February 7, 2000
During the fall of 1999, the Utah System of Higher Education retained ACT to administer the Alumni Outcomes Survey to alumni of all nine campuses in the system. Based on the number of returns (1444), the survey results were significant at the system level only. However, the information for individual institutions may be helpful, interesting, and a basis for further study.
System-wide Findings
At the system level, the pool of alumni were recent graduates under the age of 27, two-thirds were at home or employed full-or part-time, 18% were continuing their education, and 3.6% were unemployed. Half had received bachelors degrees from their respective institutions, and 98.7% had graduated in 1998 or 1999.
Of those employed, 64% thought their jobs were moderately or highly related to their degree or certificate. As to how well experiences at a college or university prepared them for their current job 35.8% of respondents rated the experiences more than adequate or exceptional, 51.7% less than adequate or poorly.
Alumni were asked to rank the impact of school experiences as an indicator of education outcomes. The top five were:
1. Accessing using a variety of information sources
2. Recognizing and using effective written communication skills
3. Working cooperatively in groups, working as a team member
4. Making and exercising a lifelong commitment to learning
5. Recognizing and using effective verbal communication skillsCollectively, schools in the system were rated good (44.8%) or excellent (43.6%), and alumni would recommend them to someone who asked for an opinion.
Southern Utah University Findings
Of the system's 1444 respondents, 128 were SUU alumni, and their demographic pattern is similar to that of the system data.
Of those 128, none were unemployed, and 88.6% indicated they were exceptionally or adequately prepared for their current job; 68.8% noted a moderate or high relationship between their current job and their SUU major.
Top educational outcomes experienced at SUU were:
1. Working cooperatively in groups, working as a team member
2. Accessing using a variety of information sources
3. Recognizing and using effective written communication skills
4. Making and exercising a lifelong commitment to learning
5. Recognizing and using effective verbal communication skillsAsked to rate the university on selected factors, alumni responded as follows:
Rank
Many opportunities for student/faculty interaction 1 High quality academic programs 2 Many opportunities for student involvement 3 Many cultural/fine arts/speaker programs 4 Strong sense of individual belonging on the campus 5 Extensive computer system/services 6 Flexible degree requirements 7 Much cultural/ethnic diversity in the student body 8 Low cost for attendance 9 Rating satisfaction with aspects of the university, alumni gave the highest marks to class size relative to the type of course, quality of the program in the major field, general condition of buildings and grounds, and overall quality of instruction. Lowest marks were given to multi-cultural content of course, variety of courses offered, and campus acceptance of individuals regardless of their sexual orientation.
If they could begin again, 87.8 percent of the respondents would definitely or probably attend SUU again, and overall, 93.5% rated SUU as good or excellent.
The alumni thought that academic success was encouraged and supported, that most faculty were readily available to students outside of class time, and that the school had an intellectually stimulating atmosphere. Low marks were reserved for the value of general education requirements, policies and practices for support of victims of harassment and crime, and course scheduling problems.
Alumni were most satisfied with library services, health and wellness programs, and registration procedures. They were least satisfied with career planning and placement services, and personal counseling.
Written comments of the respondents follow.
As I filled out this survey, I realized how much I enjoyed my education at Southern Utah University. The biology department was outstanding. I am currently a full-time student and my current school fails in comparison. I am so grateful for the devotion of the teachers I had at this school. I would recommend the school to anyone without hesitation.
I believe you get out of it what you put into it. This school has its problems, but I feel I received a good education at SUU.
I had a fantastic experience while attending Southern Utah University. The faculty and staff were always willing to help. I love the class sizes. They were small and personal.
SUU is a wonderful college for the field of education that I pursued. The education program is by far one of the best I've seen. I thoroughly enjoyed my four years at SUU and benefitted greatly from it.
I had a good time at school. I would have like to have been more involved in the activities provided, but I just worked and went to classes.
Please make Elem. Ed. people aware that unless they have connections, Washington County is a poor place to find a job. Placement people contacted me once and I haven't heard from them since. Also, St. George instructors were much more personable and helpful than those at the main campus.
I felt that the professors were ready to help me achieve my goals. They wanted me to succeed and were willing to help me learn. The entire school has a friendly, encouraging atmosphere compared to other campuses I have been on.
I really had a good experience at SUU.
Overall my experience at SUU has left me very satisfied. I feel very competitive with my fellow classmates where I attend law school. If I could recommend one change, that would be to focus more on analytical skills. For any field one might choose, this is extremely important.
