Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Agricultural & Extension Education

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The bridge program for incoming music majors at Louisiana State University, run by the School of Music, is a program in its sixth year of existence (2014-2019). The program is a 5 day pre-college orientation that seeks to “bridge the gaps” for incoming music majors through a variety of programming, including sessions on note taking and lectures (given by current music faculty), peer-led integration sessions, financial and time-management workshops presented by university staff, and panels with alumni and community arts leaders. This program was developed as a departmental response to the call to increase the academic success and retention of freshman music majors. This study presents a review of literature related to principles of student success and retention and current best practices in orientation programming. The researcher analyzed university data from 2014-2018, to gain insight into the freshman music majors at LSU, those who did not participate in the bridge program and those who did, to determine similarities and differences in the students’ demographic characteristics. The researcher used the demographic information and bridge program participation to determine what variables, if any, were impactful on first year GPA and first to second year retention.

Date

10-24-2019

Committee Chair

Burnett, Michael F.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.5065

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