'Stop out', not drop out

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2009 | by Gale Stevens Haynes

Although nearly half of the colleges in the U.S. fail to graduate 50% of the students they enroll, there are many success stories that counter these bleak statistics and many instances in which those students enrolled in what are termed "low-retention" colleges beat the odds, go on to graduate and have highly successful careers.

Retention numbers cited in many of the national college ranking guides do not take into consideration the fact that the demographics of student populations are changing, as are the circumstances that could affect a student's ability to complete a college degree in the traditional four-year period.

Because Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus serves a non-traditional student body, we look at retention numbers differently. We are a...