90% of Ivy Tech alumni say they would do it all over again

INDIANAPOLIS – In the Gallup-Indiana Graduate Satisfaction Survey recently released by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, 83 percent of Ivy Tech Community College alumni were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the education they received.

In addition 90 percent of respondents indicated if they had to do it all over again they would obtain an associate degree through Ivy Tech.

“We are pleased to learn the majority of alumni across Indiana are satisfied with the education they received and are thriving in the careers in which they earned their degrees,” Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann said. “One of the seven goals in our strategic plan focuses solely on workforce and seeing students be successful in high-demand, high-wage jobs. Ivy Tech is intentionally working with employers and industry to ensure we are offering the programs in areas where they need skilled talent, while also offering internships and integrated work-and-learn experiences for students.”

With funding support from Strada Education Network, Gallup and the Commission, the survey reached out to more than 21,000 college graduates from the 12 Indiana public and private colleges that volunteered to participate in the second year of this first-in-the-nation, statewide look at alumni satisfaction.

“For these 12 campuses and the commission, the results from the second Gallup-Indiana Survey provide insights we can use to improve the postsecondary experience for all Hoosier students,” Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers said. “I commend the colleges that stepped up to be survey participants and will continue to encourage Indiana colleges to participate in this biennial survey.”

These 2018 Gallup-Indiana Survey results play an important part in the second iteration the Indiana’s College Value Index. First launched in 2016, the index provided a first-in-the-nation, comprehensive measure of higher education value that brings together the commission’s existing data on college readiness, college completion, student debt, employment, average earnings and this qualitative data on graduate satisfaction.

Ninety-five percent of all respondents indicated they had an internship in Indiana, and 54 percent said they had jobs with a company they worked for or interned with while in college.

Among the Ivy Tech alumni who said they had an internship or job that allowed them to apply what they were learning in the classroom, 81 percent said a professor was their mentor.

Of those Ivy Tech alumni that are employed full-time by an employer, 72 percent strongly agree or agree they are deeply interested in the work they do, and 70 percent strongly agree or agree their job gives them the opportunity to do work that interests them.

Among those employed, 54 percent of Ivy Tech alumni indicated their current work is completely related to their undergraduate major and 24 percent indicated somewhat related. Nationally, 38 percent indicated completely related and 26 percent somewhat related.

In addition, 88 percent of Ivy Tech alumni who responded, currently work in Indiana and 72 percent indicated they were deeply interested in the work they do and 59 percent say they have the ideal job for them.

“We expect to see many of these numbers increase over time,” Ellspermann said, “as one important element of our new strategic plan is to provide additional career placement support for our students.”