The first-to-second-year retention rate for Asian, Hispanic/Latino, African and Native American (AHANA) students at Calvin has been increasing over the last few years. Todd Dornbos, director of retention, explained that over the past three years, Calvin’s AHANA retention rate has gone up from 74.4 percent to 85.5 percent, nearly matching the college’s overall retention rate of 86.5 percent.

When asked about how the college is supporting the AHANA community, Dornbos said, “The faculty and administration care deeply about the learning and success of students AHANA students.” He added that the Intercultural Student Development Team has worked to foster a “safe, supportive, and hospitable environment at Calvin.”

Dornbos credits the Multicultural Student Development Office (MSDO) for sharing their knowledge in order to help increase support for AHANA students. Efforts in communication across departments have boosted efforts to help AHANA students sort through academic, financial and social challenges they may face at Calvin.

Calvin’s website for MSDO states, “The Multicultural Student Development Office (MSDO) exists to create a campus community where all students feel a sense of belonging through support service, multicultural programming and anti-racism education.”

Throughout their college education, the Intercultural Student Development Office, MSDO and Calvin as a whole hope to support AHANA students from admission to graduation.

Regarding the future of AHANA student retention, Dornbos said, “Our goals for AHANA students will continue to develop from what is learned each year, but more importantly by listening intently to the suggestions and ideas we receive from students.”