Supporting Student Success: An Interview With David Arendale

Retired yet fully active in the field, one of our premiere scholars shares his journey.

Abstract

David Arendale, at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, served as an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction within the College of Education and Human Development and manager for the Educational Opportunity Association Best Practices Clearinghouse. Arendale formerly served at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in several capacities, including senior research fellow for the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, national project director of Supplemental Instruction, and interim director for the Center for Academic Development. Since the mid-1980s, he has been an active member of both the College Reading and Learning Association and the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE; renamed as the National Organization for Student Success). He served as president of NADE from 1996 to 1997. In 2000, Arendale was recognized by the Council for Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA) for induction as a Founding Fellow of the profession. Arendale is devoting more time to the use of social media such as websites, YouTube channels, podcasting, and Twitter (renamed as X) to communicate in addition to publishing in print and online open-access journals. The use of the Internet, publications, presentations, and workshops communicate the best practices that others have already created. Part of this priority is reflected in his leadership of the Educational Opportunity Association National Best Practices Clearinghouse, which identifies, validates, and disseminates best practices developed by TRIO programs to increase the success of students who are low-income, first-generation college, and historically underrepresented.