Solution

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There are many aspects to a successful initiative.

Early detection

	Using freshman survey data Many schools already administer popular freshman surveys such as the CIRP. Data from these surveys can provide a wealth of valuable information about incoming freshman than can be used to identify students that may be at risk of dropping out in the future.
	Collecting data specifically for student retention - collecting the "right" data

Intervention

First Year Experience course

orientation programs
residence life units
Greek life programs
academic advising programs

National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience

Policy Center on the First Year of College

Academic advising

Post-mortem (a.k.a. the exit interview)

The exit interview

Program evaluation

Any new student retention initiative should start with a thorough review of previous efforts to retain students. This review process is essentially a "program evaluation" of past efforts.