A world where every organisation has the leadership clarity to move forward, and every person within it has the confidence to lead the way.
Research and Publications
Understanding the problem helps make informed decisions.
Research and Publications
Understanding the problem helps make informed decisions.
Research and Publications
Understanding the problem helps make informed decisions.
Research and Publications
Understanding the problem helps make informed decisions.
Research and Publications
Understanding the problem, helps to make informed decisions.
Research & Publications
Scholarship at the
intersection of equity,
policy, and persistence.
Doctoral research, peer-reviewed scholarship, and conference contributions focused on international student persistence, strategic enrolment management, and equity in Canadian postsecondary education.
1
Refereed Journal Article
1
Book Chapter
3
Conference Presentations
PhD Candidate
University of Windsor
Doctoral Dissertation
In Progress — Anticipated 2027
International Student Persistence in Ontario Colleges During the Post-Cap Period
This doctoral research examines the factors that shape international student persistence and withdrawal decisions at Ontario colleges in the context of the federal government’s significant reduction to international study permit allocations. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks including Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model, the research explores how institutional, social, and cultural variables interact to influence student persistence — and what colleges can do to respond more effectively in a rapidly shifting policy environment.
Theoretical Framework
Tinto’s Integration Model & Bean’s Attrition Model
Research Context
Ontario Colleges — Post-Cap Policy Period
Supervisor
University of Windsor, Faculty of Education
Research Focus
“If we do not understand why students leave, we cannot meaningfully help them stay.” Keith J. Connell
Keith’s scholarly work sits at the intersection of strategic enrolment management, equity, and student success in Canadian postsecondary education. His research is motivated by a sustained concern for the experiences of students navigating significant institutional and cultural transitions — particularly international students entering Ontario’s college system.
The policy upheaval created by Canada’s international study permit cap has introduced new urgency to questions that were already pressing: what compels a student to persist through difficulty, and what pushes them toward withdrawal? Keith’s research approaches these questions through both established theoretical lenses and the lived realities of students whose persistence decisions are shaped by factors far beyond academic performance alone.
His work connects directly to his teaching practice. The same evidence base that informs his doctoral inquiry shapes how he designs curriculum, advises students, and interprets institutional policy in his role as a full-time professor. Scholarship and practice, in Keith’s work, are not parallel tracks — they are the same road.
Refereed Journal Articles
2023
Journal Article
The intersection of SEM and equity: A systematized literature review
Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly, Special Edition, 3–23.
Book Chapters
2026
Book Chapter — In Press
Canada’s international student surge and decline
In press, 2026.
Conference Presentations
Presenting research at the graduate and institutional level
Keith has presented his doctoral research at peer-reviewed graduate education conferences and institutional research symposia. His presentations have addressed the theoretical models that explain student persistence and withdrawal, and the lived experience of international students navigating the transition from their home academic culture to a Canadian postsecondary environment.
These presentations reflect a commitment to moving research beyond the dissertation and into scholarly dialogue — contributing to the field while the work is still being developed, and inviting peer engagement that strengthens the inquiry itself.
2024 — Peer-Reviewed
Understanding why students quit and why they don’t: A look at Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model. Graduate Education Research Conference, University of Windsor.
2023 — Peer-Reviewed
The impact of international students transitioning from home to host academic culture on their persistence/withdrawal decision. Graduate Education Research Conference, University of Windsor.
2023 — Conference
The impact of the international student experience on persistence in higher education. Research Innovation Scholarship and Entrepreneurship Symposium (RISE).
Research Areas
01
International Student Persistence
Primary Focus
The factors shaping persistence and withdrawal decisions among international students at Ontario colleges, with particular attention to the post-cap policy environment.
02
Strategic Enrolment Management
SEM & Equity
The intersection of SEM practice and equity in Canadian postsecondary institutions, including how enrolment strategy can be designed to support diverse and underserved student populations.
03
Academic Culture Transition
Cultural & Social
How the transition from home to host academic culture shapes the social and academic integration of international students, and its downstream effect on persistence and satisfaction.
04
Student Attrition Theory
Theoretical
Critical engagement with Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model as frameworks for understanding student departure in contemporary postsecondary contexts.
05
Canadian Immigration Policy
Policy & Systemic
The implications of federal study permit policy shifts for Ontario colleges — how systemic decisions reshape institutional enrolment and the student experience on the ground.
