Survey Says...
Eighty-nine percent of you have a positive feeling about your alma mater! I know that because we recently received the results of the all-alumni survey fielded earlier this year. The purpose of the research was to help Alumni Relations develop the most relevant and compelling programs and activities for our 85,000 alumni around the globe. (You’ll remember that our goal for GO: The Campaign for Lehigh is that at least half of you will engage with the university by getting informed, involved and invested over the next few years.)
The survey was conducted by Simpson Scarborough, a leader in the alumni relations business. We selected them for their reputation and the fact that they have many other clients our size, so they could put the numbers into context versus our peer institutions. We had an outstanding 10 percent response rate with a +/- 1.4 percent margin of error, which means that we can be very, very certain that the data set reflects the sentiments of the alumni body.
So, how are you feeling about Lehigh? Here are just a few of the things we learned:
Fifty-four percent of you would strongly recommend the undergraduate experience to a prospective student, while 40 percent would strongly recommend the graduate experience. Those numbers are a bit above average, according to the survey company. Of those who would recommend, 50 percent would do so because of Lehigh’s overall academic quality and 33 percent would do so because of the overall student experience. In fact, 78 percent of you say that your fondest memories stem from experiences with your friends and 63 percent of you stay in touch with other alumni. Seventy-five percent of you talk about and promote Lehigh, and 57 percent of you wear Lehigh merch! (If you need more, Google the Lehigh Bookstore—they’ve got a great online selection!)
Our next step is to further dissect the data, then integrate the learning into our programs and market them in ways that best communicate the benefits to you for participating. We’ll also reach out to some individuals who volunteered their contact information. For example, 19 percent of you who already attend events or volunteer would like to be even more engaged. The Alumni Relations team and Lehigh University Alumni Association Board of Directors will be connecting with you over the summer to talk about your specific interests. Some of you who feel a weak connection to Lehigh say it’s because you live far from campus, so we’ll do a special email to you summarizing our digital opportunities. And 40 percent of you want to hear from other alumni who share your professional interests, so we’ll do more to highlight Lehigh Connects, our online career networking platform, and other professional opportunities.
Thank you to the 4,000+ alumni who took the time to complete the survey. It’s already been extremely helpful, and we’ve just scratched the surface!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Cunningham
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations
Email at jennifer.cunningham@lehigh.edu