Make career services more available, more helpful and more accessible. Tell students what it has to offer and how it can help, so students can take advantage of the services. Each department could be more helpful, especially to non-resident students.
Southern Utah U is a great school. I really enjoyed my time there.
My only concern is that I didn't learn much from my television professor, but I leaned more from the station manager who was not required to teach us as part of his job. The professor needs to keep up to date on modern techniques.
Great bus. dept. Want to return.
I enjoyed SUU. I will forever be proud and encourage others to attend SUU. I also plan on donating money to the sports programs. But as long as the current AD and his Assistant are there. They do not respect their athletes nor do they buck them up. Myself and other athletes have noticed that also. We tried to have fund raisers and they never would let us. Coach Joe Hillock, Eric Houle, Scott Bauman should be rewarded for the good jobs they do!
My overall experience at this school was great!! I am satisfied w/ the education and experience I received, and have recommended the school to many under-grads. The only problems I ever encountered were that classes always filled up too fast and it was hard to get into the ones I needed.
I really enjoyed the year I spent at SUU. The University environment was great, classes were small, instructors were friendly, approachable, and helpful and usually knew everyone by name. It was a positive experience and I would recommend the University to anyone.
I suggest that SUU seriously consider hiring a full-time person to help students in the business dept. find jobs. If you are an accounting major or education major, placement is good, but otherwise, there is very little help. I think someone needs to seriously work with big companies in and out of the area. I wasn't very pleased with the career services center in this respect.
SUU was a nice school. I had some conflicts with one teacher who shouldn't be teaching. SUU has always used small class size as a selling point but they continue to allow more students to enroll than they have room for. They also have a parking problem. SUU is expanding the campus and would allow for more student and faculty parking if they built a parking garage.
More books and materials in the library. Less money spent on statues and more on students, computers, supplies, etc.
I received an adequate education.
I feel that I never really received complete academic advising from the student development center or my department. I never really had an "advisor" until my senior year because it was never clear to me that I had to find my own "advisor." I made it to graduation only because I had my registration/degree manual memorized.
Very good teachers and good involvement possibilities.
For the most part, I was impressed with the interaction between faculty and students. I felt my particular area of study could have been more fulfilling in all areas, but other areas of study (accounting) I feel were superb. I would love to see an MBA program offered at this school and more help with directing and helping students to find career jobs in their field of choice.
There is a major parking problem. There is more faculty than student parking. Faculty parking is close to all buildings where students must park further.
The school was great. I loved the teachers and the classes. I received a great education. I was very unsatisfied with the education counseling. I was misled on many different occasions. I think the student should be assigned a counselor on the first and they will help that student throughout his/her stay at that school. Too many cooks in the kitchen.
Registration has changed a lot since I was there. You need to be able to register over the phone for more convenience like Dixie College. It saves a lot of time. The lines were a joke.
This is stupid. Your wasting my time.
The library needs a lot more books and professional journals. The career services center should reach out to students rather than waiting for students to come to them. I feel that people should be able to think and act for themselves, but I also think that anti-religion and/or anti-Mormon educators have no business openly insulting or trying to discredit religion and/or Mormonism in a state as conservative as Utah.
SUU has a good balance of social and academic environments. I enjoyed my time there.
Overall I enjoyed by experiences at SUU. Most of my professors were excellent and I can't imagine a much better education than that which I received. As an athlete at SUU, I believe all the athletic programs need more support and more money, especially the women's programs.
I absolutely loved my college experience and I'm sad I went through it so quickly. This university helped to prepared me in all aspects of life and also in being very well prepared in my field of employment.
The only suggestion I have is control of paperwork. I applied to two different schools for graduate work and it took the registrars office 2 months to send my transcripts, one didn't make it in time so I wasn't even evaluated for acceptance. Also, I went looking for test scores four months after taking them and it took 2 days because they were in someone's box to be filed.
I enjoyed my time there overall, but there was a time that due to the large number of students that I felt I was treated as simply a number. More faculty available to the students and smaller class sizes would have made my experience better. Also having teacher[s] have offices in the building in which they teach would help.
I didn't appreciate the strong influence of the Mormon religion in my classes. I didn't feel that there was a separation of church and state (it's a lawsuit waiting to happen). If I wanted the professors to preach during class about the Mormon religion, I would have attended BYU.
I took my classes from this university on a distant campus at their university center in St. George.
I loved SUU and all of [the] experiences I had here. I have only one major gripe. I don't think there was enough education for students to learn the transition from college to real life. I also think that career services could do few things to help me find a "real" job. All they seemed to be able to do was to tell me what job fields I would be qualified for.
