Office of the Provost, Institutional Research

SSU Students: From Freshmen to Alumni

Who Are Our Freshmen?

Some interesting facts about our 2004 incoming class, taken from the Cooperative Institutional Research Project (CIRP) .

• Three in four of our freshmen come from homes where both parents are living together
• 82% come from public schools and 18% from private schools
• 86% use a personal computer and 83% use the internet for research or homework
• 86% study 10 hours or fewer in a typical week
• 54% socialize with friends 11 hours or more in a typical week
• 9% have a disability
• Their degree aspirations include Bachelor’s degree (30%), Master’s degree (46%) and Doctorate (22%)
• SSU is the first choice college for 66% and the second choice for 25%
• Reasons cited as very important in attending SSU include a visit to the campus (53%), wanted to go to a school this size (50%), the college has a good academic reputation (37%) and our graduates get good jobs (26%)
• 82% plan to live in the residence halls
• Objectives considered to be essential or very important include being very well off financially (72%), helping others who are in difficulty (61%), and becoming an authority in their field (51%)
• 9% have major concerns about being able to finance their college education
• Their political views are far left (4%), liberal (36%), middle-of-the-road (39%), conservative (19%) or far right (1%)
• We have a larger than expected percentage of students coming from families in the uppermost category of income ($100,000 or more) and a smaller percentage than previously in the lowest range ($50,000 and below).

Freshmen Seminar

Students in the Freshmen Seminar complete an end-of-semester survey which was used for this section.

• Students who participate in the Freshmen Seminar have higher retention and graduation rates than student who do not elect to take Freshmen Seminar.
• Freshmen Seminar students report greater gains, than student who do not take Freshmen Seminar, on increased ability to get along with others, adjusting to the academic demands of college, and establishing a network of friends on campus.
• The 3-unit Freshmen Seminar students report greater gains, than 2-unit Freshmen Seminar students, on the primary objectives of Service (becoming familiar with the programs, facilities, and services to assist me in the transition from high school to college), Skills (develop skills I need to achieve my academic goals such as time management and study skills), and Support (develop a support group among my classmates and peers).

Freshmen to Sophomore Retention

There results come from Your First College Year (YFCY).

• The primary predictor at SSU of freshmen to sophomore retention is student satisfaction with: quality of instruction, relevance of coursework, sense of community, contact with faculty, and opportunities for community service.
• The following factors predict student satisfaction: self-assessed cognitive development, academic success, satisfaction with student services, and good social and emotional adjustment.
• Cognitive development includes developing analytical and problem-solving skills, critical thinking, general knowledge (G.E. skills), and knowledge in a particular field of discipline.
• Academic success includes adjusting to academic demands of college, developing effective study skills, managing time effectively, understanding what professors expect (skills taught in the Freshmen Seminar and other introductory courses), and current GPA. Scoring low on this factor also predicts being on probation.
• Satisfaction with Student Services includes all services: career center, registrar’s office,, psychological counseling services, tutoring assistance, student health center, classroom facilities, financial aid services, student housing facilities, computer facilities, academic advising, orientation for new students, library facilities, and recreational facilities.
• Poor social and emotional adjustment includes being worried about meeting new people, isolated from campus life, lonely or homesick, worried about your health, depressed, intimated by your professors, and unsafe on campus.
• In conclusion, retention impacts all areas of the campus community: curricular and co-curricular. Satisfaction includes both General Education and academic success skills as well as Student Services and good emotional and social adjustment.

General Education Classes

Information for this section was taken from the Class Size Summary.

• The overall change in the number of students enrolled in GE courses between fall 1994 and fall 2004 is 3.22 students (or 4.80 students with B2 removed).
• More temporary faculty teach G.E. courses (43% compared to 25% overall).

Faculty Expectations and Student Engagement

In this section, results from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) and compared to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

• The academic and intellectual experiences stressed by faculty most often and performed by students include integrating ideas from various sources, discussing ideas outside of class, asking questions in class, e-mailing instructors, presenting a diverse perspective in assignments, and putting together ideas from different courses.
• Students perceive getting feedback from faculty less promptly than faculty perceive they give it.
• Students report a higher incidence of conversations with diverse students than faculty perceive them having.
• Faculty and students agree that coursework emphasizes mental activities such as analyzing the basic elements of an idea, synthesizing and organizing ideas, applying theories to practical problems, and making judgments about the value of information.
• Students report more emphasis put on memorizing facts than faculty perceive they are requiring.
• Faculty perceive and students report that SSU contributes toward developing educational and personal growth in areas such as acquiring a broad general education, working effectively with others, learning effectively on their own, writing clearly and effectively and understanding themselves.
• Students report more growth in understanding quantitative problems and using computers than faculty perceive they experience.
• Students report lower levels of growth in thinking critically and analytically than faculty expect.
• Both faculty and students value the enriching educational experience of a practicum or community service.
• Faculty value, but students do not plan to do, learning communities, research on projects outside of course requirements, studying a foreign language, studying abroad, and a culminating senior experience.
• Both faculty and students agree on the positive relationships between students to students, to faculty, and to administrative personnel.
• Student perceive that they are spending time studying and on academic work more than faculty perceive them doing. Empirically, students study less than faculty expect them to.
• Both faculty and students agree that the SSU environment provides support for students to succeed academically, encourages attending campus events and activities, and encourages contact among students from different backgrounds.

Alcohol and Drugs

Results from this section come from the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS).

• Binge drinking (5 or more drinks at one setting) is more common among traditional age students, age 16-23, than older students, 24 year of age or older.

• Binge drinking is increasing since 1999 for younger SSU female students with 50% of more reporting binge drinking in the last two weeks.
• Binge drinking at SSU is increasing since 1999 for younger male students with 70% or more reporting binge drinking in the last two weeks.
• We know from the CIRP that students come to us from high school with 63% females reporting drinking wine or liquor and 62% of the males reporting drinking beer.

Alumni Activities and Attitudes

A new annual survey of alumni was sent to SSU 2003-04 graduates.

• Eight in ten of the 239 respondents are employed either part-time (24%) or full-time (57%). The job title and employer information is available by major department.
• Six in ten alumni have a professional position related to their major.
• Of those employed, 83% are satisfied or very satisfied with their current position.
• Nine in ten report that SSU prepared them for their current position adequately or more than adequately.
• A total of 70 of the 239 respondents (29%) are going to school. The exact program is available by major department.
• 76% of the graduates would begin at SSU again while 35% were uncertain and 9% would not.
• 81% of the alumni rate SSU as excellent or good overall while 17% rate it as average and 2% as poor.
• 58% would recommend SSU to a friend without reservation, 39% with some reservations, and 2% said no.
• 78% said their years at SSU were some of the best years of their life.
• 90% are proud to be an SSU alumna.
• Two in three alumni still have strong ties with SSU.
• Nine in ten had a very positive experience at SSU.
• Eight in ten are interested in what is going on at SSU today.
• Eight in ten feel very positive about SSU today.
• Two in three want their children to attend SSU.