Executive Summary

an effort to combat historically high rates of poverty and low rates of educational attainment in Kentucky’s Appalachian region. The first class was selected in 1997 and was part of a broader effort to improve community and economic development in eastern Kentucky. The Robinson Scholars Program provides financial and academic support for potential first-generation college students from the program’s 29-county service area. Scholars are selected in the eighth grade and are provided with enrichment opportunities and college preparation activities throughout their high school careers. Once they enter college, they are provided with academic support and advising services and are required to attend official Robinson Scholar activities and participate in the program’s service projects. The mission of the program is to help the selected students obtain bachelor’s degrees, so that they may add to the human capital of their own communities. Though the program provides students with a considerable amount of support, the road to a bachelor’s degree often proves to be difficult for these students. A number of scholars are placed on probation from the program during their time at the university and some are even dismissed from the program entirely. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between student characteristics and th