"This book brings to life the theory and research on student success. The thirteen campuses profiled in this study of excellence offer example after example of structures and programs to support first-year students. From learning communities to first-year experience courses to common reading programs, orientation, and more, these authors have compiled rich descriptions of best practices into a must-read for presidents, provosts, academic administrators, student affairs professionals, faculty, and staff across institutional types."
--Jodi Levine Laufgraben, associate vice provost, Temple University

"Betsy Barefoot and John Gardner have been telling us for years what works for first-year students. Now they and their colleagues provide the missing link–examples of schools that actually do it well!"
--George D. Kuh, Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education and director, Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University

"In this wonderfully timely book, Barefoot, Gardner, and their colleagues do higher education a great service. They provide concrete, evidence-based examples of how a diverse array of colleges and universities are redesigning first-year experiences to meet the needs of students and promote their success. We learn again that leadership matters, that data can drive improvement, and that relentless focus and the courage to transform will win the day."
--Kay McClenney, director, Community College Survey of Student Engagement, University of Texas at Austin

"Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College is destined to become a classic, a vital handbook for every college and university which aspires to maximize the life-changing possibilities for America's first-year students."
--David Warren, president, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C.

"At last, a book that offers research-based frameworks for first-year student success that include all types of institutions, regardless of the differences in their missions and the diversity of their students."
--M. Lee Upcraft, affiliate professor emeritus and assistant vice president emeritus for student affairs, Penn State University