Good experience!
I attended two universities to get my El. Ed. degree. In transferring schools, I found that the requirements for the major and minor to get a Utah Teaching Certificate were different at both schools. I think that's ridiculous because since it's a Utah Teaching Certificate, the requirements should be the same no matter which school you attend in Utah. The programs can be different but the requirements should always be the same within the same majors.
I was very dissatisfied with the diversity of the student body. Each person I met seemed to be a replica of everyone previous to them. I looked at attending SUU as a very sheltered experience that does not adequately prepare students for the "real world" work force. I was also not satisfied with the financial aid office. They were very rude and unwilling to help me out with problems or questions.
I suggest that SUU create a placement program in the business department. SUU has a great program, but needs to assist their students in placement. SUU has resourceful teachers who have contacts and could gain more for their students. There needs to be more focus on not only educating students well, but a focus on their long-term education (their career).
I almost had to quit school here because there was absolutely no jobs available in town to work part-time, and the ones I got, I felt like "cheap labor," and taken advantage of because I was a student. I don't think the attitudes of residents in Cedar City support students. I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone!
In the students last year that should have more action or involvement in the job market. Need something besides career offices! Interns also good idea for all majors.
Once I decided to be a teacher I could have easily completed all the requirements in a year/year and a half. Instead, due to the traditional method of college classes, it took twice that time. What about an accelerated program, especially for us slightly older students w/ families? Thank you. Cassandra Hafen.
Get an MBA program.
The College Rodeo Team at SUU is a joke! They need a coach, someone who knows something about rodeo.
SUU is a great university. The main concern I have is that I knew of several instances where my friends were raped and nothing was done. One friend was raped in housing and then told to be quiet about it by her hall director. (During the 1997-98 school year). I felt my friend was further victimized by these actions. I think the university would be better served by honestly facing the problems of rape and sexual harassment instead of the course taken with my friend. I especially appreciated the classes taught on the Dixie campus (including the ed-net classes). If Dixie College is successful in having those classes removed I think it will be a tremendous loss for the community of St. George.
I can't say enough about the quality of my experience at Southern Utah University. I enjoyed every day of class instruction. I have a lot of respect and admiration for those who have played such a big part of helping my change my life for the better. I truly felt a part of the school and enjoyed my relationship with the faculty and staff. They were all very approachable and helpful. A great experience. . . .
Please note: I attended all SUU classes at the university center on the Dixie College campus.
I truly enjoyed my SUU experience. I especially enjoyed my last year (97-98) working with President Bennion. I do sometimes wish that parts of my music education would have been more structured and perhaps less "political."
I did not like how I and other students were treated by the secretaries in the education dept. I felt that they had no respect for us as students, and they treated us as though we were brainless. Many of my peers feel the same. I feel that they should treat us with respect because without us they would not have a job. This is my only problem with SUU.
Overall I had a good experience. The only concern is that I felt like all that you wanted from me was my money. Most of the teachers were very good to work with me and I am very glad I am done.
I really enjoyed my time at SUU. The faculty were accessible and knowledgeable of their field. I felt I received a fine education. My only complaint lies in the lack of career counseling. The pre-med advisor did little to educate and prepare me as to the requirements of med school.
I regret the money and time that I spent at Southern Utah University. The education I received there and the schools reputation have done me absolutely no good!
I have no idea what to do with my degree and the more I research the options, the more dissatisfied I am with it. I which someone would have told me you can't do anything but teach with a math degree! More counseling from early on about what to do, help in gaining perspective about life after graduation, and experience/internships in related fields to [the] course of study.
I'm very satisfied with the education I received at SUU. The student/teacher involvement was excellent, and I always felt like an individual on campus because classes were small. There was always room for involvement in and out of the classroom. I would suggest emphasizing team/group interaction in the classroom, because it's one of the most valuable skills in the work force.
A new business building would be beneficial to students in the near future. Accounting is one of the stronger departments at the university, yet the business building is inadequate. (Behind PE building of course; that is taken care of now; how about business next?) I have a professor I would not wish upon any further student, but that may be a little too much information for this study.
SUU was an outstanding experience for me. An excellent choice for college.
I was very pleased with the quality of my education and the personable atmosphere of the university. I am anxious to see the professors and counselors work at creating a strong post graduate employment network and improve the career preparation courses available.
Overall this college was excellent. I learned a lot about life as well as my subjects. The teachers were fair and interested in me. The atmosphere was excellent.
I had an outstanding college experience at SUU. I am impressed with the many advances I have observed at SUU.