A great deal of emphasis in higher education is centered on questions such as, "Why do students leave college and how can we get them to stay?" Although researchers have pointed to the import of "sense of belonging" in departure decisions, a measure of students' subjective sense of affiliation and identification with the university community has not been developed. The following is an empirical measure of "sense of belonging" which sheds light on factors that contribute to retention. Gaining greater clarity regarding factors important to the development of "sense of belonging" can help institutional policy planners evaluate the effectiveness of retention programs on their campuses, design more effective intervention strategies, and identify students at risk for departure.According to the American College Testing Program (1999), approximately one-quarter of all new college students do not return for their sophomore year. Aside from the personal and practical consequences related to persistence in college, student tuition and fees make up a sizable proportion of higher education revenue. Consequently, student retention continues to be a major concern of college administrators and a great deal of emphasis in higher education is centered 227 Ó 2002, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc.

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A school-based primary drug prevention program for 11-to 13-yearold youths is presented. Suggestions for designing developmental skillsoriented programs in rural communities are offered.

This study explores the interactions of age, sex, and role salience toward predicting value satisfaction in career decision making among community college students. Suggestions of ways employment counselors can assess values in all aspects of an individual's life-style for use in career-life planning are offered.

This article is based on an interview with Alexander W. Astin, professor of higher education and director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Astin offered several implications of his theory of student involvement for students, faculty members, and administrators. He also commented on excellence as the development of students' talents and on the characteristics of today's college students, as reflected in the findings of an ongoing national study of over 5 million students, 100,000 faculty and staff members, and over 1,200 institutions of higher education.