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

ABSTRACT

This report describes the results of the 2001 administration of the BGSU Short-Term Alumni Questionnaire (1999 Bachelor's Degree graduates) and the BGSU Long-Term Alumni Questionnaire (1995 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, their satisfaction with various aspects of the University, and their awareness of and satisfaction with various Alumni Association programs and services. Their use supports the University's assessment priority. Results are used in this report to provide a descriptive profile of the 1995 and 1999 baccalaureate alumni. They are also maintained in databases within the Office of Institutional Research for use in longitudinal studies.

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 Office of Institutional Research plans to administer the alumni surveys to BGSU graduates every three to five years.

Alumni questionnaires were mailed to all 1995 (long-term) and 1999 (short-term) BGSU baccalaureate alumni using mailing labels provided by the Office of Alumni Affairs. A first mailing was done in April 2001 and a second mailing to non-respondents was done in May. A total of 410 long-term questionnaires were returned from the group of 2,263 alumni of 1995 in the population; this represents a 18% response rate. The profile of the long-term respondents closely matched that of all 1995 baccalaureate alumni with respect to gender, ethnicity, and college. A total of 616 short-term questionnaires were returned from the group of 2,654 alumni of 1999 in the population; this representing a 23% response rate. There was a high degree of race similarity between the short-term respondents and the population of 1999 graduates. The largest difference was the under-representation of male respondents (30% of sample vs. 40% of population). The proportion of short-term respondents who were in College of Arts and Science (32%) was somewhat low compared with those in the population of 1999 graduates (38%). The proportion of short-term respondents who were in College of Health and Human Services (17%) was somewhat high compared with those in the population of 1999 graduates (12%). 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. Results were also compared with those of 1998 administration of surveys to 1991 (long-term) and 1996 (short-term) alumni. In addition, group differences (female vs. male, minority graduates vs. European-American graduates, and college vs. college) were investigated for 1995 and 1999 alumni and significant differences are noted where they occurred.

EMPLOYMENT

European-American respondents were more likely to report being employed full-time in jobs related to their majors; minority respondents were more likely to report being employed full-time in jobs unrelated to their majors. Business Administration alumni of 1999 were most likely to be employed full-time in jobs related to their majors among the alumni of 1999 in all the colleges.

What is the annual salary of your current job? (Long-Term Alumni)
What was the annual salary of your first job after graduation? (Short-Term Alumni)

	Long-Term Alumni		Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%
less than $20,000	9	10	34	18
$20,000 - $29,999	20	13	43	46
$30,000 - $39,999	24	30	17	28
$40,000 - $49,999	20	17	5	7
$50,000 and above	27	29	1	2

Compared with 1996 alumni, 1999 alumni were less likely to have a annual salary less than $20,000 for their first job, but more likely to have a salary between $30,000 and $39,000 a year. Males, on average, reported higher salaries than females. A significantly greater percentage of alumni from the College of Technology and College of Business Administration had salaries in the $40,000+ range.

European-American respondents were more likely to report that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their first jobs after their graduation than were minority respondents.

How satisfied are you with the way BGSU prepared you for your current job? (Long-Term Alumni)
How satisfied are you with the way BGSU prepared you for your first job after graduation? (Short-Term Alumni)

	Long-Term Alumni		Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%
very satisfied	31	34	26	22
satisfied	61	56	60	63
dissatisfied	6	8	10	11
very dissatisfied	2	3	4	3

European-American alumni more often said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their career preparation than did minority alumni.

How many different jobs have you had since you graduated from BGSU?

	Long-Term Alumni only
	1991	1995
	%	%
none	4	5
one	14	13
two	26	32
three or more	57	50

Men were less likely to have had three or more different jobs since they graduated from BGSU than were women.

What methods did you use to find your first job after you graduated from BGSU? 