06
Educational Leadership
Institutional
Leadership in postsecondary education, with a focus on evidence-informed decision-making, equity-centred institutional practice, and the role of research in shaping organizational response to policy change.
Research & Publications
Scholarship at the
intersection of equity,
policy, and persistence.
Doctoral research, peer-reviewed scholarship, and conference contributions focused on international student persistence, strategic enrolment management, and equity in Canadian postsecondary education.
1
Refereed Journal Article
1
Book Chapter
3
Conference Presentations
PhD Candidate
University of Windsor
Doctoral Dissertation
In Progress — Anticipated 2027
International Student Persistence in Ontario Colleges During the Post-Cap Period
This doctoral research examines the factors that shape international student persistence and withdrawal decisions at Ontario colleges in the context of the federal government’s significant reduction to international study permit allocations. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks including Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model, the research explores how institutional, social, and cultural variables interact to influence student persistence — and what colleges can do to respond more effectively in a rapidly shifting policy environment.
Theoretical Framework
Tinto’s Integration Model & Bean’s Attrition Model
Research Context
Ontario Colleges — Post-Cap Policy Period
Supervisor
University of Windsor, Faculty of Education
Research Focus
“If we do not understand why students leave, we cannot meaningfully help them stay.” Keith J. Connell
Keith’s scholarly work sits at the intersection of strategic enrolment management, equity, and student success in Canadian postsecondary education. His research is motivated by a sustained concern for the experiences of students navigating significant institutional and cultural transitions — particularly international students entering Ontario’s college system.
The policy upheaval created by Canada’s international study permit cap has introduced new urgency to questions that were already pressing: what compels a student to persist through difficulty, and what pushes them toward withdrawal? Keith’s research approaches these questions through both established theoretical lenses and the lived realities of students whose persistence decisions are shaped by factors far beyond academic performance alone.
His work connects directly to his teaching practice. The same evidence base that informs his doctoral inquiry shapes how he designs curriculum, advises students, and interprets institutional policy in his role as a full-time professor. Scholarship and practice, in Keith’s work, are not parallel tracks — they are the same road.
Refereed Journal Articles
2023
Journal Article
The intersection of SEM and equity: A systematized literature review
Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly, Special Edition, 3–23.
Book Chapters
2026
Book Chapter — In Press
Canada’s international student surge and decline
In press, 2026.
Conference Presentations
Presenting research at the graduate and institutional level
Keith has presented his doctoral research at peer-reviewed graduate education conferences and institutional research symposia. His presentations have addressed the theoretical models that explain student persistence and withdrawal, and the lived experience of international students navigating the transition from their home academic culture to a Canadian postsecondary environment.
These presentations reflect a commitment to moving research beyond the dissertation and into scholarly dialogue — contributing to the field while the work is still being developed, and inviting peer engagement that strengthens the inquiry itself.
2024 — Peer-Reviewed
Understanding why students quit and why they don’t: A look at Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model. Graduate Education Research Conference, University of Windsor.
2023 — Peer-Reviewed
The impact of international students transitioning from home to host academic culture on their persistence/withdrawal decision. Graduate Education Research Conference, University of Windsor.
2023 — Conference
The impact of the international student experience on persistence in higher education. Research Innovation Scholarship and Entrepreneurship Symposium (RISE).
Research Areas
01
International Student Persistence
Primary Focus
The factors shaping persistence and withdrawal decisions among international students at Ontario colleges, with particular attention to the post-cap policy environment.
02
Strategic Enrolment Management
SEM & Equity
The intersection of SEM practice and equity in Canadian postsecondary institutions, including how enrolment strategy can be designed to support diverse and underserved student populations.
03
Academic Culture Transition
Cultural & Social
How the transition from home to host academic culture shapes the social and academic integration of international students, and its downstream effect on persistence and satisfaction.
04
Student Attrition Theory
Theoretical
Critical engagement with Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model as frameworks for understanding student departure in contemporary postsecondary contexts.
05
Canadian Immigration Policy
Policy & Systemic
The implications of federal study permit policy shifts for Ontario colleges — how systemic decisions reshape institutional enrolment and the student experience on the ground.
