Abstract
Background and Methodology
Results:
Employment
Continued Education
Gains and Emphasis
Satisfaction with the University
Questions Related to Alumni Association Programs and Services
Open-Ended Questionnaire Responses
Summary and Conclusions

ABSTRACT

This report describes the results of the 2004 administration of the BGSU Short-Term Alumni Questionnaire (2002 Bachelor's Degree graduates) and the BGSU Long-Term Alumni Questionnaire (1998 Bachelor's Degree graduates). The questionnaires were designed to collect information about the employment and continued education activities of alumni, their educational and personal gains as a result of their BGSU education, their satisfaction with various aspects of the University, and their participation with various Alumni Association programs and services. The results of the surveys could be used to support the University's assessment priority.

BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

The need for information about the post-graduation activities and perceptions of alumni prompted the development of the BGSU Short-Term and Long-Term Alumni* Questionnaires in late 1997. This information constitutes a critical component of BGSU's assessment efforts. Since no single commercially-available questionnaire would provide the data specifically needed by BGSU in a timely and cost effective manner, short-term and long-term questionnaires were developed by the Office of Institutional Research in 1997 following widespread consultation with various sectors of the University. The questionnaires were administered to BGSU baccalaureate alumni in 1998, 2001, and 2004.

( * Short-Term Alumni are baccalaureate alumni who graduated from BGSU one to two years before the time the survey was conducted. Long-Term Alumni are baccalaureate alumni who graduated from BGSU five to six years before the time the survey was conducted.)

Unlike in 1998 and 2001, web-based questionnaires, instead of paper ones were used to collect data this year. On March 9, 2004, more than five thousand postcards were mailed out by the Office of Institutional Research to invite 1998 and 2002 BGSU Bachelor's degree graduates to fill out the online surveys. Four additional postcard and email follow-ups were carried out by the office between March 15 and April 22 to remind the alumni to complete the surveys. A total of 392 long-term alumni questionnaires and 386 short-term alumni questionnaires were returned from the groups of 2,329 baccalaureate alumni of 1998 and 2732 baccalaureate alumni of 2002. The response rate is 17% for Long-Term Alumni Survey and 14% for Short-Term Alumni Survey. This year's response rates are lower than the rates in 2001 and in 1998 (see table below).

To examine how representative the survey respondents were of the entire 1998 and 2002 BGSU baccalaureate alumni, the demographic characteristics of the survey respondents were compared to the population. As shown on the table below there was a high degree of college similarity between the respondents and the population. The proportion of women respondents as well as European-American respondents were somewhat higher than in the population. These limitations and the low response rates require that all results from this survey be interpreted with some caution.

Alumni questionnaire results were analyzed by noting the percentages of respondents who provided each response to each questionnaire item. Percentages may not always sum to 100 due to rounding. Results were also compared with those of previous administration of the surveys. In addition, group differences (female vs. male, minorities vs. European-Americans, and college vs. college) were investigated for this year's survey and significant differences are noted where they occurred.

EMPLOYMENT

The great majority of respondents, both long-term or short-term, indicated that they currently were employed full-time in jobs either related to their majors or unrelated to their majors. While 1998 alumni were more likely than the 1991 and 1995 alumni to claim that they had full-time jobs related to their majors after they graduated from BGSU for five years (74% vs. 68%), 2002 alumni were less likely than the long-term alumni as well as 1996 and 1999 short-term alumni to report that they hold full-time jobs related to their majors after they graduated from BGSU for two years.

Among 1998 respondents males were more likely than females to report that they were working full-time in the fields unrelated to their majors. Among 2002 respondents, Arts and Sciences as well as Musical Arts alumni were less likely than the alumni in other colleges to report that they were holding full-time jobs related to their majors.

The majority of BGSU recent graduates earn less than $30,000 a year. Long-term alumni were more likely to have an annual income of $40,000 and more than short-term alumni since they had been on job market for 5 years. Males, on average, reported higher salaries than females. Specifically, 48% of 2002 male alumni vs. 26% of females reported earning $30,000 or more a year and 46% of 1998 male alumni vs. 17% of females claimed earning $50,000 and more a year. A significantly greater percentage of alumni, both 1998 and 2002, from the College of Technology and College of Business Administration had salaries in the $40,000 and above ranges.

The majority of the respondents, especially long-term alumni, were satisfied or very satisfied with their current/first jobs. 2002 alumni, however, were somewhat less satisfied with their first jobs when compared with 1996 and 1999 alumni (one of the reasons may be because they were less likely than 1996 and 1999 alumni to hold full-time jobs related to their majors.). Arts and Sciences alumni of 2002 were less likely to be satisfied with their first jobs than were 2002 alumni in the other colleges.

And again, the majority of the respondents were happy with the way BGSU prepared them for their jobs. Among 2002 respondents, Technology alumni more often said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the way BGSU prepared for their first jobs than did alumni in other colleges.

Among 1998 respondents in the six colleges, Arts and Science graduates were most likely to have three or more different jobs since they left BGSU.

BGSU graduates more often use personal contacts/networking, BGSU career services, and newspaper ads to find their first jobs. While graduates in College of Business of Administration and College of Education and Human Development more often use BGSU Career Services to get their first jobs, graduates in College of Arts and Sciences and College of Health and Human Services more frequently use newspaper ads to land their first jobs.

Most of survey respondents indicated that they had jobs or job offers either before graduation or in less than three month after their graduation. Compared with respondents in other colleges, Technology graduates were most likely to continue in the jobs they already had before their graduation.

Respondents in College of Business Administration were most likely to report that they have taken the licensing or certification examinations related to their area of study at BGSU but did not pass them among the respondents in six colleges.

CONTINUED EDUCATION

Long-term alumni were more likely to complete additional college courses after their graduation than were short-term alumni. Among short-term alumni, 2002 graduates were more likely to take courses towards a Master's degree than were 1996 and 1999 graduates. Compared with the respondents in other colleges, respondents in the College of Technology were less likely to say that they have taken additional college courses since they graduated from BGSU.

Career preparation was the main reason for most of the alumni who continued their education. Among the 1998 alumni in the six colleges, Musical Arts graduates were most likely to claim that they continued their education after graduation simply because they want to  improve themselves more. While minority respondents of 1998 often reported that the most important reason for them to take additional courses was continuing their career, European-American respondents frequently cited increasing the earnings as well as preparing for a new career as the important factors for them  to continue additional college work.

The vast majority of survey respondents, both short term and long term, were satisfied or very satisfied with the way BGSU prepared them for additional college work. Among the 2002 alumni, males and graduates from the College of Technology were somewhat less satisfied with the way BGSU prepared them for continuing education than were females and the graduates from other colleges.

GAINS AND EMPHASIS