The Retention/Intervention Study of Native American Undergraduates at the University of New Mexico

Abstract

Student service programs act as key resources to help students persist in school until graduation. However, some critics question whether service programs aimed at specific ethnic populations contribute sufficiently toward their persistence. Tinto (1975) argues that the stronger one is integrated into the institution, the more likely he/she will graduate from college. Thus, Native students' use of Native and non-Native student service programs is likely to effect the strength of their integration. The article presents study findings to explain how Native undergraduates used mainstream and Native programs to support their persistence to graduation at the University of New Mexico. It reports the students' levels of involvement, satisfaction of the services received, and why some students didn't use them. It also includes stop-out information and reasons for stopping out. Finally, the authors discuss how the findings and conclusions may be viewed in light of Native philosophy and views on education.