Abstract
Retaining and graduating students continues to be an issue that higher education institutions are longing to solve, especially for the growing non-traditional student body whose list of competing priorities continues to grow. As academic suspension hinders persistence, this article examines a key aspect of the reinstatement from suspension process for students: the letter of appeal. The narrative provided is impacted by how the writer expresses their acknowledgment of what went wrong and what changes will be made to ensure administrators of future success, it too is impacted by the interpretation of the institutional decision maker. By reviewing a sample of reinstatement letters, the researchers sought to identify themes in successfully reinstated letters for adult and diverse students who were suspended from a mid-sized urban university. Barriers to success, changes made, self-efficacy and locus of control, and success plans were noted as key themes in both reinstated and non-reinstated letters supported by empirical research for these student populations. The research found that students who provided more details or context around their initial suspension were more successful in their reinstatement attempt.
Recommended Citation
Bowlus, A., & DelMar, J. (2021). Identifying Key Success Indicators in Student Letters for Reinstatement from Suspension. The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.55354/2692-3394.1028
Included in
Community College Leadership Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons
