NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S Graduating Class of...

NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S

Graduating Class of 2001

A 10-Month Follow-Up Study

Prepared by:

The Office of Institutional Research

February 2003

Contents

Highlights of Class of 2001 i Introduction 1 Method Survey Administration 1 Instrument 1 Participants 2 Results Total Respondents 2 Career Program Responses Employment Status 3 Graduates’ Assessments of Their NSCC Experiences 20

Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations 20 Transfer Program Responses Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations 25 Linear Trend Data: Class of 1997 - 2001 31 Appendix Graduate Follow-Up Survey Instrument 31 Question 16: Where are you enrolled and what is your program of study? 32 Question 20 Comments: Do you have any additional comments/ suggestions regarding your educational experiences at North Shore? 34

Highlights of the Class of 2001 A 10-Month Follow-Up Study

• ALL GRADUATES

• 789 students graduated in the Class of 2001 (August 2000, January 2001, and June 2001) from 79 programs of study.

• 64.8% (n=511) of the graduates responded to the survey; 86.9% (n=444) were Career Graduates while 13.1% (n=67) were Transfer Graduates.

• CAREER GRADUATES

Massachusetts Department of Education Performance Indicators: • 69.4% (n=50) of the programs of study met the response rate standard of 65%. • 84.7% (n=61) of the programs met the positive placement rate standard of 85%.

Employment Status: • 87.4% are employed, 26.8% are pursuing additional education, 11.0% are

unemployed or not in the labor force. • Median salary ranged from $15.00 - $19.99 per hour. • 59.0% had secured their first jobs prior to graduating with 88.8% employed within 3-

months of graduation. • 92.8% of fulltime working graduates indicated NSCC adequately or more than

adequately prepared them for their present occupation. Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations: • 73.3% intended to complete a Certificate or Degree program at NSCC. • 27.5% were currently attending school full or parttime. • 72.5% were not enrolled in school, but 54.5% plan to attend at a later date. Educational Experiences at NSCC: • 92.6% were satisfied with the instruction in their major field of study. • 95.4% would definitely choose to attend NSCC, if they were to start college again. • 97.6% rated their NSCC educational experience as excellent or good. • 62.1% would definitely choose the same major area of study again.

• TRANSFER GRADUATES

Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations: • 44.4% of the graduates responded to the survey. • 63.6% have successfully transferred to another college/university and are currently

attending school. • 52.0% of those not currently attending school plan to continue at a later date.

i i

INTRODUCTION

Each year, North Shore Community College administers a follow-up survey to program

graduates. In March 2002, the survey was distributed to the 789 certificate and degree program

graduates of the Class of 2001. The results of this survey were reported to the Massachusetts’

Department of Education (MDOE) via the College’s Fall 2002 Career and Technical Education

Report which measures the effectiveness of all occupational programs by four Core Indicators of

Effectiveness as mandated by the Perkins Vocational and Technical Act of 1998. Core Indicator 3

requires the College to achieve a 65% response rate and an 85% positive placement rate of its

occupational graduates (i.e., a graduate has enlisted in the military, is employed, or is pursuing

additional education) in each program of study.

Additionally, the follow-up survey provides feedback to College departments/divisions

regarding graduates’ opinions of the quality of educational services, as well as information on the

impact and effectiveness of their schooling when applied to their place of employment or continuing

education pursuits. As such, the Graduate Follow-Up Study provides information for both academic

and institutional planners to enhance NSCC’s academic and institutional services.

The report is organized in three major sections: Survey Method and Participants, Career

Respondent Results and Transfer Respondent Results. Further, the Career/Transfer Respondent

sections are presented according to the sections of the survey: Demographic Descriptors,

Employment Status, Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations, and Graduates’ Assessment of

their NSCC Experiences. The report closes with a summary of the key findings. The survey

instrument, comments, and a listing of institutions where NSCC’s graduates are continuing their

education are included in the Appendix.

METHOD

Survey Administration

In March 2002, a Graduate Follow-Up Survey packet consisting of a cover letter, survey, and

business reply envelope was mailed to all 789 North Shore graduates of the Class of 2001. After

ten working days, a reminder postcard was mailed to those graduates who did not respond.

Between May and October 2002, telephone interviews were conducted with graduates who had not

returned their surveys.

Instrument

The four-page Graduate Follow-Up survey is composed of three sections. Section A:

Assessment of Your NSCC Experience and Education, Section B: Employment Status, and

Section C: Your Educational Status, Plans, and Aspirations. For students who were contacted

via the telephone, interviewers obtained information on selected questions. These included items

1-5 in Section A, items 10-13 in Section B, and items 15-19 in Section C.

Employment and educational status data from the survey are used to report both response and

positive placement rates to meet MDOE requirements of Core Indicator 3. All other information

provides college faculty and staff with feedback about graduates’ accomplishments in reference to

employment and continuing education and about NSCC’s performance as an institution of higher

education.

Participants The 789 graduates of NSCC’s Class of 2001 span 79 programs of study, 46 degree programs

and 33 certificate programs. Table 1 indicates demographic descriptors of the group: gender,

ethnicity/race, and special needs. By comparison to the Class of 2000, female graduates of both

Degree and Certificate Programs decreased from 546 to 527 (N=-3.5%), while the number of male

graduates (N=262) increased 7.4% (2000 N = 244). African American graduates experienced the

greatest increase, representing 6.7% (N=53) of the Class of 2001, compared to 4.9% of the Class of

2000. The Hispanic population experienced the greatest decline, -35.0% to 26 graduates. The

white graduate population declined from 87.3% in 2000 to 87.0% in 2001. TABLE 1

DEMOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTORS OF CLASS OF 2001 GRADUATES

Demographic Descriptors Certificate Programs Degree Programs All Programs Gender Men 82 31.3% 180 34.2% 262 33.2% Women 180 68.7% 347 65.8% 527 66.8% Ethnicity/Race Am Ind/Alaskan Native 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Asian American 2 0.8% 10 1.9% 12 1.5% African American 18 6.9% 35 6.6% 53 6.7% Hispanic 7 2.7% 19 3.6% 26 3.3% White 232 88.5% 454 86.2% 686 87.0% Other 3 1.1% 8 1.5% 11 1.4% Special Needs Limited English Proficient 21 8.0% 30 5.7% 51 6.5% Disabilities 8 3.0% 19 3.6% 27 3.4%

Limited English graduates increased to 6.5% (N=51) from 2.9% in 2000, while the number of

graduates with disabilities decreased from 6.8% in 2000 to 3.4% in 2001 (N=27).

