Leaders at Canadian universities seek to attract and graduate more Indigenous students as part of their institutions’ strategic plans. Admissions and student retention data suggest that while progress is being made, a gap remains between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and especially in the student retention area. Research has proven that student engagement plays a large role in facilitating academic progression and student retention in our institutions of higher learning. Throughout time, many students point to their experience as campus recreation program participants and/or leaders as their most important source of engagement. Some have suggested that campus recreation programs could play a larger and more effective role in engaging Indigenous students and heightening their retention rates. In this conceptual article, the authors analyze the student engagement and retention literature bases relative to Indigenous students. They also highlight the role that campus recreation programs can play in heightening Indigenous student engagement and retention and offer professionals 12 recommendations to help advance this strategic priority.

中文翻译：

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校园休闲计划在增加本地学生参与度和保留率方面可以发挥不可否认的作用

加拿大大学的领导者寻求吸引和毕业更多的土著学生，作为其机构战略计划的一部分。入学率和学生保留数据表明，尽管取得了进展，但土著和非土著学生之间仍然存在差距，尤其是在学生保留方面。研究证明，学生的参与在促进我们的高等教育机构的学术发展和留住学生方面起着重要作用。在整个过程中，许多学生将他们作为校园休闲计划参与者和/或领导者的经验作为他们最重要的参与来源。一些人认为，校园娱乐项目可以在吸引土著学生和提高他们的保留率方面发挥更大，更有效的作用。在这篇概念文章中，作者分析了与土著学生相关的学生敬业度和保留率的文献基础。他们还强调了校园休闲计划在提高土著学生的参与度和保留率方面可以发挥的作用，并向专业人士提供12条建议，以帮助推进这一战略重点。