Division of Student Affairs
June 2016
Mary B. Coburn, Vice President for Student Affairs
Student and Graduate Success
Recent research by Gallup has focused on the concept of “well-being” as the construct for looking
at employee success and satisfaction in the workplace as well as alumni perceptions of the value of a college education. Two factors have been found to be most influential in the perception of the value of a college degree and employee well-being: • Alumni who had quality relationships with faculty and mentors who cared about them as individuals reported high satisfaction with their higher education experience. • Alumni thrive when they had rich experiences beyond the classroom, such as internships, involvement in extracurricular activities, and/or significant capstone experiences like writing an Honors thesis or earning the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society medallion.
Why Do Students Come to College?
Students attend college for many reasons. Although future employment is an important factor in why many students go to college, incoming freshmen at FSU are equally motivated to learn about things that interest them.
Reasons FSU Students Attend College
Mission The Division of Student Affairs collaborates with students, faculty and staff to create welcoming, supportive and challenging environments that maximize opportunities for student learning and success. Through high quality programs, the Division facilitates student development, celebrates differences, and promotes civic and global responsibility.
100%
Photos: (Above) President’s Ring Ceremony; Garnet and Gold Scholars
60%
95% 86.4%
90% 85%
80.0% 74.8%
80% 85.7%
75% 69.2%
70% 65% 66.8%
55% 50% 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
To learn about things that interest me
To be able to get a better job
Source: CIRP Freshman Survey results from 1978-2015. The survey asks students to identify one or more reasons they chose to attend college. The percentages above are the percent of respondents indicating each reason as “Very important.”