	Short-Term Alumni only
	1996	1999
	%	%
personal contacts/networking	53	52
newspaper ad	28	26
BGSU Career Services	25	25
co-op/internship contacts	16	19
BGSU faculty	13	10
other BGSU contacts	7	5
employment agency	7	6
recruiter	5	7
alumni career programs	1	1

How long did it take you to get your first job after you graduated from BGSU? 

	Short-Term Alumni only
	1996	1999
	%	%
I continued in a job I already had	13	10
I found a job before graduation	28	34
less than 3 months	32	31
3 to 6 months	15	16
6 to 12 months	9	6
more than 12 months	4	2

Men, European-American alumni, and alumni from College of Business Administration and College of Technology were more likely to find a job before their graduation than were women, minority alumni, and alumni from other colleges.

If you are required to take a licensing or certification examination related to your area of study at BGSU, please choose one of the following options:

	Short-Term Alumni only
	1996	1999
	%	%
I have taken and passed the examination	95	92
I have taken the exam but do not yet know the results	2	2
I have taken the exam but did not pass	3	6

Minority alumni and alumni from College of Business Administration were less likely to report that they have taken and passed a licensing or certification examination related to their area of study at BGSU than were European-American alumni and alumni from other colleges.

CONTINUED EDUCATION

Since graduation from BGSU have you completed any additional college courses?

	Long-Term Alumni		Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%
No	39	40	60	67
Yes, I've completed courses, but not towards another degree.	18	16	12	9
Yes, I've completed courses towards another Bachelor's degree, but haven't yet earned it.	1	2	2	2
Yes, I've completed courses towards and earned another bachelor's Degree.	1	1	0	0
Yes, I've completed courses towards a Master's Degree, but haven't yet earned it.	11	17	12	17
Yes, I've completed courses towards and earned a Master's Degree.	22	20	8	3
Yes, I've completed courses towards a doctoral degree, but haven't yet earned it.	3	2	3	2
Yes, I've completed courses towards and earned a doctoral degree.	3	1	0	2
Yes, I've completed courses towards a law or medical degree, but haven't yet earned it.	0	1	2	0
Yes, I've completed courses towards and earned a law or medical degree.	3	1	1	1

Compared with men and the short-term alumni (those who recently graduated), women and long-term alumni were more likely to take additional course work. Minority alumni of 1995 were more likely to take additional college course than were European-American alumni of 1995. Education & Human Development alumni of 1995 and Health and Human Services alumni of 1999 more often said they have taken additional course work since their graduation from BGSU.

What is the most important reason that you continued your education after graduating from BGSU?

	Long-Term Alumni		Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%
for continued career preparation	56	49	54	53
for preparation for a new career	11	16	15	14
to increase my earnings	19	24	17	24
for general self-improvement	14	12	14	8

Female alumni more frequently reported that the most important reason for them to continue their education was continuing their career preparation.

How satisfied are you with the way BGSU prepared you for additional college work?

	Long-Term Alumni		Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%
very satisfied	32	37	33	25
satisfied	61	59	60	69
dissatisfied	6	3	7	5
very dissatisfied	1	2	1	2

European-American alumni of 1995 more often said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the way BGSU prepared them for additional college work than did minority alumni of 1995.

GAINS AND EMPHASIS

For each of the following items, please indicated how much you feel you have gained as a results of your BGSU education. (Percentage "Quite a Bit" or "Very Much")

	Long-Term Alumni Only
	1991	1995
being open to new ideas	NA	72%
developing knowledge and skills applicable to a career	NA	68%
writing effectively	70%	66%
relating to others	61%	65%
thinking critically	66%	63%
being prepared for further education	NA	63%
making informed judgments	NA	62%
solving problems	67%	60%
understanding my own abilities, interests, and values	60%	56%
speaking effectively	61%	54%
making connections between the classes I have taken	NA	52%
making connections between things I have learned in class and other experiences in my life	NA	52%
understanding cultural, racial and gender differences and how they relate to me, my field of study, and my future career	NA	50%
using computers	39%	49%
developing a better understanding of my career goals	NA	45%