RESULTS Respondents

The Graduate Follow-Up Survey was completed by a total of 511 graduates. Table 3 shows

that surveys were completed by at least one graduate in 71 of the 79 programs. The following

programs had no respondents: C-Unix (Cert.), Personal Computer Systems Technician (Cert),

Electro Mechanical Tech, Manufacturing Engineering Tech., Health Science, Infant/Toddler Child

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Care (Cert), and Mental Health (Cert). The respondents are similar to their cohort in type of

degree, gender, ethnicity, and special needs indicators. TABLE 2

COMPARISON OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS TO THE CLASS OF 2000

Class Pro- Award Gender Racial/Ethnic Heritage Limited Dis- of

2000 gram Certi-

ficate De- gree

Men Wom-en

Amec Ind

Asian AfricanAmerc

His- panic

White Other Eng. Prof

abili-ties

# % % % % % % % % % % % % Total Graduates 79 33.2 66.8 33.2 66.8 0.1 1.5 6.7 3.3 87.0 1.4 6.5 3.4 Respondents 71 33.8 66.2 32.3 67.7 0.0 1.6 6.5 4.1 87.9 0.0 3.7 5.3

♦ CAREER PROGRAM RESPONSES

Table 3 presents demographic descriptors for each Career program and provides the

number of graduates, and the number and percent of graduates who responded to the survey with

their corresponding demographic descriptors of gender, ethnicity, and special needs. The number of

first generation college students is listed in the last column of the table. Data indicate:

• Seven programs show no respondents, and 50 of the 72 Career programs registered a 65% or greater response rate.

• An overall 69.6% response rate was obtained (n=444 out of 638 graduates). The Class of 2001 response rate was higher than last year’s 57.9% and higher than the MDOE mandated 65% response rate.

• The percentage of Disabled students (5.9%) declined from the class of 2000 (6.7%), while the percentage of First Generation college students increased 3.8% to a high of 25.2%.

Employment Status

The survey lists the following employment classifications: a) military, b) employed in a

related field [fulltime or part-time], c) pursuing additional education, d) employed in a non-related

field, e) unemployed, and f) not in the labor force. The employment status of graduates by program

is summarized in Table 4. The total number of graduates is listed along with the number of

respondents and their corresponding employment status. The data are duplicated headcounts

within each program. Thus, if a graduate is employed as well as pursuing additional education, that

graduate is counted under both headings.

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Table 3Demographic Description of the Class of 2001 Career Respondents by Programs of Study

Total Respondents Gender Race/Ethnicity Limited 1st GenCode Program of Study Grads Men Women Am Ind Asian Afr-Am Hisp White Ukn Eng ProfDisabled Col Stds

# # % # # # # # # # # # # #AGRICULTURAL, FOOD, ANIMAL & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES

AC Animal Care Specialist Cert 2 2 100% 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1CF Culinary Arts & Food Service 3 2 67% 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0CL Culinary Arts & Food Svc. Cert 1 1 100% 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0DT Nutritional Sciences & Diet Tech 5 5 100% 0 5 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 1FL Floriculture 4 2 50% 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0FT Food Science & Technology 3 2 67% 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0GG Professional Grooming 7 6 86% 0 6 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2HU Horticulture 5 1 20% 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0UF Urban & Community Forestry 3 2 67% 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0VT Veterinary Technology 5 4 80% 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0

BUSINESS/OFFICE PROGRAMSAV Aviation Science 7 7 100% 6 1 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0BA Business Accounting 10 7 70% 1 6 0 1 0 0 6 0 0 0 2BM Business Management 9 4 44% 0 4 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 3BK Business Marketing 7 2 29% 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0ES Executive Administrative Asst 3 2 67% 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1GR Digital Graphic Design Cert 15 6 40% 2 4 0 0 1 1 4 0 1 0 4OS Health Care Office Support Cert 1 1 100% 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0LS Legal Administrative Asst 11 11 100% 0 11 0 2 2 0 7 0 1 1 2LO Legal Office Certificate 4 4 100% 0 4 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0MS Medical Adm Asst/Secretary 4 3 75% 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1MT Medical Transcriptionist Cert 4 3 75% 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2OP Word Processing Adm Asst 2 2 100% 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0TG Tourism & Guest Services 7 5 71% 0 5 0 0 1 0 4 0 1 0 0TL Travel Cert 2 2 100% 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0WP Word Processing Cert 4 3 75% 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1

COMPUTER CAREERSCP Computer Programming for Busines 8 3 38% 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 1CO Computer Applications 9 6 67% 4 2 0 1 1 0 4 0 2 0 3CC Computer Applications Cert 1 1 100% 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

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# # % # # # # # # # # # # #UC C-Unix Cert 1 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PC PC Repair Cert 2 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

HEALTH CAREERSLH Health Science 1 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0LHS Health Science/Sp. Lang Disorders 1 1 100% 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0MC Medical Assisting Cert 12 8 67% 0 8 0 0 0 1 7 0 2 2 1NE Nurse Education 52 35 67% 7 28 0 0 3 0 32 0 2 2 1OT Occupational Therapy Asst 20 17 85% 0 17 0 0 0 0 17 0 2 2 3OTX Occupational Therapy Asst Accl 10 7 70% 1 6 0 0 0 0 7 0 1 1 1PN Practical Nursing Cert 30 19 63% 2 17 0 0 2 1 16 0 0 0 6PF Physical Fitness Cert 6 5 83% 3 2 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 1 0PT Physical Therapist Assistant 9 8 89% 2 6 0 0 1 1 6 0 0 0 0RS Respiratory Therapy 6 6 100% 1 5 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 1RT Radiologic Technology 8 6 75% 0 6 0 0 0 0 6 0 1 1 1SL Speech/Language Path. Aide Cert 2 1 50% 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0ST Surgical Tech Cert 12 9 75% 2 7 0 0 1 0 8 0 0 0 5WH Wellness & Healing Arts Cert 13 10 77% 0 10 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 6

HUMAN SERVICE CAREERSCJ Criminal Justice 52 36 69% 22 14 0 2 4 2 28 0 3 3 12JC Criminal Justice Cert 7 6 86% 2 4 0 1 1 0 4 0 1 1 1HA Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation 9 6 67% 1 5 0 0 0 1 5 0 1 1 1HE Early Childhood Education 27 19 70% 0 19 0 0 1 0 18 0 0 0 8HT Infant/Toddler Childcare Cert 1 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0FC Fire Science Cert 21 20 95% 19 1 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 4FS Fire Science Degree 31 28 90% 25 3 0 0 0 0 28 0 0 0 4HG Gerontology Cert 6 5 83% 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 1 2HS Gerontology/Social Welfare 4 4 100% 0 4 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 0HM Mental Health 4 1 25% 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1HN Mental Health Cert 2 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0DD Developmental Disabilities 6 4 67% 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 1DL Dual Diagnosis Cert 3 2 67% 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1

