Conclusion

Secondary research provides adult higher-education institutions with a rich pool of ideas for strengthening student persistence to graduate by leveraging the relationship between faculty and student. However, the value of the secondary research is limited because it focuses almost exclusively on pedagogical models, while the dynamic nature of adult learner populations illuminates a more integrative instructional approach through which faculty actively engages with students. Another limitation of the existing literature is its tendency to focus on symptoms from an organizational perspective, rather than identifying the problem from a customer perspective. To address these limitations, the institution can consider undertaking research projects designed to address attrition from a student perspective, allowing the college to develop programs that align all customer contact points to support student persistence to graduate, resulting in the stronger economic viability of the organization and increased academic credibility of the institution.