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Bob Beagle Vice President for University Advancement |
We’re listening!
In this season of political campaigns and public opinion polls, it’s only natural that this column should be about our recent alumni marketing survey, which investigated such topics as: alumni awareness of recent developments at URI; perception of experiences as a student at URI; and services and activities for alumni.
The results are outlined in an accompanying story in this issue of the Pacer, but I want to comment on some of the more important findings.
Alumni perceptions and feelings about their alma mater were very positive. A large majority indicated they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their student experience. A whopping 96% said they have “great pride” in their URI degree. When asked to rate current feelings about URI, 60% said they are “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” and more than 80% said they feel the image of URI is “good and improving.” A similar question asked of alumni nearly six years ago showed a quite different result!
A significant majority of the sample reported awareness of the University’s investment of more than $250 million over the past 5 years for campus renovations. Unfortunately, less than half, however, reported an awareness of comprehensive safety improvements made in the last several years. And less than half also knew about the number of high academic achievers recruited into the student body in recent years.
Obviously we need to communicate more about such issues to the growing numbers of alums who primarily hear about us through our own publications and the website. To that end, this past year we have increased the numbers of alumni whom we can reach electronically from 7,100 to nearly 20,000. A number of messages, including the recently created bi-weekly inAdvance, now reach those 20,000 alumni with information that they might otherwise miss.
In another issue area, 51% suggested they have contributed to the University in some capacity and to some fund over the last five years, a high and gratifying percentage for a public institution. Clearly this shows a desire to give back, but we also learned that our alumni want to give back in ways that go beyond philanthropy. Many reported that they would like to be more connected academically, through participation in advisory groups, through mentoring of students, or through guest speaker appearances in the classroom. Our academic departments and colleges, therefore, need to continue to find more ways to utilize alumni in classroom experiences and in career services opportunities.
A surprisingly significant number of respondents expressed a feeling that when returning to campus they have not “felt welcome.” A variety of reasons are at play here, including parking, closed facilities, and few activities that excite them. We believe the new Alumni Center (slated to be open later this fall) will help address this. Housing the Alumni Association and the University Advancement Division, the center will be a focal point for returning alumni. Its accessibility, its lounge and reception areas, and its visible Advancement staffing will provide a friendly atmosphere, friendly faces, and a convenient starting point for seeing the campus.
Our alumni are one of our largest and most significant customers. As in any good business, it is necessary to keep abreast of what the customers know and think. This survey is yet another way that we are trying to stay in touch with our customer base, while designing our communications, our programming, and our planning in response to your feedback.