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# # % # # # # # # # # # # #DV Developmental Dis Casewrk Cert 11 6 55% 2 4 0 0 1 0 5 0 1 1 1HP Paralegal Studies 18 15 83% 3 12 0 0 1 0 14 0 0 0 6HL Substance Abuse Counseling Cert 17 13 76% 5 8 0 0 2 2 9 0 1 2 4TE Teacher Aide Certificate 10 7 70% 0 7 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 3

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIESCD CAD/Certificate 6 3 50% 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0EM Electromechanical Tech 1 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0ME Mfg Engineering Tech 2 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MF Mfg Engineering Tech Cert 1 1 100% 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0TTN Telecomm. Tech Nynex 15 10 67% 9 1 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 6WD Web Development Cert 5 3 60% 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0

MISCELLANEOUSLB Biotechnology 4 3 75% 0 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0TC Technical Writing Cert 3 1 33% 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMSTRH Health Professions Prep. Cert 2 2 100% 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0

TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMSzCM Cosmetology (clock hour Cert) 29 16 55% 0 16 0 0 0 0 16 0 0 0 8zFO Fiber Optics & Cat 5 Cable Cert 10 2 20% 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 638 444 69.6% 137 307 0 7 29 18 390 0 27 26 11230.9% 69.1% 0.0% 1.6% 6.5% 4.1% 87.8% 0.0% 6.1% 5.9% 25.2%

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Table 4Class of 2001 Graduate Follow-Up Survey: Employment Status of Career Respondents

Total Respon- Employment Status* Pursuing* Looking Not in Un-Code Program of Study Grads dents Military FT PT Self- Self- Additional for Labor known

Emp Emp Emp FT Emp PT Education Emp Force# # # # # # # # # # #

AGRICULTURAL, FOOD, ANIMAL & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIESAC Animal Care Specialist Cert 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0CF Culinary Arts & Food Service 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0CL Culinary Arts & Food Svc. Cert 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0DT Nutritional Sciences & Diet Tech 5 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0FL Floriculture 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0FT Food Science & Technology 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0GG Professional Grooming 7 6 0 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 0HU Horticulture 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0UF Urban & Community Forestry 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0VT Veterinary Technology 5 4 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0

BUSINESS/OFFICE PROGRAMSAV Aviation Science 7 7 0 7 0 0 0 1 0 0 0BA Business Accounting 10 7 1 4 0 0 0 2 1 0 0BM Business Management 9 4 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0BK Business Marketing 7 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0ES Executive Administrative Asst 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0GR Digital Graphic Design Cert 15 6 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0OS Health Care Office Support Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0LS Legal Administrative Asst 11 11 0 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0LO Legal Office Certificate 4 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0MS Medical Adm Asst/Secretary 4 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0MT Medical Transcriptionist Cert 4 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0OP Word Processing Adm Asst 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TG Tourism & Guest Services 7 5 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0TL Travel Cert 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0WP Word Processing Cert 4 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0

COMPUTER CAREERSCP Computer Programming for Business 8 3 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 0CO Computer Applications 9 6 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 0CC Computer Applications Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0UC C-Unix Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PC PC Repair Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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* Respondents may be counted in more than one column e.g., employed and pursuing add'l education




HEALTH CAREERSLH Health Science 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0LHS Health Science/Sp. Lang Disorders 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0MC Medical Assisting Cert 12 8 0 4 4 0 0 2 0 0 0NE Nurse Education 52 35 0 21 14 0 0 4 0 0 0OT Occupational Therapy Asst 20 17 0 10 6 0 0 3 0 1 0OTX Occupational Therapy Asst Accl 10 7 0 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 0PN Practical Nursing Cert 30 19 0 15 4 0 0 9 0 0 0PF Physical Fitness Cert 6 5 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 0PT Physical Therapist Assistant 9 8 0 6 2 0 0 1 0 0 0RS Respiratory Therapy 6 6 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 0RT Radiologic Technology 8 6 0 2 4 0 0 1 0 0 0SL Speech/Language Path. Aide Cert 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0ST Surgical Tech Cert 12 9 0 6 2 0 0 1 1 0 0WH Wellness & Healing Arts Cert 13 10 0 5 1 1 2 5 0 2 0

HUMAN SERVICE CAREERSCJ Criminal Justice 52 36 0 15 7 0 0 25 0 14 0JC Criminal Justice Cert 7 6 0 1 1 0 0 5 0 4 0HA Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation 9 6 0 3 2 0 0 2 0 0 0HE Early Childhood Education 27 19 1 11 5 1 0 6 0 1 0HT Infant/Toddler Childcare Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0FC Fire Science Cert 21 20 0 19 1 0 0 2 0 0 0FS Fire Science Degree 31 28 1 24 2 0 0 3 0 0 0HG Gerontology Cert 6 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 3 0HS Gerontology/Social Welfare 4 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0HM Mental Health 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0HN Mental Health Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0DD Developmental Disabilities 6 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0DL Dual Diagnosis Cert 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0DV Developmental Dis Casewrk Cert 11 6 0 5 1 0 0 3 0 0 0HP Paralegal Studies 18 15 0 8 4 0 0 3 0 1 0

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HL Substance Abuse Counseling Cert 17 13 0 9 1 0 0 6 1 2 0TE Teacher Aide Certificate 10 7 0 4 2 0 0 2 0 1 0

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIESCD CAD/Certificate 6 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0EM Electromechanical Tech 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0ME Mfg Engineering Tech 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MF Mfg Engineering Tech Cert 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0TTN Telecomm. Tech Nynex 15 10 0 8 1 0 0 1 1 0 0WD Web Development Cert 5 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0

MISCELLANEOUSLB Biotechnology 4 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0TC Technical Writing Cert 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMSTRH Health Professions Prep. Cert 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0

TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMSzCM Cosmetology (clock hour Cert) 29 16 0 7 8 0 0 4 1 0 0zFO Fiber Optics & Cat 5 Cable Cert 10 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 638 444 3 285 97 3 3 119 9 40 00.7% 64.2% 21.8% 0.7% 0.7% 26.8% 2.0% 9.0% 0.0%

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• 87.4% (n=388) of the responding graduates are employed full-time or part-time,

26.8% (n=119) are pursuing additional education, and 11% (n=49) are looking for employment or are not in the labor force.