06
Educational Leadership
Institutional
Leadership in postsecondary education, with a focus on evidence-informed decision-making, equity-centred institutional practice, and the role of research in shaping organizational response to policy change.
Research & Publications
Scholarship at the
intersection of equity,
policy, and persistence.
Doctoral research, peer-reviewed scholarship, and conference contributions focused on international student persistence, strategic enrolment management, and equity in Canadian postsecondary education.
1
Refereed Journal Article
1
Book Chapter
3
Conference Presentations
PhD Candidate
University of Windsor
Doctoral Dissertation
In Progress — Anticipated 2027
International Student Persistence in Ontario Colleges During the Post-Cap Period
This doctoral research examines the factors that shape international student persistence and withdrawal decisions at Ontario colleges in the context of the federal government’s significant reduction to international study permit allocations. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks including Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model, the research explores how institutional, social, and cultural variables interact to influence student persistence — and what colleges can do to respond more effectively in a rapidly shifting policy environment.
Theoretical Framework
Tinto’s Integration Model & Bean’s Attrition Model
Research Context
Ontario Colleges — Post-Cap Policy Period
Supervisor
University of Windsor, Faculty of Education
Research Focus
“If we do not understand why students leave, we cannot meaningfully help them stay.” Keith J. Connell
Keith’s scholarly work sits at the intersection of strategic enrolment management, equity, and student success in Canadian postsecondary education. His research is motivated by a sustained concern for the experiences of students navigating significant institutional and cultural transitions — particularly international students entering Ontario’s college system.
The policy upheaval created by Canada’s international study permit cap has introduced new urgency to questions that were already pressing: what compels a student to persist through difficulty, and what pushes them toward withdrawal? Keith’s research approaches these questions through both established theoretical lenses and the lived realities of students whose persistence decisions are shaped by factors far beyond academic performance alone.
His work connects directly to his teaching practice. The same evidence base that informs his doctoral inquiry shapes how he designs curriculum, advises students, and interprets institutional policy in his role as a full-time professor. Scholarship and practice, in Keith’s work, are not parallel tracks — they are the same road.
Refereed Journal Articles
2023
Journal Article
The intersection of SEM and equity: A systematized literature review
Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly, Special Edition, 3–23.
Book Chapters
2026
Book Chapter — In Press
Canada’s international student surge and decline
In press, 2026.
Conference Presentations
Presenting research at the graduate and institutional level
Keith has presented his doctoral research at peer-reviewed graduate education conferences and institutional research symposia. His presentations have addressed the theoretical models that explain student persistence and withdrawal, and the lived experience of international students navigating the transition from their home academic culture to a Canadian postsecondary environment.
These presentations reflect a commitment to moving research beyond the dissertation and into scholarly dialogue — contributing to the field while the work is still being developed, and inviting peer engagement that strengthens the inquiry itself.
2024 — Peer-Reviewed
Understanding why students quit and why they don’t: A look at Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model. Graduate Education Research Conference, University of Windsor.
2023 — Peer-Reviewed
The impact of international students transitioning from home to host academic culture on their persistence/withdrawal decision. Graduate Education Research Conference, University of Windsor.
2023 — Conference
The impact of the international student experience on persistence in higher education. Research Innovation Scholarship and Entrepreneurship Symposium (RISE).
Research Areas
01
International Student Persistence
Primary Focus
The factors shaping persistence and withdrawal decisions among international students at Ontario colleges, with particular attention to the post-cap policy environment.
02
Strategic Enrolment Management
SEM & Equity
The intersection of SEM practice and equity in Canadian postsecondary institutions, including how enrolment strategy can be designed to support diverse and underserved student populations.
03
Academic Culture Transition
Cultural & Social
How the transition from home to host academic culture shapes the social and academic integration of international students, and its downstream effect on persistence and satisfaction.
04
Student Attrition Theory
Theoretical
Critical engagement with Tinto’s Student Integration Model and Bean’s Student Attrition Model as frameworks for understanding student departure in contemporary postsecondary contexts.
05
Canadian Immigration Policy
Policy & Systemic
The implications of federal study permit policy shifts for Ontario colleges — how systemic decisions reshape institutional enrolment and the student experience on the ground.
06
Educational Leadership
Institutional
Leadership in postsecondary education, with a focus on evidence-informed decision-making, equity-centred institutional practice, and the role of research in shaping organizational response to policy change.