New Study Shows Strong Effects for Mentor Recruitment Intervention
Boston, MA — November 4, 2025 — The Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring (CEBM) at UMass Boston is proud to announce that its latest paper, Testing the Effects of a Social Capital Intervention on College Student Retention and Academic Success, has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Community Psychology.
The forthcoming paper, led by Emily Hersch, Alexandra Werntz, and Dr. Jean Rhodes of UMass Boston, with collaborators from Suffolk University, Fordham University, and the University of Washington, evaluates the impact of the Connected Scholars (CS) course: a social capital–building intervention designed to help underrepresented and first-generation college students thrive.
Drawing on data from more than 900 students at a large, urban, minority-serving public university, the study tested whether participation in the CS course improved academic outcomes, including retention and graduation rates. Results suggest that students who completed the course were over 3 times more likely to graduate in 4 years, and twice as likely to graduate in 6 years, compared to other students.
The Connected Scholars curriculum helps students build mentoring relationships, expand support networks, and strengthen resilience through reflective writing, role-playing, and real-world networking activities.
“This work demonstrates the power of social capital interventions to promote equitable college success,” said Dr. Jean Rhodes, professor of psychology at UMass Boston and director of CEBM. “By helping students develop the networks and mentoring relationships that more privileged students often take for granted, programs like Connected Scholars can help close opportunity gaps in higher education.”
The study underscores the potential for scalable, strengths-based interventions to improve academic persistence, particularly for first-generation and racially or ethnically minoritized students.
The American Journal of Community Psychology is a leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing theory, research, and practice that promotes community well-being and social justice.
Authors: Emily Hersch, Alexandra Werntz, Sarah E. O. Schwartz, Elizabeth B. Raposa, James Hughes, McKenna F. Parnes, & Jean Rhodes.