• 65.0% of 2001 graduates were employed full time (n=288) and 22.5% part-time (n=100).

• 2.0% of respondents (n=9) indicated that they are looking for employment, which mirrors last year’s percentage for the class of 2000, and is down from 4.7% of 1999 respondents. The number of 2001 graduates responding as “not in the labor force” (n=40, 9.0%) was down significantly from 18.1% in 2000.

In terms of meeting Core Indicators of Performance, graduates who are unemployed or not in

the labor force are not considered positive placements. Table 5 shows the graduates’ unduplicated

employment status by program based on the statewide indicators. If a graduate responds that

he/she is both working and pursuing additional education, the graduate is counted under the

employment category. The total and number of surveyed graduates are presented followed by their

corresponding employment status or classification. The last column indicates whether or not the

85% placement indicator was met for the program. The placement standard is calculated by

summing the number of surveyed graduates who enlisted in the military, are employed, or have

pursued additional education and dividing by the total number of respondents. Data from Table 5

indicates:

• Almost 9 out of 10 (87.4%, n=388) of the respondents are employed. • Of the 71 programs, more than four fifths (85.9%, n=61) met the performance

standards.

• Graduate respondents of 46 Career programs indicated they were all employed. The majority of those respondents graduated from Agricultural/Food/Animal & Environmental Technologies, Business/Office and Health Career Programs.

Table 6 shows the reported hourly wage ranges of graduates who are employed by

program of study. More than one third of the respondents (n=49, 34.3%) earn between

$15.00-$19.99, more than one out of four (41 or 28.7%) earn between $10 and $14.99 per

hour, and one in five (29 or 20.3%) earns $20-$24.99. The remaining respondents report

the following: 8.4% earn $5.00-$9.99, 3.5% earn $25-$29.99, and 4.9% earn more than

$30.00 per hour.

Graduates employed full-time in a related field were asked to provide additional information

regarding their job search process, adequacy of NSCC’s preparation for their present occupation,

and job satisfaction. 188 graduates responded and provided information about their job seeking

process. Data on the job search process is indicated in Table 7. The adequacy of NSCC’s

preparation of graduates is shown in Table 8 by program of study.

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Job Search Process:

• Length of Time to Obtain their FIRST Full-time Position: More than half (59.0%) of the graduates obtained jobs prior to graduating. Almost one third (29.8%) found a position within three months of graduation. For some 4.3% of the graduates, the process took seven or more months of job searching.

• NSCC Preparation for the Workforce: The majority of the respondents indicated that

they were More than Adequately (52.0%) or Adequately (40.8%) prepared for the work they are presently doing.

• Problem Areas in Job Search: In a departure from previous years, and most likely as a result of 911, more graduates experienced difficulties in the Major/Moderate range in the following areas: 28.0% (n=23) of the respondents indicated that Finding a Job that Paid Enough was a major/moderate problem area. 18.3% (n=15) indicated that Finding a job for which I was trained was problematic. For 18.3% (n=15) Finding the kind of job I wanted was a problem. 16.7% (n=14) experienced difficulty Deciding what I wanted to do.

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Table 5Employment Status of Career Graduates

Total No. Employment Status Addi- Looking Not in Un- 85%Code Program of Study Grads Resp Military Working tional for Labor known Pef Std

Edu Emp Force Met # # # # # # # %

AGRICULTURAL, FOOD, ANIMAL & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIESAC Animal Care Specialist Cert 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%CF Culinary Arts & Food Service 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%CL Culinary Arts & Food Svc. Cert 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 100.0%DT Nutritional Sciences & Diet Tech 5 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 100.0%FL Floriculture 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%FT Food Science & Technology 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%GG Professional Grooming 7 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 100.0%HU Horticulture 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 100.0%UF Urban & Community Forestry 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%VT Veterinary Technology 5 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 100.0%

BUSINESS/OFFICE PROGRAMSAV Aviation Science 7 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 100.0%BA Business Accounting 10 7 1 4 0 1 0 1 71.4%BM Business Management 9 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 100.0%BK Business Marketing 7 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%ES Executive Administrative Asst 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%GR Digital Graphic Design Cert 15 6 0 5 0 0 1 0 83.3%OS Health Care Office Support Cert 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 100.0%LS Legal Administrative Asst 11 11 0 11 0 0 0 0 100.0%LO Legal Office Certificate 4 4 0 3 0 1 0 0 75.0%MS Medical Adm Asst/Secretary 4 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 100.0%MT Medical Transcriptionist Cert 4 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 66.7%OP Word Processing Adm Asst 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%TG Tourism & Guest Services 7 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 100.0%TL Travel Cert 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 100.0%WP Word Processing Cert 4 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 100.0%

COMPUTER CAREERSCP Computer Programming for Busine 8 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 66.7%CO Computer Applications 9 6 0 5 0 1 0 0 83.3%CC Computer Applications Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.0%UC C-Unix Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%PC PC Repair Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%

HEALTH CAREERSLH Health Science 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%LHS Health Science/Sp. Lang Disorders 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 100.0%MC Medical Assisting Cert 12 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 100.0%NE Nurse Education 52 35 0 35 0 0 0 0 100.0%

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OT Occupational Therapy Asst 20 17 0 16 0 0 1 0 94.1%OTX Occupational Therapy Asst Accl 10 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 100.0%PN Practical Nursing Cert 30 19 0 19 0 0 0 0 100.0%PF Physical Fitness Cert 6 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 100.0%PT Physical Therapist Assistant 9 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 100.0%RS Respiratory Therapy 6 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 100.0%RT Radiologic Technology 8 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 100.0%SL Speech/Language Path. Aide Cert 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 100.0%ST Surgical Tech Cert 12 9 0 8 0 1 0 0 88.9%WH Wellness & Healing Arts Cert 13 10 0 9 1 0 0 0 100.0%

