Retention

The RWJF Center's accomplishments over four years have been substantial:

• Recruiting 28 pre-doctoral and 7 dissertation fellows, most of them from the target populations: Nearly 95 percent of fellows are under-represented minorities. Further, about 85 percent of fellows are Latino/as and American Indians.
• Over half of fellows are in the target disciplines of economics, political science and sociology.
• Three fellows recently graduated (in psychology and in communications and journalism and in economics) and placed in tenure track academic positions.
• Expanding the fellowship program to include post-doctoral fellows (five have been funded and successfully placed in tenure track academic positions).
• Developing a wide array of academic enrichment, academic support, leadership, and professional development activities to prepare fellows to succeed in their studies and become future leaders.
• Hiring one junior faculty each in the three target social science departments (economics, political science, and sociology) and two in public health.
• Building internal and external collaborations to enhance the intellectual life of the Center and create opportunities for fellows to engage in research and policy analysis; Creating an infrastructure to support student and faculty research; Obtaining support from other sources for the post-doctoral fellowships (i.e., National Institutes of Health).

Freshman fall-to-fall retention rates increased from an unsteady range of 63% in the early years of the program to a more stable retention for freshman cohorts. E.g., the average freshman fall-to-fall retention for the last 10 years (2000-09) is 84% for the total student body and 81% for multicultural students. Over the years, the retention for freshmen served and actively engaged in the MSMP is equal or higher. For example, for the AY 09-10, 88% of the freshman active in the program enrolled in the fall 2010, and 83% of the fall 2010 freshman cohort active in the program enrolled in the fall 2011. For the AY 11-12, 79% of the Latino freshman active in the program enrolled in the fall 2012. And, 100% of Latino freshman cohort active in the program completed the fall 2012 semester.  In the fall 2012, the MSMP served 1233 mentees. Out of these, 408 were Latino students.  

Retention data reveals that despite entering the university with lower math and English entrance exam scores, SAT scores, and GPAs, the 104 students who entered through the ETE program in 2009 were retained at 20% points higher after one year than the rest of the freshmen cohort, 86% versus 66%. After two years the ETE cohort boasts a 75% retention rate compared to 59% for the rest of the cohort. It is also important to note that over 85% of the cohort in the ETE program is low-income and close to 75% are first generation. After three years, the cohort boasts a 73% graduation rate and still remains over 15% points higher than the rest of the freshmen cohort who began with them. 

The ETE cohort also earned GPAs that were approximately .20-.40 points higher than students in the comparison group. In addition, after one year, the ETE 2010 cohort of 180 students again outpaced the retention of the better prepared general population of freshmen by 20% points - 94% versus 74%.

The 2010 cohort also earned GPAs that were approximately .20-.40 points higher than students in the comparison group after their first and second semesters of college. It is important to note that the ETE incoming math and English scores, SAT average and grade point average were below those of the rest of the freshmen class. The 214 students in the 2011 cohort are on track to have similar stellar outcomes. They too entered less prepared when compared to the rest of the freshmen class but after one semester; they outpace the rest of the freshmen class with respect to retention and grade point average - 98% versus 93% retention and 3.0 versus 2.74. After two years, the 2010 cohort continues to outpace the better prepared group of freshmen who began with them.

The program has been so successful, the President of CSU Dominguez Hills has tapped resources to make it available for all incoming freshmen.