The table below presents results for 15 items from our annual alumni surveys of the past four years. Fourteen of these items are common to the alumni surveys of the five other four-year institutions in the state. One item, ability to lead, is unique to WSU's survey. The percentages in the table below represent the percent of alumni from each year who answered that they were either very satisfied or considerably satisfied to each of the questionnaire items. The alumni survey has been conducted annually for the past six years with graduates from the previous academic year. Thus, graduates from the 1993-94 academic year would have been surveyed during the summer of 1995. These surveys are all conducted by mail and they have generally obtained response rates between 30% and 45%.

The results indicate five items showing significant improvement in self-reported satisfaction between 1990 and 1994. These items are: Writing Effectively (5.1%), Critically Analyzing Written Information (6.2%), Speaking Effectively (3.9%), Understanding Other Philosophies/Cultures (4.2%), and Readiness for Advanced Education (6.8%). These are all items which we would expect to improve since they correspond with areas receiving increased emphasis in undergraduate education. WSU's writing program and the World Civilization courses (110 and 111) in our General Education program emphasize each of these aspects.

Three items show significant negative change between 1990 and 1994. These items include: Defining and Solving Problems (-5.6%), Understanding/Applying Scientific Principles (-4.4%), Understanding/Applying Quantitative Principles (-6.9%). It is hard to know what to make of these results, since it is only the most recent alumni survey in which these declines have been observed. However, satisfaction with these items has always been somewhat lower than for other items, and thus may reflect an area that WSU has neglected. We will continue to track these items in future surveys to determine whether these items improve, especially once more students have completed the new requirements in our General Education program.

Percent of Respondents Answering Very Satisfied or Considerably Satisfied To Common Items from WSU's Alumni Survey

94-90

1. Learning Independently                                69.8     70.0 71.1    71.2 72.2    -2.4

2. Defining and Solving Problems                        62.3      66.4 66.0    67.4 67.9   -5.6

3. Understanding/Applying Scientific Principles   45.7    48.6 53.8    52.0 50.1   -4.4

4. Writing Effectively                                        64.3     57.3 57.7    57.2 59.2    5.1

5. Critically Analyzing Written Information      61.6     60.9 57.6    61.7 55.4    6.2

6. Speaking Effectively                                       56.5     55.2 49.3    49.6 52.6    3.9

7. Understanding/Applying Quant Principles      40.6     47.8 46.7    49.8 47.5   -6.9

8. Working Cooperatively in a Group               69.8     70.5 68.8    69.3 67.6    2.2

9. Understanding Other Philosophies/Cultures      50.6    54.8 53.3    43.3 46.4    4.2

10. Readiness for a Career                               54.9    55.8 58.9    47.9 56.1   -1.2

11. Readiness for Advanced Education               61.6    60.6 56.4    55.6 54.8     6.8

12. Understanding Society & Environment      49.0    47.9 44.3    45.8 47.9     1.1

13. Understanding & Appreciation of the Arts      37.3    38.0 33.1    34.2 35.0     2.3

14. Recognizing Responsibilities as a Citizen      43.4    43.3 36.7    39.3 40.9    2.5

15. Ability to Lead                                               60.1       58.2 54.6    54.3 57.2    2.9

Six Year Retrospective