HUMAN SERVICE CAREERSCJ Criminal Justice 52 36 0 22 14 0 0 0 100.0%JC Criminal Justice Cert 7 6 0 2 4 0 0 0 100.0%HA Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation 9 6 0 5 0 0 0 1 83.3%HE Early Childhood Education 27 19 1 18 0 0 0 0 100.0%HT Infant/Toddler Childcare Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%FC Fire Science Cert 21 20 0 20 0 0 0 0 100.0%FS Fire Science Degree 31 28 1 26 0 0 0 1 96.4%HG Gerontology Cert 6 5 0 1 3 0 1 0 80.0%HS Gerontology/Social Welfare 4 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 100.0%HM Mental Health 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.0%HN Mental Health Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%DD Developmental Disabilities 6 4 0 2 0 0 2 0 50.0%DL Dual Diagnosis Cert 3 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 50.0%DV Developmental Dis Casewrk Cert 11 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 100.0%HP Paralegal Studies 18 15 0 12 1 0 0 2 86.7%HL Substance Abuse Counseling Cert 17 13 0 9 3 0 0 1 92.3%TE Teacher Aide Certificate 10 7 0 6 0 0 1 0 85.7%

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIESCD CAD/Certificate 6 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 100.0%EM Electromechanical Tech 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%ME Mfg Engineering Tech 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%MF Mfg Engineering Tech Cert 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 100.0%TTN Telecomm. Tech Nynex 15 10 0 9 0 1 0 0 90.0%WD Web Development Cert 5 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 100.0%

MISCELLANEOUSLB Biotechnology 4 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 100.0%TC Technical Writing Cert 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 100.0%

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TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMSTRH Health Professions Prep. Cert 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%

TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMSzCM Cosmetology (clock hour Cert) 29 16 0 15 1 0 0 0 100.0%zFO Fiber Optics & Cat 5 Cable Cert 10 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 100.0%

TOTALS 638 444 3 388 31 6 10 6 95.0%0.7% 87.4% 7.0% 1.4% 2.3% 1.4%

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Table 6Reported Wage Ranges of 2001 Career Graduates Who Are Employed

Total Survey Grads Salary RangeCode Program of Study Grads Resp Work- $5.00- $10.00- $15.00- $20.00- $25.00- $30.00- $35.00

ing* $9.99 $14.99 $19.99 $24.99 $29.99 $34.99 or more# # # # # # # # # #

AGRICULTURAL, FOOD, ANIMAL & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIESAC Animal Care Specialist Cert 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0CF Culinary Arts & Food Service 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0CL Culinary Arts & Food Svc. Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0DT Nutritional Sciences & Diet Tech 5 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0FL Floriculture 4 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0FT Food Science & Technology 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0GG Professional Grooming 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0HU Horticulture 5 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0UF Urban & Community Forestry 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0VT Veterinary Technology 5 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

BUSINESS/OFFICE PROGRAMSAV Aviation Science 7 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1BA Business Accounting 10 7 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0BM Business Management 9 4 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0BK Business Marketing 7 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0ES Executive Administrative Asst 3 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0GR Digital Graphic Design Cert 15 6 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 0OS Health Care Office Support Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0LS Legal Administrative Asst 11 11 9 0 1 7 1 0 0 0LO Legal Office Certificate 4 4 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0MS Medical Adm Asst/Secretary 4 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0MT Medical Transcriptionist Cert 4 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0OP Word Processing Adm Asst 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TG Tourism & Guest Services 7 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0TL Travel Cert 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WP Word Processing Cert 4 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

COMPUTER CAREERSCP Computer Programming for Bus 8 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0CO Computer Applications 9 6 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0CC Computer Applications Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0UC C-Unix Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PC PC Repair Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

HEALTH CAREERSLH Health Science 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0LHS Health Science/Sp. Lang Disord 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MC Medical Assisting Cert 12 8 4 0 3 1 0 0 0 0NE Nurse Education 52 35 16 0 1 2 12 1 0 0OT Occupational Therapy Asst 20 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0OTX Occupational Therapy Asst Accl 10 7 4 0 1 3 0 0 0 0PN Practical Nursing Cert 30 19 5 0 0 2 0 2 0 1PF Physical Fitness Cert 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PT Physical Therapist Assistant 9 8 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0RS Respiratory Therapy 6 6 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0RT Radiologic Technology 8 6 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0SL Speech/Language Path. Aide Ce 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0ST Surgical Tech Cert 12 9 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

*reflects actual # of respondents providing wage data

15

Table 6Reported Wage Ranges of 2001 Career Graduates Who Are Employed

Total Survey Grads Salary RangeCode Program of Study Grads Resp Work- $5.00- $10.00- $15.00- $20.00- $25.00- $30.00- $35.00

ing* $9.99 $14.99 $19.99 $24.99 $29.99 $34.99 or more# # # # # # # # # #

WH Wellness & Healing Arts Cert 13 10 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0

HUMAN SERVICE CAREERSCJ Criminal Justice 52 36 7 2 3 0 2 0 0 0JC Criminal Justice Cert 7 6 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0HA Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation 9 6 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0HE Early Childhood Education 27 19 11 2 7 1 1 0 0 0HT Infant/Toddler Childcare Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0FC Fire Science Cert 21 20 4 0 0 1 2 1 0 0FS Fire Science Degree 31 28 5 0 0 1 2 1 1 0HG Gerontology Cert 6 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0HS Gerontology/Social Welfare 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0HM Mental Health 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0HN Mental Health Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0DD Developmental Disabilities 6 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0DL Dual Diagnosis Cert 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0DV Developmental Dis Casewrk Ce 11 6 4 0 1 3 0 0 0 0HP Paralegal Studies 18 15 10 0 5 2 3 0 0 0HL Substance Abuse Counseling C 17 13 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0TE Teacher Aide Certificate 10 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIESCD CAD/Certificate 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0EM Electromechanical Tech 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0ME Mfg Engineering Tech 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MF Mfg Engineering Tech Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TTN Telecomm. Tech Nynex 15 10 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 1WD Web Development Cert 5 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

MISCELLANEOUSLB Biotechnology 4 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0TC Technical Writing Cert 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMSTRH Health Professions Prep. Cert 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMSzCM Cosmetology (clock hour Cert) 29 16 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0zFO Fiber Optics & Cat 5 Cable Cert 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 628 442 143 12 41 49 29 5 4 332.4% 8.4% 28.7% 34.3% 20.3% 3.5% 2.8% 2.1%

n:\survey\Grads01\Internal Report\Table6.xls

*reflects actual # of respondents providing wage data

16

Table 7Career Graduates Who Are Employed Fulltime in a Related Field and Their Job Seeking Process and

Satisfaction

14a How many months did it take you to obtain your FIRST fulltime job after leaving NSCC?

Obtained job prior to leaving 111 59.0% Less than one month 34 18.1% 1 to 3 months 22 11.7% 4 to 6 months 13 6.9% 7 or more months 8 4.3%

Total 188 100.0%

14b How well did NSCC prepare you for the work you are now doing?

