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Though there is still progress to be made regarding student access to higher education, considerable improvements allow a greater number of students from underrepresented backgrounds to consider college a legitimate option for their futures (Astin & Leticia, 2004; Baker & Vélez, 1996). Admitting historically underrepresented students into institutions of higher education is not enough, however. Higher education scholars and practitioners have an obligation to improve not just access for those students but also success, for increased access does not necessarily equate to equal educational outcomes for students (Bensimon, 2005; Bensimon, Polkinghorne, Bauman, & Vallejo, 2004; Harris & Bensimon, 2007). In fact, Harris and Bensimon (2007) state that "disparities in student outcomes are a reality at most of the nation's colleges and universities" (p. 77). Despite these disparities, equity is rarely included in measures of institutional accountability or program effectiveness (Harris & Bensimon, 2007). Harris and Bensimon (2007) argue that if such practice continues, inequalities in educational outcomes will remain structurally hidden and persist as a common feature of many higher education institutions. The educational outcomes that remain inequitable for underrepresented, or high-risk, students include retention, academic success, and ultimately persistence to graduation. Thus, in order to improve educational outcomes for the underrepresented, more attention must be paid to the institutional programs and services provided to those students.
Many of the support programs for high-risk students in higher education focus on providing either course-specific content knowledge or study skills (Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006; Bettinger & Long, 2005). However, the Charles A. Dana Center (2012) at the University of Texas provides overwhelming evidence of the ineffectiveness of such programs. Based on its findings, the Dana Center (2012) urgently calls for the development and implementation of programs that enable high-risk students to receive both the academic and non-academic support necessary to obtain a "valued postsecondary credential" (p. 1). Similarly, the U.S. Department of Education (2013) argues that "conventional educational approaches" that focus primarily on "intellectual aspects of success, such as content knowledge" are insufficient (p. v). It calls for a significant and pervasive shift in educational priorities that would contribute to the exploration of richer skill sets that include attributes, dispositions, intrapersonal resources, and other noncognitive factors that impact student success (U.S. Department of Education, 2013)....