Survey results offer insights from alumni
The results of the college’s recent alumni survey are in, and a few points are crystal clear: Trinity alumni are passionate about Trinity and proud of their alma mater; most have a mix of positive and negative feelings about the college; and the majority would like to be even more connected to Trinity, especially in ways that acknowledge who they are and what they want in an alumni experience.
Even before the data points were analyzed, those at Resonance Insights—the firm that conducted the survey—said that the unusually high response rate signaled a passionate group. Resonance received more than 2,500 responses out of the 18,300 surveys disseminated, the highest response rate Resonance has ever seen and much more than the expected 600 to 1,000 responses, which would have been enough to provide a valid sample. Moreover, those who completed Trinity’s survey spent more time than expected on their responses, another sign that the audience is very engaged. Trinity alumni dedicated an average of 25 minutes to the task—with some taking as long as an hour—compared with the 15 to 20 minutes the survey was designed to take. And three-fourths said they would be willing to do more in-depth survey work in the future, again showing their commitment.
Vice President for College Advancement Michael Casey says he was quite pleased with the response rate and the information that’s been made available. “The depth and volume of responses are remarkable,” Casey says, adding that all involved were struck by the consistency of responses across generations and demographic groups, as well as constituencies defined by activities while a student. He also notes the importance of the findings moving forward. “The results of this survey will be integrated into everything we do, including how we engage our alumni with the life of the institution.”
To help our readers better understand the survey results, The Reporter asked data visualization artist Bill Shander to interpret several key data points. We then asked National Alumni Association President Justin S. Maccarone Jr. ’81, P’19, Vice President for Communications and Marketing Angela Paik Schaeffer, and Casey to offer their insights. To view the results of the survey, please download the pdf.
Watch a video of the presentation during Reunion Weekend 2018 below.