More than Adequately 93 52.0% Adequately 73 40.8% Less than Adequately 3 1.7% Not at all Adequate 10 5.6%

Total 179 100.0%

14c Indicate whether the following was a MAJOR, MODERATE, MINOR, or NOT problems in obtainingyour First job after leaving NSCC. Major Problem Moderate Prob Minor Problem Not a Problem

Deciding what I wanted to do 3 3.6% 11 13.1% 8 9.5% 62 73.8% Finding a job for which I was trained 4 4.9% 11 13.4% 10 12.2% 57 69.5% Finding the kind of job I wanted 4 4.9% 11 13.4% 19 23.2% 48 58.5% Knowing how to find job openings 1 1.2% 6 7.3% 8 9.8% 67 81.7% Finding a job that paid enough 12 14.6% 11 13.4% 18 22.0% 41 50.0% Writing a resume, vita, or cover letter 1 1.2% 7 8.6% 17 21.0% 56 69.1% Finding a job where I wanted to live 2 2.5% 4 4.9% 15 18.5% 60 74.1% Race/sex discrimination 1 1.2% 0 0.0% 3 3.7% 77 95.1%

n:\survey\grads01\internalreport\table7.xls 17

Table 8How Well NSCC Prepared Career Graduates for Their Present Occupation as Reported by Graduates

Employed Fulltime in a Related Field

Total Survey Employed Level of AdequacyCode Program of Study Grads Respon- FT in Related More than Adequately Less than Not at

dents Field* Adequately Adequately All# # # # # # #

AGR, ANIMAL, FOOD, ENV. TECHAC Animal Care Specialist Cert 2 2 1 1 0 0 0CF Culinary Arts & Food Service 3 2 0 0 0 0 0CL Culinary Arts & Food Svc. Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0DT Nutritional Sciences & Diet Tech 5 5 0 0 0 0 0FL Floriculture 4 2 2 2 0 0 0FT Food Science & Technology 3 2 0 0 0 0 0GG Professional Grooming 7 6 2 2 0 0 0HU Horticulture 5 1 1 0 1 0 0UF Urban & Community Forestry 3 2 0 0 0 0 0VT Veterinary Technology 5 4 2 0 2 0 0

BUSINESS/OFFICE PROGRAMSAV Aviation Science 7 7 0 0 0 0 0BA Business Accounting 10 7 1 1 0 0 0BM Business Management 9 4 4 0 4 0 0BK Business Marketing 7 2 2 1 1 0 0ES Executive Administrative Asst 3 2 2 0 2 0 0GR Digital Graphic Design Cert 15 6 3 3 0 0 0OS Health Care Office Support Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0LS Legal Administrative Asst 11 11 6 4 2 0 0LO Legal Office Certificate 4 4 1 1 0 0 0MS Medical Adm Asst/Secretary 4 3 1 0 1 0 0MT Medical Transcriptionist Cert 4 3 1 0 1 0 0OP Word Processing Adm Asst 2 2 0 0 0 0 0TG Tourism & Guest Services 7 5 0 0 0 0 0TL Travel Cert 2 2 0 0 0 0 0WP Word Processing Cert 4 3 1 0 1 0 0

COMPUTER CAREERSCP Computer Programming for Busines 8 3 1 1 0 0 0CO Computer Applications 9 6 3 1 2 0 0CC Computer Applications Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0UC C-Unix Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0PC PC Repair Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

HEALTH CAREERSLH Health Science 1 0 0 0 0 0 0LHS Health Science/Sp. Lang Disorders 1 1 0 0 0 0 0MC Medical Assisting Cert 12 8 2 0 2 0 0NE Nurse Education 52 35 8 4 4 0 0OT Occupational Therapy Asst 20 17 6 3 2 1 0OTX Occupational Therapy Asst Accl 10 7 4 0 4 0 0PN Practical Nursing Cert 30 19 14 9 4 0 1PF Physical Fitness Cert 6 5 0 0 0 0 0PT Physical Therapist Assistant 9 8 1 1 0 0 0RS Respiratory Therapy 6 6 0 0 0 0 0RT Radiologic Technology 8 6 0 0 0 0 0SL Speech/Language Path. Aide Cert 2 1 0 0 0 0 0ST Surgical Tech Cert 12 9 6 4 1 1 0

*reflects actual # of respondents providing data

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Table 8How Well NSCC Prepared Career Graduates for Their Present Occupation as Reported by Graduates

Employed Fulltime in a Related Field

Total Survey Employed Level of AdequacyCode Program of Study Grads Respon- FT in Related More than Adequately Less than Not at

dents Field* Adequately Adequately All# # # # # # #

WH Wellness & Healing Arts Cert 13 10 3 2 0 1 0

HUMAN SERVICE CAREERSCJ Criminal Justice 52 36 6 2 3 0 1JC Criminal Justice Cert 7 6 0 0 0 0 0HA Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation 9 6 1 0 1 0 0HE Early Childhood Education 27 19 7 6 1 0 0HT Infant/Toddler Childcare Cert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0FC Fire Science Cert 21 20 5 4 1 0 0FS Fire Science Degree 31 28 5 4 1 0 0HG Gerontology Cert 6 5 0 0 0 0 0HS Gerontology/Social Welfare 4 4 0 0 0 0 0HM Mental Health 4 1 0 0 0 0 0HN Mental Health Cert 2 0 0 0 0 0 0DD Developmental Disabilities 6 4 1 0 1 0 0DL Dual Diagnosis Cert 3 2 0 0 0 0 0DV Developmental Dis Casewrk Cert 11 6 3 1 2 0 0HP Paralegal Studies 18 15 7 4 3 0 0HL Substance Abuse Counseling Cert 17 13 6 2 4 0 0TE Teacher Aide Certificate 10 7 3 3 0 0 0

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIESCD CAD/Certificate 6 3 0 0 0 0 0EM Electromechanical Tech 1 0 0 0 0 0 0ME Mfg Engineering Tech 2 0 0 0 0 0 0MF Mfg Engineering Tech Cert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0TTN Telecomm. Tech Nynex 15 10 7 4 2 0 1WD Web Development Cert 5 3 0 0 0 0 0

MISCELLANEOUSLB Biotechnology 4 3 0 0 0 0 0TC Technical Writing Cert 3 1 1 1 0 0 0

TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMSTRH Health Professions Prep. Cert 2 2 0 0 0 0 0

TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMSzCM Cosmetology (clock hour Cert) 29 16 5 1 4 0 0zFO Fiber Optics & Cat 5 Cable Cert 10 2 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 638 444 135 72 57 3 330.4% 53.3% 42.2% 2.2% 2.2%

*reflects actual # of respondents providing data

n:\survey\grads01\intnlrpt\\table8.xls 19

Career Graduates’ Assessment of Their NSCC Experiences

Graduates were asked to provide feedback regarding their NSCC experiences:

goals, achievements, satisfaction level, and choices.

