Alumni survey shows increasing satisfaction

A recent survey by the USC Alumni Association found that graduates are becoming increasingly more satisfied with their college and alumni experience, though there are still improvements to be made.

The USC Alumni Association conducted an online survey in the fall of 2009 to evaluate alumni involvement and college experience, including factors such as alumni attitudes and behaviors. Though the results of the 2009 survey illustrated significant gains in certain areas, the Alumni Association realizes it still has areas that need to improve.

“There has been a tremendous progress in various areas, including career services and the Trojan Network,” said Cheryl Collier, director of communications and marketing for the USC Alumni Association.

Collier said 7,441 alumni participated in the online survey, which consisted of questions divided into four areas: demographics, student experience, alumni experience and loyalty. Questions surveyed involvement on campus, student commitment to education and overall preparation to receive a college degree. The main objective, Collier said, is to help determine how USC is viewed by previous generations of Trojans.

The results have improved over the years, with an overwhelming 95 percent of alumni reporting in this year’s survey that their overall experience at USC was satisfying and successful.

Many alumni said they were not surprised by this statistic.

“I definitely loved my experience at USC and being a Trojan for life,” alumna Trina Saunders said.

Still, the Alumni Association sees room for improvement. Based on the fact that most of the respondents were older, Collier said the Alumni Association plans to focus more efforts on targeting young alumni.

“In 2007, we needed to improve in career services and made significant gains after we developed our alumni services study group,” Collier said. “We now plan to dedicate more resources to the area of social media.”

Collier said the Alumni Association will also work on developing a relationship with Trojans before they graduate.

“We have the opportunity to enhance the affinity of undergraduates by associating with undergraduate organizations and community services. It’s mainly about working together with the students,” she said.

One example of an undergraduate organization that works in forming the relationship between undergraduate students and alumni is Society 53. Members of the society are the student liasons between alumni and students. Their goal is to have students’ first exposure to the alumni network be right after graduation.

USC alumna Syreeta Greene Aboubaker was one of the many alumni who completed the survey, and she said she agrees that a stronger connection with younger alumni and students would be a great improvement.

“I definitely could have benefitted from more advisement from the association as a student,” she said.

Though USC Alumni are greatly satisfied by their experience at USC and have received the adequate attention and education to receive a college degree and a promising career, the Alumni Association plans to continue distribution of the survey every two years to improve its operation.