Alumni give University high marks in survey
February 19, 2001Austin Peay alumni generally are pleased with the education they received.
The alumni outcomes survey of the class of 1995-96, which was compiled by the Office of Institutional Research, indicates a high level of overall satisfaction by the 763 participants.
More than 71 percent felt that Austin Peay had prepared them adequately for their current job, while 34 percent said they were "exceptionally well prepared," which is higher than the national average.
February 19, 2001
Austin Peay alumni generally are pleased with the education they received.
The alumni outcomes survey of the class of 1995-96, which was compiled by the Office of Institutional Research, indicates a high level of overall satisfaction by the 763 participants.
More than 71 percent felt that Austin Peay had prepared them adequately for their current job, while 34 percent said they were "exceptionally well prepared," which is higher than the national average.
Austin Peay also scored higher than average on its cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as its cultural programming.
APSU received higher marks than average on the variety of instructional approaches used in the classroom, concern for students as individuals, responsiveness to older/nontraditional students and quality of programs in the student's major or field.
Seventy-five percent of alumni strongly agreed that Austin Peay has "an intellectually stimulating atmosphere" and that "most faculty were readily available to students outside class time." Compared to 83 percent nationally, 88 percent of APSU alumni said they feel academic success was encouraged and supported at Austin Peay.
Areas receiving less than 50 percent favorable marks on the survey were financial aid counseling, personal counseling, academic support, and career planning and placement.
Seeming to validate APSU's designation as Tennessee's public liberal arts university, 80 percent of alumni said Austin Peay had a major impact on their ability to access and use a variety of information sources, recognize and use effective written communication skills, make and exercise a lifelong commitment to learning and define and solve problems.
Commenting on the survey, APSU President Dr. Sherry Hoppe said, "Perhaps the most significant statistic is that 85 percent of our alumni said that if they had to do it over again, they would choose Austin Peay. That's a strong statement about both the quality of an APSU education and the individualized attention by faculty and staff who mentored them toward success."