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.”
Division of Student Affairs
Mary B. Coburn, Vice President for Student Affairs
Engaging Experiences
The Division of Student Affairs collaborates with Academic Affairs and many others to offer students engagement experiences that provide co-curricular learning and skill development.
LEADERSHIP 68% of graduates seeking employment who were engaged as peer leaders had a job offer at graduation compared to 58% without peer leadership.
INTERNSHIP 62% of graduates seeking emplyment who completed an internship had a job offer at graduation compared to 54% without an internship.
INTERNATIONAL Graduates completing the Clobal Citizens Certificate indicated that FSU contributed to their intercultural competence 17% more than those not completing the certificate.
SERVICE Nearly 7,300 students recorded 381,150 hours of community service with over 1,400 community agencies in the 2015-16 academic year.
RESEARCH 73% of spring graduates who conducted research or an indpendent study had offers of admission for further education.
Internships
Gallup’s research found internships to be a particularly meaningful form of engagement. Nearly 55% of 2015-16 graduates completed an internship, and students who completed internships indicated that FSU made greater contributions to their development of critical life skills.
Skill Development & Internships
7 6
5.57
5.72
5.46 5.06
5
4.70
5.21
4.91
4.81
5.49 5.04
4 3 2 1
Photos: (Top to Bottom) LeaderShape Institute 2016; Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program Launch; President’s Senior Toast; President’s Ring Ceremony; Unconquered Scholars Graduating Seniors
0
Critical Thinking
Intercultural Competency
Leadership No Internship
Persuading or Influencing Others
Teamwork
Internship
*Source: Summer 2015, Fall 2015, and Spring 2016 Graduating Senior Surveys completed by 8,033 graduating seniors. Students rated FSU’s contribution to skill development on a 0-7 Likert scale. All data points are significant at the p<.05 level.
For more information visit studentaffairs.fsu.edu