"Overall, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduates appear to reflect positively on their alma mater and the impact it has had on their development," says Kirby Throckmorton, UWSP�s director of institutional research.

UWSP alumni were responding to the University of Wisconsin System�s survey of UW undergraduate alumni who graduated between 1996-1998. The ACT Outcomes Survey was sent to a random sample of approximately 59,000 baccalaureate degree recipients with approximately 13,000 surveys returned.

UWSP alumni returned 293 of their 1,117 surveys for a response rate of 26.2 percent, the highest overall response rate of any UW campus.

Two notable survey results of UWSP alumni were in the area of "understanding the interaction of human beings and the environment." Seventy-three percent indicated a major or moderate impact, well above the 55 percent for a national sample of public universities. Another highly regarded factor at UWSP was "opportunities for student involvement in campus activities" with 79 percent rating the campus positively or very positively for student involvement.

Many UWSP alumni report their experiences at the university had the greatest impact on developing skills such as working cooperatively, using effective written and verbal communication, problem solving, assessing and analyzing data and making a lifelong commitment to learning and thinking objectively.

They generally feel that UWSP provided them with quality academic programs, quality instruction, and encouraged and supported academic success. The vast majority would attend UWSP if they could start over and would recommend UWSP to a friend or acquaintance.

While there has been much said and written about Wisconsin�s supposed "brain drain," about 82 percent of students in the UW System remain in Wisconsin after graduation. Approximately 14 percent of Minnesota reciprocity students and 20 percent of the nonresident students also remain in the state after graduation. In addition, the survey reveals that more than 90 percent of the graduates living in Wisconsin are employed, five percent are continuing their education and less than three percent are out of the labor force as they care for family members.

UW System�s Office of Policy Analysis and Research compiled the UW System�s survey, "Post Baccalaureate Experience of UW Alumni". For a complete breakdown of the survey and how UWSP fared, contact UWSP�s News Services at (715) 346-3014.

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