Defining dropout : a matter of perspective / Vincent Tinto -- Conceptual models of student attrition : how theory can help the institutional researcher / John P. Bean -- Variable-selection and measurement concerns / Oscar T. Lenning -- Designing attrition studies / Patrick T. Terenzini -- Designing retention interventions and verifying their effectiveness / Philip Beal, Ernest T. Pascarella -- Concluding thoughts / Ernest Pascarella -- Resources for research on student attrition / David W. Chapman.