Proprietary Attrition:A proposal on increasing retention rates within Empire Beauty School in Boston

Sarah A. Lindstrom

The Issue The issue of student retention has been an

ongoing problem in both non-profit and for-profit schools;

For-profit schools have recently come under fire for their high rates of student attrition and an even higher student debt ratio;

Because of shifting social demographics, the issue of retention has become more complex

What’s Been Done?Vincent Tinto (1993) identifies three major sources of student departure:

Academic difficulties;

The inability of individuals to resolve their educational and occupational goals;

Failure to become or remain incorporated in the intellectual and social life of the institution; 

Tinto's "Model of Institutional Departure" states that, to persist, students need integration into formal (academic performance) and informal (faculty/staff interactions) academic systems and formal (extracurricular activities) and informal (peer-group interactions) social systems (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004)

Beauty School DropoutA closer look at Empire-Boston’s Beauty School

Empire Education Group’s Mission:

CORE PURPOSE To create opportunities for people to improve their lives.

CORE VALUES Integrity Customer Dedication Co-Worker / Team Focus Continuous Improvement Passionate Commitment

STRATEGIC VISION To be the global leader in cosmetology education, focused on the

success and satisfaction of students and co-workers throughout their careers.

Profile of Empire-Boston As one of the largest schools in the country, Empire

Beauty School in Boston houses over 200 students;

Empire-Boston is a fully accredited school which adheres to strict outcome requirements;

Students who comprise this population are from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds;

Many of the students are first-time college students or mid-life career changers

Proprietary Student Body Struggles Non-traditional students face different

challenges than traditional students do;

These challenges contribute to their personal, professional and educational success outcomes;

Acculturation struggles oftentimes breeds isolation of the students from their peers and educators

Taking Retention SeriouslyWhy is preventing student attrition important?

The Departure Puzzle Retention of college students remains one of

the key challenges and problems for higher education*;

Approximately 50% of students leave higher education institutions*;

Proprietary schools have been researched to have higher attrition rates than traditional schools

The Effect of Student Departure on Empire-Boston Revenue lost to the receiving institution;

Accreditation repercussions due to decreased completion, placement, and licensure rates;

Loss of Title IV funding for current and future students;

Decrease in student population which must be made up by aggressive enrollment management;

The closure of the school

The Effect of Student Departure on the Empire Student Students saddled with the debt of an unattained

outcome (diploma completion);

Students may face loan default which will prevent them from returning to this or any other school;

Loss of ability to develop and establish human capital;

A reduced chance of returning to school which reinforces a lack of accomplishment/achievement;

Operation Save our Students!A proposal to end student attrition

Commit & Invest: Who’s Accountable?

Targeted Audience

Members of the administrative team

All faculty Students

Desired Result An “At Risk”

committee who targets students with low attendance/grades

A Student-Centric Environment

Creating Culture Create an area within the school just for

students-provide computers, furniture, and appliances for basic needs;

Have academic and financial aid support available for both day and evening students;

Be career-oriented by providing the proper support, resources, and access to developing human potential

ReferencesAshar, Hanna and Robert Skenes. “Can Tinto’s Student Departure Model Be Applied to Nontraditional Students?” Adult Education Quarterly 43.2 (1993): 90-100. Braxton, J.M., Hirschy, A.S. & McClendon, S.A. (2004). Understanding and reducing collegestudent departure. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report 30 (3). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

 Engstrom, C. & Tinto, V. (2008). Access without support is not opportunity. Change.

Hentschke, G., Lechuga, V., & Tierney, W. (2010). For-profit colleges and universities: Their markets, regulation, performance, and place in higher education . Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing LLC.

 Kennamer, M.A. & Campbell, J.D. (2011, February). Serving adult and returning students: One college’s experience. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers. Association for Career & Technical Education. Lorenzo, G. (2011, July 7).  www.acteonline.org 

Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H., Whitt, E.J. & Associates (2005). Student success in college: Creatingconditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Longwell-Grice, R. & Longwell-Grice. H. (2008). Testing Tinto: How do retention theories work for first-generation, working-class students? Journal of College Student Retention, 9 (4). pp. 407-420). Retrieved from www.hartnell.edu/bsi/Research/Testing%20Tinto's%20theory.pdf. 

 Penn. G. (1999).  Enrollment Management for the 21st Century:  Institutional Goals, Accountability and Fiscal Responsibility.  ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report Volume26, No. 7.  Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

  Tinto, V. (2002). Taking student retention seriously: Rethinking the first year of college. A speech presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, April 15, 2002. Minneapolis, Minnesota.