volunteer recruiters, and examine motivations and expectations of those who become involved. The social networking ability of these volunteer alumni recruiters is important for a university that is spreading its footprint to understand.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence online learners intent to continue. This study gathered the data from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and Nicholls State University. The total number of participants was n=122. The findings in this study revealed a positive relationship between online learners perceived usefulness and intent to continue (r=.37, p< 0.01), a positive relationship between online learners perceived ease of use and intent to continue (r=.44, p< 0.01), a positive relationship between online learners perceived flexibility and intent to continue (r=.72, p< 0.01), a positive relationship between online learners perceived learner-instructor interaction and intent to continue (r=.52, p< 0.01), and a positive relationship between online learners satisfaction and intent to continue (r=.84, p< 0.01). Moreover, the findings showed a negative relationship between online learners perceived learner-learner interaction and intent to continue (r= -.27, p< 0.01). Although the learner-learner interaction questionnaire used negative description, it still indicated a positive relationship between perceived learner-learner interaction and online learners intent to continue. The Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) revealed that the perceived flexibility and satisfaction had positive influence on the online learners intent to continue, and the value of R2 further revealed that the two predictor variables explained 76.4 % of the variance in the online learners intent to continue.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the demographics, leadership styles, and preferred problem solving style of the emergency management career field. The catalyst for the research was recognition that there are few scholarly investigations or theories of the cognitive processes that occur within emergency operations center staffs (EOCs), and to establish the demographic baseline. Demographics of Louisiana participants were compared with similar demographics of participants from the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). The results revealed that the emergency management occupation is older and male dominated. The group is well educated; many IAEM members having advanced degrees. The majority has had at least some formal emergency management training and almost all have participated in declared disasters. Because the workforce is getting older, has well developed knowledge, and extensive experience it is imperative to take advantage of this resource for research purposes while it is still available. The investigation of leadership style, as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, revealed that the members of Louisiana emergency operations centers that responded were perceived to be transformational leaders and exhibited minimum laissez-faire (avoidant) leadership traits, based on Bass and Riggios Full Range of Leadership theory. This study brought together M. J. Kirtons concept of Adaptive Innovative problem solving style with elements of crisis decision making theory in an attempt to advance understanding of the complex dynamics that occur during a disaster. Kirton has shown that individuals have preferred problem solving styles, and that if leaders are aware of these styles, they can take advantage of that knowledge to build more effective teams. But the preferred problem solving styles of the staff of emergency operations centers had not been established before. The findings in this study indicated that members of Louisiana EOCs, as a group, were more innovative than typical mid-level civil servants. The overall implications are that Louisiana EOC members for the most part, are experienced, older, excellent leaders, and innovative problem solvers. Much research remains to be done to extend this initial understanding of the occupation and how they make decisions during a crisis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of the animal, plant, environmental, and food sciences by the adult residents of Louisiana. This study was conducted using a survey research design. This survey utilized random telephone dialing techniques in order to survey 547 residents of Louisiana. The survey instrument consisted of fifty-five questions divided into three sections: demographic characteristics, agriculture knowledge, and perception of agriculture. The overall mean agriculture knowledge score of adult residents of Louisiana for the twenty items included in the survey instrument equaled 13.60 (SD = 2.743) or 68%. Perceptions of agriculture results reported nine items classified in the agree category, six were classified neither agree nor disagree category, and five were classified disagree. Adult members of the general public of Louisiana have more positive perceptions of agriculture with regard to the Attitude toward Farming (M= 3.81, SD= .73) and Issues Related to Food Supply (M= 3.72, SD= .49). Eighteen significant correlations were reported between the knowledge and perception concept areas. It is concluded that adult members of the general public of Louisiana have a moderately high level of knowledge with regard to agriculture. Adult respondents have the highest levels of knowledge in the Environmental Science. The perception concept areas Attitude toward Farming and Issues Related to Food Supply are more positive, while the perception concept areas Farming Practices and Food Prices are both ambivalent. Due to the reported relationship, an increase in agricultural knowledge may result in a more positive increase in perceptions of agriculture. The researcher recommends continuation and expansion in mass media promotion such as billboards, television ads, newspaper articles, web postings, use of YouTube, blog sites, and group networking sites. Similarly, the researcher encourages the promotion of agritourism endeavors, allowing perceptions to be made based on personal experiences. The researcher further recommends increasing publication of classroom agriculture education materials designed to reach various audiences and expansion to distribute materials to more educators at the school level. The researcher recommends continuation of universal agriculture educational programming such as FFA, 4-H, and general agriculture in university curricula.

The transfer research has evolved to a significant body of works during the last two decades. Many relationships however remain unexplored and unexplained. Among these are dispositional characteristics, which are rarely studied in combination with transfer because of difficulties and inconsistencies in measurement. In addition dispositional characteristic are so numerous that it is often difficult to identify a set of such variable that explain the most variance in transfer of training. This study explores the hypothesized relationship between dimensions of the Five Factor model of personality, goal orientation, self-efficacy and intent to transfer training on the job. Most research articles on the topic focused on a variety of factors influencing transfer. This article attempts to model the complex relationship between these characteristics and intent to transfer using structural equation modeling approach. A set of propositions is presented for each individual variable and its relationship to intent to transfer. Finally, a model of relationships is tested and the results are discussed. The findings revealed that conscientiousness was the only dispositional variable that had a significant relationship to intent to transfer. In addition control variables learner readiness and motivation to transfer were significant in the model. The results suggest that dispositions may not be as important in the transfer system as other constructs like situational, motivational, and ability variables. Recommendations for further research and testing of the model are discussed in the final chapter of the study.