The impact of higher education : perceptions of University of Tennessee alumni

The purpose of this study was to compare the responses of alumni with different academic majors, and from institutions of different enrollment size in The University of Tennessee system on the dimensions of growth and development from questions in the "Your Education and Its Impact" section of the Alumni Satisfaction Survey. Comparisons were made by institution size, by academic major, and by institution size and academic major.

The rationale for conducting this study was the inconclusiveness of research findings relative to relating alumni academic major and/or institutional size to the impact of a college education. The recent proliferation of state mandated outcomes assessment requirements is indicative of a sentiment of accountability for higher education. Further, the Performance Funding initiative causes Tennessee to be regularly under scrutiny for effectiveness of evaluating educational systems. This study demonstrates the perceptions of alumni from the only state employing a performance based incentive for funding.

Three research questions were asked in this study. They were; (1) Do alumni from institutions of different enrollment size differ in their responses to the questions in the "Your Education and Its Impact" section of the Alumni Satisfaction Survey? (2) Do alumni with different academic majors differ in their responses to the "Your Education and Its Impact" section of the Alumni Satisfaction Survey? and (3) Do alumni from institutions of different enrollment size, and with different academic majors differ in their responses to the questions in the "Your Education and Its Impact" section of the Alumni Satisfaction Survey?

The population for this study included all 1986 and 1988 alumni (graduates of the baccalaureate degree programs) from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Martin. Data were collected by each institution using the uniformly adopted Alumni Satisfaction Survey. The data were reported in a consistent manner to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to be considered for eligibility for performance based funding.The Data were procured from the division of Assessment and Program Review at THEC.

The data were classified according to institution size, academic major, and growth and development factor (personal/social, quantitative, verbal, and cultural understanding). Frequencies were calculated and data were analyzed using Likelihood-Ratio Chi-Square and Log-Linear analysis. The ratio of log-linear parameter estimate to its standard error was calculated to determine the interaction effect of the variables (multivariate test).

All of the research questions could be answered in the affirmative for a significant difference in responses by alumni based upon institution size, academic major, and institution size and academic major at the p < .05 level.