For each of the following items, please indicated how much emphasis you feel BGSU should place in each area (Percentage "Need to Emphasize More")

	Long-Term Alumni Only
	1991	1995
using computers	67%	55%
speaking effectively	45%	45%
developing a better understanding of my career goals	NA	43%
solving problems	37%	38%
thinking critically	39%	38%
developing knowledge and skills applicable to a career	NA	37%
making connections between things I have learned in class and other experiences in my life	NA	36%
making connections between the classes I have taken	NA	35%
writing effectively	44%	35%
understanding my own abilities, interests, and values	27%	29%
understanding cultural, racial and gender differences and how they relate to me, my field of study, and my future career	NA	29%
making informed judgments	NA	27%
being prepared for further education	NA	25%
relating to others	35%	18%
being open to new ideas	NA	16%

Alumni from Health and Human Services were least likely to report that they gained quite a bit or very much in using computers among the alumni in all colleges. They were most likely to indicate that BGSU needs to emphasize more developing a better understanding of their career goals.

Minority alumni more often reported that they gained quite a bit or very much in writing effectively. They were, however, less likely than European-American alumni to report that they gained quite a bit or very much in solving problems, speaking effectively, thinking critically, making informed judgments,  relating to others, being open to new ideas, developing a better understanding of their career goals, being prepared for further education, making connections between things they have learned in class and other experiences in their life, and understanding cultural, racial, and gender differences and how they relate to themselves, their field of study, and their future career. They were more likely than European-American alumni to indicate that BGSU should emphasize more on 12 out of 15 items listed on the table above, except solving problems, making informed judgments, and being prepared for further education, for which there were no cross group difference.

SATISFACTION WITH THE UNIVERSITY

If you could start college over again, would you choose to enroll at BGSU?

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
definitely probably probably not definitely not	34% 52% 13%   1%	50% 38%   9%   3%		40% 44% 12%   3%	42% 43% 13%   3%

If you could start college over again, would you choose the same major?

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
definitely probably probably not definitely not	25% 40% 25% 10%	32% 35% 26%   7%		37% 34% 21%   9%	37% 32% 25%   6%

Would you encourage others to enroll at BGSU?

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
definitely probably probably not definitely not	56% 40%   4%   1%	66% 30%   3%   2%		57% 36%   6%   1%	57% 37%   4%   2%

Compared with the alumni of 1991, 1995 alumni seemed more likely to say they would enroll at BGSU if they could start college over again and they were also more likely to encourage others to enroll at BGSU.

Minority alumni of 1995 were less likely than European-American alumni of 1995 to report that their college education improved the quality of their life. They were less likely to choose the same major or to enroll at BGSU again if they could. They were also less likely to encourage others to enroll at BGSU.

Alumni of 1999 from the colleges of Technology and Musical Arts were less likely than the alumni of 1999 from other colleges to enroll again at BGSU.

How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the department or college from which you earned your BGSU degree? (Short-Term Alumni Only)

	very satisfied		satisfied		dissatisfied		very dissatisfied
	1996	1999	1996	1999	1996	1999	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
the overall quality of instruction	33	32	62	62	5	5	1	1
the overall quality of advising	19	18	51	51	23	23	8	9
ease of access to instructors	33	31	57	61	9	7	1	1
helpfulness in preparing for employment	17	19	55	55	23	21	6	6
helpfulness in preparing for further education	18	15	63	65	16	17	3	3
concern for me as an individual	23	20	57	59	16	17	4	4

Alumni from Musical Arts were more satisfied with the help they received in preparing for employment. They were, however, less satisfied with the overall quality of advising and concern for them as individuals. While European-American alumni were more satisfied than minority alumni with the help they received in preparing for employment and further education, and concern for them as individuals, they were less satisfied with the overall quality of advising.

