Vol. 4, No. 4 Published by Assessment Resource Office, ENMU Date: 10-23-96

In the spring of 1995, employers of Eastern graduates were surveyed on a number of items. In addition to asking how well prepared for the work force our graduates are, and how they would rate them compared to graduates from similar universities, employers were asked to respond to students' abilities in reading, writing, decision making, oral expression, math skills, listening skills, creative thinking, recognition of problems, computer skills, leadership abilities, trainability, responsibility and accountability, and other areas.

A list of employers was generated from the Career Services Office and from the college deans. College deans forwarded requests for information to department chairs. In total, 109 businesses, school districts, and other organizations were contacted and asked to participate in the survey. Fifty-one of these were educational and fifty-eight were commercial businesses. Of the 109 contacted, 38 responded with 21 of those being from educational facilities, nine from businesses, and eight unknown. In an effort to increase the total number of participating employers, the employers were originally asked to review the survey, and that the Assessment Resource Office would follow up with a telephone call. Several attempts were made to talk to busy employers and personnel directors over the telephone, and a subsequent mailing list was made with a business reply envelope. The number of total respondents (approximately 35%) was disappointing.

When asked how well prepared for the work force were graduates from Eastern, 92% of employers responded good and very good. When asked how they would rate Eastern graduates to graduates from similar institutions, 92% respondents said good or very good. In the areas of reading, written communication, oral expression, math, listening skills, creative thinking skills, recognition of problems, computer skills, leadership abilities, trainability, responsibility, ability to maintain a positive attitude towards the job, ability to be sociable and cooperative in projects that require teamwork, integrity and honesty, and able to work in a cultural diverse environment, the majority of employers responded that Eastern students were above average and/or in the top ten percent. These were all the items included in the survey. All items included were considered important and very important to potential employers.

In conclusion, I think the attached pie charts report data that will indicate that Eastern well prepares graduates for the world of work and to meet the expectations of employers. This study was limited by the number of total employers who responded, and it remains important that Eastern determines how to best survey a larger pool of employers and how to track our graduates.

Overall, how well prepared for the workforce are graduates from Eastern?	How would you rate Eastern graduates as they compare to graduates from similar universities?
Employer ratings on the following traits of ENMU students	Importance to Employer
Reading Skills
Written communication
Decision-making skills (ability to choose the best alternative)
Oral expression
Math skills (in terms of meeting the organization's standards)
Employer ratings on the following traits of ENMU students	Importance to Employer
Listening skills; interpretation of verbal messages
Creative thinking skills; ability to generate new ideas
Recognition of problems and ability to solve them
Computer skills (in terms of meeting the organization's standards)
Leadership abilities
Trainability (ability to apply new skills)
Employer ratings on the following traits of ENMU students	Importance to Employer
Responsibility and accountability in self-management
Maintain positive attitude towards job and others
Sociable and cooperative in projects that require teamwork
Integrity and honesty (do they choose the most ethical course of action)
Able to work in culturally diverse environment

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