UNC System Gallup Poll Highlights Value of ECSU Education

The University of North Carolina System has released the results of a far-reaching alumni survey that provides a first-of-its-kind look at how graduates from North Carolina’s public universities fare after graduation, and Elizabeth City State University alumni have said they’re happy with life, their education, and the experience afforded them at their alma mater.

Nearly 7,000 ECSU alumni were given the opportunity to participate in the poll, conducted by Gallup. Five percent of alumni reported back, and the results show they’re happy about life after graduation significantly more than the overall UNC System results.

“I am pleased at the responses we received from ECSU alumni,” said ECSU Chancellor Karrie Dixon. “While we rank higher than the UNC System average in most of the categories, the data also show us where there are opportunities to improve our programs and the overall education experience of our students.”

The Alumni Outcomes Survey was developed in response to the UNC System’s Strategic Plan, which called on the System to collect data on graduate success in post-college life and the link between those outcomes and their experience as undergraduates. The questionnaire assessed graduates’ perceptions of their individual university experiences and how those perceptions related to their wellbeing, engagement in the workplace, and quality of life years after completing their degrees.

Gallup presented the results to the UNC Board of Governors Tuesday, May 21, during its regular meeting.

Among the key findings of the survey sent to ECSU graduates:

• A majority of ECSU alumni (75 percent) strongly agreed that their undergraduate education was worth the cost.
• 83 percent of ECSU alumni surveyed strongly agreed that they had a professor in college who ‘made me excited about learning’ compared to 71 percent of respondents throughout the UNC System.
• 58 percent of ECSU alumni surveyed said their university experience prepared them well, compared to 39 percent of UNC System respondents overall.
• Overall, ECSU alumni surveyed showed higher levels of engagement in the workplace than undergraduate alumni throughout the UNC System.
• ECSU alumni reported higher wellbeing compared to the UNC System average, and national groups; this holds true across all five areas for measuring wellbeing (purpose, social, financial, community and physical).

The Gallup Alumni Outcomes Survey was conducted by email from November 2018 to Feb. 1, 2019, and targeted alumni of the 16 UNC System universities who graduated with bachelor’s degrees between 1940 and 2018 and had active email addresses. In all, 77,695 undergraduate alumni responded to the survey, which translates to a 10 percent response rate.

Results from the survey were compared with three groups from Gallup’s national alumni surveys of those who obtained their degrees between 1940 and 2016. UNC System alumni were compared to Gallup’s samples of U.S. college graduates nationally, graduates of public institutions, and graduates of private institutions.

“I appreciate the UNC System for investing in this survey,” Chancellor Dixon said. “Discovering how our graduates view their experience at ECSU and how that has translated to their post-college life provides us with insight as we work on our strategic plan to establish our goals.”

The results of ECSU alumni can be accessed online HERE.  The complete report and results of this survey can be accessed online HERE.