How satisfied with each of the following aspects of BGSU outside of the department or college from which you earned your degree (e.g., other departments where you took classes, administrative offices, etc.)? (Short-Term Alumni Only)

	very satisfied		satisfied		dissatisfied		very dissatisfied
	1996	1999	1996	1999	1996	1999	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
the overall quality of instruction	16	13	79	80	5	6	1	1
ease of access to instructors	14	13	73	75	12	11	1	1
helpfulness in preparing for employment	10	6	63	67	24	22	3	5
helpfulness in preparing for further education	11	8	71	72	17	17	2	3
concern for me as an individual	11	8	65	65	21	22	4	4

Female and minority alumni were more satisfied than male and European-American alumni with the ease of access to instructors. Alumni in Musical Arts and Health & Human Services were more satisfied with the help they received in preparing for employment than were the alumni from other colleges. Alumni from Musical Arts and Technology were less satisfied with the overall quality of instruction and ease of access to instructors. Technology alumni were least satisfied with concern for them as individuals. 

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Are you familiar with the Alumni Association World Wide Web site?

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
yes no	17% 83%	28% 72%		25% 75%	40% 60%

How often do you use the Alumni Association web site to connect with Bowling Green State University?

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
never for special events only monthly daily	89%   9%   2%   0%	82%   1%   4%   13%		90%   9%   1%   0%	80%   0%   3% 16%

Compared with the previous survey respondents (1991 and 1996), 2001 survey respondents (1995 and 1999) seemed more likely to report that they were familiar with the Alumni Association web site and that they have used it on a daily basis. Men of 1995 and women of 1999 more frequently said that they were familiar with the Alumni web site than did women of 1995 and men of 1999.

Which of the following roles do you think alumni chapters should fulfill?

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
"welcome wagon" career assistance fundraising for the University recruiting new students special events networking community service to keep alumni in touch with BGSU	27% 58% 29% 28% 34% 54% 24% 59%	25% 56% 30% 28% 35% 55% 22% 57%		22% 60% 31% 29% 35% 55% 23% 60%	21% 57% 25% 26% 32% 48% 17% 52%

About half of the survey respondents indicated that career assistance, networking, and keeping alumni in touch with BGSU were the roles alumni chapters should fulfill.

Have you ever used the following Alumni Association programs and services? (have used)

	Long-Term Alumni			Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995		1996	1999
alumni chapters alumni gift shop "AT BG" magazine BGSU visa card career assistance homecoming/reunions insurance programs on-line services	14%   9% 69%   7%   8% 18%   1%   6%	9% 10% 69% 13% 10% 19%   2% 10%		4%   8% 54%   9% 10% 12%   1%   7%	4%   8% 40%   6%   8% 13%   4% 14%

Among the 8 items listed on the table above, "AT BG" magazine is the only one that forty percent or more of the alumni have used.

Minority alumni were more likely than European American alumni to use on-line services. Men of 1999 and alumni of 1995 from College of Technology and College of Health & Human Services were less likely to have read the "AT BG" magazine than were women of 1999 and alumni of 1995 from other colleges.

If you have used any of the following Alumni Association programs and services, how satisfied are you with them?

	Long-Term Alumni		Short-Term Alumni
	1991	1995	1996	1999
	%	%	%	%
alumni chapters: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	15 78   7	12 84   3	12 84   4	11 86   3
alumni gift shop: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	17 81   3	15 81   5	19 80   1	24 74   2
"AT BG" magazine: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	59 40   2	66 32   2	63 37   1	51 47   2
BGSU visa card: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	10 88   2	19 78   4	20 78   3	11 86   3
career assistance: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	10 81   9	12 79   9	15 75 11	15 73 12
homecoming/reunions: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	24 72   4	29 71   1	29 69   2	36 61   4
insurance programs: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	5 95   1	4 92   4	5 94   2	10 89   1
on-line services: satisfied neutral dissatisfied	7 91   2	14 84   2	18 80   2	30 69   2

OPEN-EN