Helping students to remain n school and to reach their educational goals is one of the many challenges facing community colleges. While it is important to help all students, the needs of the neglected minority population require special attention.

If we are serious about helping minority students to achieve academic success, then intervention must occur earlier in the educational process. This can be realized as public education at the elementary and secondary levels strengthen its educational planning and academic preparation of minority students.

Far too many students are entering college ill-prepared. As such, community colleges must consider establishing effective articulation plans with public schools. College's must also consider strengthening their relationships with organizations that deal extensively with minority students -- in order to attract not only the conventionally aged eighteen-to-twenty-year-old freshmen, but to also attract other individuals who display the potential to benefit from the community college experience.

Over the past five years, African Americans and Native Americans and Native Americans have experienced some decline in postsecondary retention, while Asians and Hispanics have witnessed only slight increases. Declining high school completion figures are another factor impacting college participation by the various minority groups.

Increasing the rate of participation and success of minority students will benefit not only these specific groups, but the society as a whole. As we approach the end of the twentieth century, we are entering an era in which the shifts in technology and demography present the community college with the greatest challenge in its history.

Through the year 2000, one of every three American school children will be a person of color, and minority workers will compose approximately one-third of net additions to the work force. How we, as a nation, deal with the growing diversity of American society is linked to how we match the needs of the labor market to the profile of our diverse labor pool.

Community colleges must view this challenge as a opportunity. They must find better ways of serving the nation's minority students, or face a nation with a greatly weakened economic and social fabric.

In a attempt to better understand the problems that effect minority student retention, the New York State Education Department undertook a study of retention focusing on minority students enrolled in its two-year college professional technical programs. Its intent was to determine the extent to which programs and/or services exist to facilitate the persistence and retention of minority students.

Based on the ranked responses by college administrators, they found the following seven primary barriers affecting the retention of these students: job and family responsibilities of students; location of colleges outside minority concentrations; lack of minority faculty and administrative staff; lack of college funds for intervention programs; inability to afford college; lack of appropriate social and cultural activities; and unsupportive surrounding communities.

In addition, eight retention efforts which were developed to assist in the academic success of minority students were: support groups and clubs for minority students; special advertising to minority community; intrusive or directive academic advising; special orientations to help minority students with course selection and registration; cultural workshops, awareness efforts, scholarships, etc.; ethnic studies courses; tailored financial aid programs and policies; and an office cited or coordinator for minority affairs.

Ten factors most often cited as affecting retention included:

* Positive faculty-student relations.

* A positive relationship between the college and community organizations that work extensively with minorities -- including collaboration with elementary and secondary schools, and continuous dialogue between influential community leaders and member of the college staff.

* Public support of the minority community's role as a critical part of the overall taxpaying community.

* Leadership within the college.

* Retention services organized as a unit to give more visibility, accessibility, and importance.

* Special courses and support services for new and returning students.

* Orientations planned especially for minority students.

* Identification of "at risk" students before they encounter serious academic problems.

* A campus atmosphere that supports minority students' ability to learn.

* Overcoming the barriers of institutional racism that unfortunately still exist throughout American society.

In addition, we need to ensure that institutions offer a more hospitable and accepting learning environment for all cultures and ethnic diversities. Programs designed to assure a smooth transition from inner-city high schools and communities contribute to a positive community college experience. Such efforts can change the perception of college to a place for all students to succeed.

Before us is an opportunity to cultivate academic persistence for individuals who are prone to withdraw from college before achieving their educational goal. We cannot accomplish this task in isolation. We must respond together -- and now!