Table 9 indicates the educational goals of the Career Respondents: TABLE 9

2001 CAREER GRADUATES EDUCATIONAL GOALS

Educational Goal # % - Obtain a certificate or degree 316 73.3% - Transfer to a 4-year college/university 21 4.9% - Upgrade job/employment skills 72 16.7% - Personal growth/improvement 13 3.0% - No specific goal/unsure 9 2.1%

Table 11 summarizes graduates’ importance and satisfaction ratings with aspects of their

NSCC’s experience. More than half of the respondents rated all of the twelve statements presented

in Question 6 as Somewhat to Very Important. Two items show noteworthy performance gaps – 15% or greater -- between the percentage of

graduates rating them as important and those being satisfied as shown below:

Survey Category % Somewhat to

Very Important

% Satisfied to Very

Satisfied

%

Difference h. Availability of Financial Advice and

Assistance

66.0% 49.5% 16.5%

e. Opportunities for workplace experiences (i.e., internships, co-op, apprenticeships, etc.) to supplement classroom learning

83.6% 67.3% 16.3%

Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations (Table 10)

All Career program respondents, whether employed fulltime or part-time and in a related or

unrelated field, are included in this section of the analysis. Educational status focused on whether

or not the graduate was currently attending school (question 15). If “Yes,” they were asked to

indicate how well NSCC prepared them for continuing their education (question 17) and their

experiences with the Transfer Process (question 18). If not in school, they were asked to indicate if

they plan to continue their education at a later date (question 19). Graduates were also asked in

questions 4 and 5 if they would have selected the same majors if they were to start college anew

and if they’d attend North Shore. Graduates’ responses by certificate and degree award status are

summarized in Table 10. Surveyed graduates reported the following:

20

• Attending School: Of 432 graduates who indicated whether or not they were

currently attending school, 27.5% (n=119) were attending full-time or part-time.

• 97.4% (n=74) of the respondents indicated that NSCC adequately or more than adequately prepared them to continue their education.

• 72.5% (n=313) indicated they were not attending school. More degree graduates (76.0%) than certificate graduates (66.9%) were not attending school. More certificate graduates (39.6%) than degree graduates (27.7%) indicated that they plan to continue their education at a later date. Overall, almost one third (31.9%) of those not currently in school planned to continue their education, while 52.4% were undecided.

• Transferring to Another College/University: 94.7% of the respondents indicated that the transfer process presented little or no problem.

• Choosing Their Major/NSCC Again: Almost two thirds of the respondents (62.1%) indicated that they would choose the same major area of study again. A majority of graduates (95.4%) indicated that they would definitely or probably choose to attend NSCC again. 3.4% said they probably or definitely would not attend while 1.2% (5 graduates) were uncertain.

21

Table 10Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations of the Class of 2001 Career Program Graduates

Question Certificate Degree Total Graduates# % # % # %

Q15 Are you currently attending school? Yes, Fulltime 18 10.7% 28 10.6% 46 10.6% Yes, Parttime 38 22.5% 35 13.3% 73 16.9% No 113 66.9% 200 76.0% 313 72.5% Total 169 100.0% 263 100.0% 432 100.0%

Q17 How well did NSCC prepare you for continuing your education? More than adequately 19 55.9% 17 40.5% 36 47.4% Adequately 14 41.2% 24 57.1% 38 50.0% Less than adequately 1 2.9% 1 2.4% 2 2.6% Not at all 0 0.0% 0.0% 0 0.0% Total 34 100.0% 42 100.0% 76 100.0%

Q18 When you were preparing to attend another college, how was the transfer process? Smooth sailing, no problems 10 55.6% 26 68.4% 36 64.3% Some glitches, but overall no problems 6 33.3% 11 28.9% 17 30.4% Moderate setbacks 1 5.6% 0 0.0% 1 1.8% Many setbacks/problematic 1 5.6% 1 2.6% 2 3.6% Total 18 100.1% 38 100.0% 56 100.0%

Q19 Are you planning to continue your education at a later date? Yes 44 39.6% 56 27.7% 100 31.9% No 13 11.7% 36 17.8% 49 15.7%

Undecided 54 48.6% 110 54.5% 164 52.4% Total 111 100.1% 202 100.0% 313 100.0%

n:\survey\grads01\intrnrpt\table10.xls 22

Table 11Career Graduates' Levels of Importance & Satisfaction

with Their NSCC Experience/EducationLEVELS OF IMPORTANCE LEVELS OF SATISFACTION

Not Not Some- Some- Not Important Very What Very Total Total Very what Satisfied

At All Important Neutral Important Important Responses Survey Question #6 Responses Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied At All0 0 3 10 96 109 a. Quality of instruction IN Major field of study 107 48 51 4 3 1

0.0% 0.0% 2.8% 9.2% 88.1% 44.9% 47.7% 3.7% 2.8% 0.9%

1 1 27 46 31 106 b. Quality of instruction OUTSIDE Major field of study (i.e, electives) 106 29 47 25 3 20.9% 0.9% 25.5% 43.4% 29.2% 27.4% 44.3% 23.6% 2.8% 1.9%

3 2 18 24 61 108 c. Assistance in developing career and/or transfer plans 109 27 44 31 6 12.8% 1.9% 16.7% 22.2% 56.5% 24.8% 40.4% 28.4% 5.5% 0.9%

4 6 27 20 51 108 d. Job search and placement assistance 106 24 34 40 4 43.7% 5.6% 25.0% 18.5% 47.2% 22.6% 32.1% 37.7% 3.8% 3.8%

2 2 13 25 62 104 e. Opportunities for workplace experiences (i.e., internships, 104 40 30 23 7 41.9% 1.9% 12.5% 24.0% 59.6% (co-op, apprenticeships, etc.) to supplement classroom learning 38.5% 28.8% 22.1% 6.7% 3.8%

3 5 14 32 53 107 f. Academic assistance, personal support (i.e., tutoring, 109 38 44 21 4 22.8% 4.7% 13.1% 29.9% 49.5% counseling, etc.) 34.9% 40.4% 19.3% 3.7% 1.8%

