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The Management of Change as a Condition of Student Retention Programs

Community college administrators know that the prosperity of their institutions depends upon enrollment of students that come from both external and internal markets. Although new students from the external market constantly must be sought and enrolled, the most accessible market is the internal one where much of the work already is accomplished. Because of increasing competition, rising cost of education, and other bewitching factors, college administrators almost inevitably are led to a decision to work harder to retain a higher percentage of presently enrolled students. In most situations, many of the right ingredients for success are present-a clear goal, motivated administrators and faculty, adequate resources, abundant talent, and a ready market. Yet, many retention efforts do not succeed, or, at least, fall far short of expectations. Why? Like the problem, the answer is complex. It may rest in part on understanding certain consequences of retention efforts. Retention efforts may cause, or lead to, substantial change in the institution. To set a new goal or to reorder an old one, is to consiciously or unconsciously proclaim an intent to change and to cause events with predictable-and sometimes unpredictable-consequences. Without planning, change will be resisted by people vested in the status quo. The management of change may thus have as much to do with the success of retention efforts as the quality of the plan. The purpose of this analysis is to consider why retention efforts often fall short of expectations from a perspective of planned change management. The analysis is intended to serve two purposes: (a) to highlight certain principles pertaining to planned change from a management perspective, and (b) to propose an application of these principles to an analysis of retention efforts in community colleges. Principles from organization development research may have utility for college administrators. Planned change, or organizational development, may be seen as a field of study, which focuses on