Six articles on recruitment and retention of black students are presented that cite dropping out as the factor most responsible for significantly impeding minority access to and successful progress in the collegiate experience. Increasingly, retention is becoming the ultimate yardstick for measuring institutional effectiveness, which translates into measuring how colleges perform their crucial role of helping both academically talented and underprepared students alike to succeed. The articles are as follows: "Creating and Achieving Excellence: Laying the Foundation for Successful Recruitment and Retention of Black Students" (Harold W. Lundy and Glenda F. Carter); "Cognitive Styles and Multicultural Populations" (James A. Anderson); "Project Far: A Blueprint for College Student Retention" (Rebecca T. Gates); "Teaching Problem Solving in General Chemistry at a Minority Institution" (J. W. Carmichael, Joanne Bauer, and Donald Robinson); "Models of Community Resources for the Enhancement of Black Student Retention" (David W. Hoard); and "Financial Aid and Tuition: Factors Contributing to the Decline of Black Student Enrollment in Higher Education" (Glenda F. Carter). (SM)