Despite near universal acceptance in the value of higher education for individuals and society, college persistence rates in 4‐year and community colleges are low. Only 57% of students who began college at a 4–year institution in 2001 had completed a bachelor's degree by 2007, and only 28% of community college students who started school in 2005 had completed a degree 4 years later (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). To address this problem, this paper identified 3 goals. The first was to review the extant literature on persistence in higher education. The second was to develop a working model of persistence informed by our literature review. This resulted in a model centered on 3 basic categories of variables: those that put you on track towards persistence, those that push you off track, and those that keep you on track. The final goal was to outline a research agenda to develop student‐centered assessments informed by our model, and we conclude with a discussion of this agenda.

8%-20.7%), although the upper extremity was the most frequently fractured region overall (52.1%; 95% CI, 48.1%-56.1%); 28.7% of patients (95% CI, 23.7%-33.8%) required hospital admission. Discussion | To our knowledge, this study is the first to identify and characterize leash-dependent dog walking as an activity that imparts a significant and rising injury risk in older adults. The gravity of this burden is exemplified by the hip being most frequently fractured, because this injury is associated with long-term decreases in quality of life and functional capabilities, as well as mortality rates approaching 30%. 5 Combined with the sex disparity in injury burden, older women considering dog ownership must be made aware of this risk. Clinicians may play a role in identifying at-risk patients and minimizing fracture risk by advocating for preventive actions, such as obedience training to ensure dogs do not lunge while leashed, or suggesting smaller dog breeds for individuals contemplating ownership. 6 The study has limitations. Despite the validated nature of the source database, our findings likely underestimate the morbidity associated with elderly Americans walking leashed dogs: only emergency department cases are contained within the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, and our analysis excluded less severe, nonfracture injuries. Moreover, the database does not include comparative dog sizes, cases requiring operative intervention, or disposition after discharge; future research may clarify the consequences of these variables. This study draws attention to an activity that can result in significant injury. For older adults-especially those living alone and with decreased bone mineral density-the risks associated with walking leashed dogs merit consideration. Even one such injury could result in a potentially lethal hip fracture, lifelong complications, or loss of independence.

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