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INDIANAPOLIS – Strada Education NetworkSM and Gallup today released findings from a national survey of more than 5,100 college graduates about their college experiences and life after graduation. Previously known as the Gallup-Purdue Index, the 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey, “Mentoring College Students to Success,” focuses on three critical aspects of the college experience, including: the source and nature of mentoring, whether graduates receive career-related advice from faculty and/or career services, and the role of academic rigor in graduates’ attitudes about the value and relevance of their education.
Prior research from Gallup shows that college graduates are two times more likely to be engaged at work if they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams.
The 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey results show that professors represent about two-thirds of college mentors, and that students who receive career advice from faculty mentors are about 20 percentage points more likely to rate the advice as “helpful” or “very helpful” than if it came from a career services office.
The study also reveals significant opportunities to increase the positive impact of mentorship, with less than half of graduates (43 percent) saying they agree or strongly agree they had an undergraduate mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals. The mentorship gap is even greater for minority graduates, who were 25 percentage points less likely to say they had a faculty mentor than their white peers.
“Alumni make it clear: faculty matter. Professors are the most valuable sources of career and life advice and have a significant impact on a graduates’ perception of college value,” said Dave Clayton, senior vice president of Consumer Insights at Strada Education Network. “But we also see some troubling disparities. Institutions need to increase efforts to help minority students experience meaningful mentorships to ensure they are prepared for work and life after graduation.”
Additional key findings include:
“In our many years interviewing students and alumni, we have heard overwhelming demand for career-related advice, and we find the most helpful advice is provided by faculty mentors,” said Stephanie Marken, Gallup executive director of education research. “When those relationships exist between professors and students, the outcomes are powerful. The opportunity ahead is to ensure that more students experience these meaningful mentorships.”
To view complete findings, download the full report at stradaeducation.gallup.com.
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About Strada-Gallup Consumer Insights
Strada Education NetworkSM is empowering consumers by creating the nation’s largest data set of consumer perspectives on pathways from education to employment. Since 2016, we’ve partnered with Gallup to interview 350 individuals daily about their educational paths and experiences after high school. Across our portfolio of consumer surveys, we’ve heard from more than 270,000 people who have experiences at more than 3,000 different schools and programs. The insights are representative of consumers from all educational attainment levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, races/ethnicities and ages across the general population, alumni, and current college students. Working with institutions, employers, students and government leaders, we believe the insights gathered from this partnership can shape the future of the postsecondary education experience and lead more Americans to realize their purpose and potential through meaningful careers and fulfilling lives.
For more information about how the Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Survey is conducted, please visit http://www.gallup.com/225695/education-consumer-survey-work.aspx.
About Gallup
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students, and citizens than any other organization in the world.
About Strada Education Network
Strada Education Network is a national nonprofit dedicated to improving lives by strengthening the pathways between education and employment. We engage innovative partners across education, nonprofits, business, and government to advance Completion With a Purpose, building a more purposeful path for America’s students to rewarding careers and fulfilling lives. Learn more atStradaEducation.org.
Media Contacts
For Gallup:
Riley Brands
202-715-3106
Riley_Brands@gallup.com
For Strada Education Network:
Lucia Weathers
317-806-0177
Lucia.weathers@stradaeducation.org
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