Grand Theft Student: Strategies and Tactics for Political Science Recruitment and Retention

Abstract

As students have become more career-oriented, it has become increasingly challenging to recruit them into political science, since connections between the major and many potential job opportunities are not immediately apparent. Consequently, departments are seeing declining numbers in majors. To counter this trend, departments need to identify new strategies to recruit and retain students in our major. This work examines strategies and opportunities for recruitment of both prospective college students and current students from other majors. We also address potential retention strategies for current students, including introducing a cohort model, creating a departmental community, and making the work that we do more visible.