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Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter by George D. Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, John H. Schuh, Elizabeth J. Whitt and Associates; Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Gonzaga University is among 20 colleges nationwide singled out for effectively fostering student success and engaging students in their own education in the new research-driven book titled "Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter."

The book, based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, Bloomington, clearly explains what Gonzaga University and 19 other U.S. colleges and universities are doing that others can learn from to foster a more successful campus culture and learning environment.

"The 20 DEEP colleges and universities are, by almost any measure of student success, gemstones," the authors note. "They share six features that foster student engagement and persistence: a 'living' mission and 'lived' educational philosophy; an unshakeable focus on student learning; environments adapted for educational enrichment; clearly marked pathways to student success; an improvement oriented ethos; shared responsibility for educational quality and student success."

The book, which was the subject of a feature story in USA Today, describes policies, programs and practices that a diverse set of higher educational institutions have used to enhance student achievement. It documents the benefits to student learning and educational effectiveness that can be realized when these conditions are present.

Unlike other college ranking lists, the researchers said this book shows what an educationally effective college or university looks like at the turn of the 21st century and offers clear and practical strategies to improve the quality of undergraduate education across a wide range of post-secondary settings.

George Kuh, a Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education at IU, Bloomington, led a team of researchers in compiling the list. The 20 schools listed as models of success span a spectrum of higher educational institutions - from large public research institutions such as the University of Michican-Ann Arbor to small private liberal arts institutions such as Ursinus College in Collegeville, Penn.

The researchers note that they included these 20 institutions - nine private and 11 public - from among a larger pool that met criteria for higher-than-predicted student engagement and graduation. "We selected this particular group of colleges and universities in part to represent the diversity of baccalaureate-granting institutions," the authors note. Gonzaga is mentioned as "among the top 10 universities in proportion of students who study abroad during college. The DEEP institutions are diverse in mission, selectivity, size, control, location and student characteristics."

Gonzaga also was singled out for its community service, core curriculum, faculty advisors, Gonzaga Experience Live (GEL) student recruitment program, its nearly five-centuries old Jesuit educational traditions, Positive Choice living, social justice core requirement, statistical profile and the Unity House (multicultural education) - among numerous other mentions.

Gonzaga's core curriculum "contributes to a shared experience for both students and faculty, which reinforces Gonzaga's belief that education and formation are outgrowths of meaningful student-faculty relationships," the authors commented.

Gonzaga's rich on-campus student residence living programs were praised for contributing mightily to students' overall experiences and development.

"At Gonzaga, residence hall programs complement and enrich what is already available on campus, particularly in the area of service to the community," the authors note. "Gonzaga students have a serious commitment to service, and numerous volunteer programs are organized on a campus-wide basis. The residence halls build on this commitment and offer additional service opportunities for students."

Despite key differences in student demographics, institutional size and admission standards, these 20 schools share critical characteristics of clear educational purposes and a well-articulated philosophy that guides them.

*Excerpted from Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter, by George Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, John Schuh, Elizabeth Whitt and Associates (March 2005), by permission of Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint.