ABSTRACT
Student persistence and/or retention (we will use these terms interchangeably) is a critical factor for higher education. It impacts the finances of the institution as well as its reputation and standing. O’Keeffe (2013) wrote that high numbers of first-year students who do not persist beyond their first year reflect poorly on an institution. In addition, there is profound financial impact because of the financial resources borrowed by students who do not complete their education. In this chapter we will present, and for some of you review, these issues in more detail. The Learning Community (LC) experience has been part of the retention discussion since the work of Tinto (1987), and we will review this literature as well.
