Retention is very important to both the learning institution and the student. As an instructor, part of my duty is to help the student succeed (of course), but also make them feel welcome at the school and to let them know that the money they're spending to attend is not going to be a waste. As long as they stay focused on their ultimate goal, which hopefully is a career that they're going to love and work at for a long time.
However, some people just disappear before you even realize or can do anything about it and I think that's really unfortunate.
