Keelin Yenney, a Ph.D. student studying higher education in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD),  has been awarded a grant from the National Association for Orientation, Transfer, and Retention (NODA) for her research regarding the retention of rural students.

“Social Capital and Sense of Belonging: Exploring Assigned Academic Advising as a Retention Tool for Rural Students”
The purpose of this study is to explore how rural students experience assigned academic advising as a tool to develop social capital and sense of belonging in an urban college environment and the ways these experiences influence retention.