Howard N. Shapiro, associate vice president for student services and undergraduate affairs at Wayne State, said that over the past two years, the university has made a conscious effort to strengthen its need-based aid program to ease the financial burdens that might lead academically underprepared students to drop out. He noted that the first-to-second-year retention rate for black students rose to 69.6 percent from 56.8 percent from 2007 to 2008, and when the figures for 2009 become available in a month, he hopes they will show additional progress.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/08/10/gaps
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/educationblog/2010/08/fiu_um_nova_among_schools_hono_1.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/10/AR2010081002535.html
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Whats-the-Matter-with-Wayne/26105/