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Best InvestmentÌý

CU completed a four-campus alumniÌýsurvey this summer. President BruceÌýD. Benson (Geol’64; HonDocSci’04)Ìýsays the insights gleaned from more thanÌý15,000 responses underscore the valueÌýof a CU degree.Ìý

CU does lots of alumni surveys. HowÌýwas this one different?Ìý

It’s the first time we surveyed alumni ofÌýall four campuses and looked at theirÌýsatisfaction with their education andÌýearnings across disciplines and the spanÌýof their careers, whether they are a yearÌýremoved from graduation or 40 or more.Ìý

What were the key takeaways?Ìý

CU alumni are quite pleased with theÌýeducation they received, with about 95Ìýpercent reporting they are very satisfiedÌýor somewhat satisfied. The median incomeÌýof those who earned a bachelor’sÌýdegree and are employed is $68,000,Ìýwell above the average annual incomeÌýfor those with an undergraduate degree,Ìý$48,818, according to the U.S. CensusÌýBureau. Some 87 percent of respondentsÌýagreed that the benefits of a CUÌýeducation outweighed the cost. Additionally,Ìýabout 95 percent said they viewÌýthe university favorably.Ìý

What was surprising?Ìý

The extent to which alumni are workingÌýin the field they studied. There’s aÌýcommon notion that people change careersÌýfrequently and therefore what theyÌýstudied in college won’t be as relevantÌýto their working lives over the long haul.ÌýYet we found that substantial numbers ofÌýalumni in a variety of fields put their CUÌýeducation to use in their careers. That’sÌýparticularly so in health care, science,Ìýtechnology and engineering and art,Ìýdesign and entertainment.Ìý

What was missing in the study?Ìý

We looked at what our alumni do andÌýhow their education served them, butÌýwe didn’t examine what our state andÌýsociety need from us. We’d obviouslyÌýhave to take a different approach toÌýlearning that, but I would use the recentÌýexample of reports of the loomingÌýteacher shortage. We have a role inÌýaddressing substantial societal needsÌýlike that, so the questions are, what areÌýthose needs and how do we go aboutÌýaddressing them.Ìý

You’re an alumnus. Are you satisfiedÌýwith your CU education?Ìý

It was one of the best investments IÌýever made.

Illustration by Melinda JosieÌý