Alumni as a benchmark of student success

A student-centred approach is core to most universities’ strategies, and implicit in this is the notion that students will be successful at the end of their tenure on campus. Universities develop metrics, such as the grade point average (GPA) and the number of research citations, to assess the performance of students in their core activities of teaching and research. But such quantitative measures do not tell the full story as to whether students have been “successful” at university.

Student success is often not best measured while a student is enrolled in the university itself, researchers Amy Salazar and Lisa Schelbe state. Instead, an assessment of the final product, the student-alumni after graduation, may be a better measure of success than the work-in-progress, enrolled student. And while many variables may impact the decisions and outcomes for alumni after they leave the campus ecosystem, such individuals embody, in a summative way, the influence of the university on the lives of its students. We examine three characteristics that universities can use to define student success by focusing on alumni.

1. Interest in further higher education

A bachelor’s degree should not be viewed as an end point in higher education. Effective undergraduate degree programmes should not only provide students with new knowledge and competencies, but also whet their appetites to learn more through independent study, research and postgraduate courses. Innovative instruction and assessment activities should continually challenge students to explore topics beyond what is presented in lectures.

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No one becomes an expert in their field by completing a bachelor’s degree. Professional, career and academic seminars are important for providing students with career and further study options as they mull over what to do next. These events help students to identify postgraduate programmes that complement their present studies as they move towards their career goals.

2. Attractive to industry

In all professional spheres – corporate, public services or the arts – employers seek out talented university graduates who are equipped with the required technical skills and competencies. In developing and revising curricula, universities often consult with industry stakeholders to assess human resources needs. Unfortunately, few universities provide feedback to these stakeholders about the final contents of their programmes after the revision process. Thus, those in the professional world are not always sure what knowledge and skills graduates coming from particular programmes may bring.

Through collaboration and continual dialogue, universities and industry can update each other about changes needed and changes made to the curriculum. This would help universities to become more agile in developing in-demand programmes that are relevant to the evolving needs of industry, while industry stakeholders would be assured of a steady flow of competent and work-ready prospective employees. Such partnerships close the gap between the theoretical, conceptual-based nature of academic study and the practical, implementation-based requirements of industry. The ability to seamlessly transition from the classroom to the office is a marker of student success. Internship programmes, set up in partnership with industry, can aid this process.

In addition to high IQs, employers want candidates that demonstrate emotional intelligence. Successful university graduates are well equipped with the interpersonal and “soft” skills needed to work with others. Time-management, professional flexibility, empathy and work-life balance are some of the components included in psychometric tests used in hiring processes.

3. Involvement with university

Most students spend between three and six years studying, and sometimes living, on a university campus. Student success can lead to a student-campus relationship that lasts for a lifetime. Students who have an exceptional social and academic experience on a campus are more likely to maintain an interest in the activities of the university after leaving.

Universities often engage alumni through financial solicitation. But alumni can offer value in their social and professional capacities as mentors to students. Alumni who remain at the university as employees tend to become an important part of building and maintaining the campus’ legacy, organisational traditions and culture.

It is what follows that counts

The real measure of student success is found in evaluating what students do after they graduate. It falls to university alumni offices to stay in contact with former students and keep track of their progress after their tenure of study is completed. Alumni-based student success can be measured by collecting and evaluating data in areas including:

• the number of undergraduate students re-enrolling as graduate students;
• employment rates of graduates;
• impact of internship programmes on job-readiness, based on surveys with host internship partners;
• involvement of alumni in campus life.

University faculty and administrators alike have a role to play in creating and maintaining a campus environment that allows students to achieve their primary goal of securing desired academic credentials but also supports a broader definition of long-term student success.

Adeola Matthew is recruitment officer at University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.

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