Recent findings from a USA Today and Public Agenda poll have revealed shifting attitudes towards higher education that could significantly impact alumni engagement strategies.
Since 2001, PEG has surveyed over 1 million alumni from over 300 universities and colleges in the United States and Canada. The responses from those projects shed some interesting insights on what higher education institutions can do to address some of the findings from the USA Today poll.
Key Findings:
- Skepticism About the Value of College
Only about half of Americans believe the benefits of a degree outweigh the costs. This skepticism is particularly pronounced among younger people, who traditionally make up the majority of college students.
- Concerns About Cost and Accessibility
Approximately 83% of respondents agree that the cost of college makes it difficult for low-income students to get an education. Additionally, about 3 in 5 say getting a degree is “too time-consuming and expensive for working adults.”
- Perception of Outdated Institutions
About 66% of Americans say colleges are stuck in the past instead of meeting the needs of today’s students.
- Desire for Career Advancement Without a Degree
Nearly 86% of Americans agree that college education helps working adults advance their careers, but 9 in 10 also believe people should be able to make a decent living without a college education.
Strategies for Adapting Alumni Engagement:
Focus on career support: With 46% of graduates believing they could have landed their current jobs without a degree, there may be an increased demand for career support services. Alumni offices could respond by enhancing their career development offerings and mentoring programs. At PEG, our findings show that younger alumni overwhelmingly indicate that they want more opportunities in career services areas, including access to networking opportunities, ability to mentor students and young alumni, access to job listings, and access to career counseling.
Help alumni better understand how their college experience prepared them for their lifetime well-being: There is a strong relationship between affinity and alumni belief that their collegiate experience was foundational to lifetime well-being. This correlation has been present in our findings for over 20 years. Consider using alumni testimonials in your communications to help other alumni better understand how this is true for them as well.
Tailored engagement for different cohorts: The varying levels of regret among different generations (e.g., higher among Gen Z) indicate a need for segmented engagement strategies that cater to the specific needs and concerns of different age groups. There are real and different persona constructs for alumni from different age or life-cycle groupings. Understanding these differences can go a long way in creating better communications tailored for these groups and in addressing their interests and concerns.
Transparency in value proposition: Alumni offices may need to be more transparent about how they use donations and the impact of alumni contributions to address the skepticism about the value of education. When asked what inspires alumni to give, knowing how their gift is used always goes to the top of the list of highest impact. Also, when asked what item has the most impact on their opinion of their alma mater, value and respect of the degree from that institution almost always goes to the list of the list.
Early engagement initiatives: The high percentage of recent graduates expressing regret suggests a need for stronger engagement efforts with current students and recent alumni to build a positive relationship before disillusionment sets in. If a student sees an alum on campus participating in something meaningful, it could cause the student to dream of doing the same thing after they graduate. This is probably the strongest inspiration for graduates to seek ways to become more involved after graduation. The question is: where are the best places to have alumni participate to create the most impact? Turns out, professional/academic clubs and intramural activities top the list nationally.
Focus on non-financial engagement: Given the financial concerns expressed, alumni offices might shift focus to doing more to highlight non-financial forms of engagement, such as volunteering, mentoring, or participating in events.
Reevaluating metrics: Traditional metrics of alumni engagement may need to be reconsidered in light of these findings. New measures that capture the evolving relationship between alumni and their alma maters might be necessary.
By recognizing and adapting to these changing perceptions, we can continue to foster strong connections between our institutions and alumni, even as attitudes towards higher education evolve.
For more content about alumni engagement data trends, check out our blog Alumni Insights.