1 0 7 20 79 107 g. Acquisition of knowledge and skills transferable to the 106 42 47 13 3 10.9% 0.0% 6.5% 18.7% 73.8% workplace 39.6% 44.3% 12.3% 2.8% 0.9%

8 10 18 16 54 106 h. Availability of financial advice and assistance 107 26 27 41 5 87.5% 9.4% 17.0% 15.1% 50.9% 24.3% 25.2% 38.3% 4.7% 7.5%

0 0 15 39 54 108 i. An environment supportive to confidence and self-esteem 108 34 45 24 4 10.0% 0.0% 13.9% 36.1% 50.0% building 31.5% 41.7% 22.2% 3.7% 0.9%

0 2 24 34 47 107 j. Developing greater knowledge and tolerance for other people 108 32 44 31 0 10.0% 1.9% 22.4% 31.8% 43.9% and ideas 29.6% 40.7% 28.7% 0.0% 0.9%

2 4 20 31 51 108 k. Learning how to manage time more effectively 107 24 48 29 3 31.9% 3.7% 18.5% 28.7% 47.2% 22.4% 44.9% 27.1% 2.8% 2.8%

0 0 5 35 69 109 l. A student-friendly and focused learning environment 108 50 43 11 3 10.0% 0.0% 4.6% 32.1% 63.3% 46.3% 39.8% 10.2% 2.8% 0.9%

23

n:\survey\grads01\internal reports\table11.xls

In terms of the quality of NSCC’s courses, Table 12 provides the percent response within

the range as indicated by career graduate respondents:

TABLE 12 CAREER GRADUATES PERCEPTION OF THE QUALITY OF NSCC COURSES

HI - - - - - AVERAGE- - - - - LOW

Positive Aspect % 1

% 2

% 3

% 4

% 5

% 6

% 7

Negative Aspect

Challenging 31.7 38.5 16.3 10.6 2.9 0.0 0.0 Boring Available 35.9 40.8 13.6 7.8 1.0 0 1.0 Usually Closed Conveniently Scheduled 32.4 34.3 20.6 9.8 2.0 1.0 0.0 Inconveniently Scheduled Wide Variety of Courses 32.7 30.7 21.8 7.9 4.0 0.0 4.0 Small Selection of Courses High Grading Standards 27.2 32.0 22.3 9.7 5.8 1.0 1.9 Low Grading Standards Responsive to Change 18.0 37.0 24.0 16.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 Unresponsive to Change Variety of Instructional Methods

29.0 39.0 18.0 12.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 Single Instructional Method

On the whole NSCC courses were favorably rated. Two of the seven statements (High

Grading Standards and Responsive to Change) rated below 60% in the positive rating (columns 1 &

2 combined) categories.

All six questions assessing the quality of NSCC faculty received “High” (columns 1 & 2)

ratings, generating more than a 70% positive response. Five questions generated negative ratings,

(column 6 & 7), of 1.0% or less.

TABLE 13 CAREER GRADUATES PERCEPTION OF THE NSCC FACULTY

HI - - - - - AVERAGE- - - - - LOW

Positive Aspect % 1

% 2

% 3

% 4

% 5

% 6

% 7

Negative Aspect

Fully knowledgeable in field 53.8 26.9 8.7 9.6 0.0 0.0 1.0 Minimally knowledgeable Always available 38.5 26.9 19.2 9.6 4.8 1.0 0.0 Hard to find Easy to talk to 48.5 25.7 13.9 6.9 2.0 1.0 2.0 Hard to talk to Responsive to individual 40.2 30.4 18.6 7.8 2.0 1.0 0.0 Unresponsive to individual Easy to understand 44.7 29.1 20.4 4.9 0.0 0.0 1.0 Hard to understand Enthusiastic 45.6 29.1 18.4 6.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 “Burnt out”

Question 9 provided graduates with an opportunity to indicate those skills/

competencies that they felt were enhanced as a result of attending North Shore. Skills/

competencies receiving greater than a 15% response are listed below in order of

attainment.

COMPETENCY/SKILL % RESPONSE Analyzing and interpreting information 19.6% Working as a team member, exercising leadership, negotiating, etc. 18.7% Problem solving 18.2% Speaking/oral communication 17.1% Acquiring, organizing, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating

information 16.9%

Reasoning 15.5%

24

On a five-point scale, more than two-thirds (71.3% or 301 respondents) of Career graduates

rated their NSCC educational experience Excellent, 26.3% (n=111) Good, 2.1% (n=9) Average, and

0.2% Fair. Thus, 97.6% of the graduates rated their experience at NSCC positively.

Among 413 respondents, 77.2% (n=319) would Definitely Attend NSCC Again if they were to

start college over again. Uncertain were 21.8% (n=90) of the respondents (i.e., Probably Yes,

Uncertain and Probably No). Only four respondents would Definitely Not Choose NSCC again if

they were to start college again.

♦ TRANSFER PROGRAM RESPONSES

Demographic Descriptors

Table 14 indicates that NSCC graduated 151 Transfer students in 7 programs of study in the

Class of 2001. The data shows the following:

• An overall 44.4% response rate was achieved. Six of the seven programs elicited some response from the survey, with response rates ranging from 30.0% to 100%.

• More female Transfer graduates (58.2%) responded than male (41.8%), and the

majority of respondents were Caucasian (88.1%).

• First generation college students constituted more than a quarter of the Transfer respondents (29.9%). By comparison, 2000’s survey indicated almost a third (31.4%) of Transfer respondents were first generation college students.

Educational Aspirations and Plans of 2001 Transfer Graduates

All Transfer graduates were asked to indicate their current enrollment status, academic

preparation and to rate the transfer process. As indicated in Table 15:

• Almost two thirds (63.6%) of respondents are currently studying at another college/ university. 36.4% are not attending any school at all. 52.0% of the graduates not currently attending college indicated that they would continue their education at a later date. 16.0% said they had no intentions of continuing their education.

• A majority (94.2%) of the Transfer respondents felt that NSCC More Than Adequately or

Adequately prepared them for continuing their education. • 80.5% of the respondents transferred to another college/university with little to no problems

in the transfer process. In contrast to 2000 (8.9%), 5.6% of the 2001 graduate respondents indicated that they encountered many setbacks/problems in transferring out of NSCC to their current college, with 13.9% indicating they had moderate setbacks.

In measuring Transfer graduates’ importance/satisfaction levels, Table 16 indicates five of the

twelve items rated higher than 85% in the Somewhat to Very Important category. Only one item

received a considerable importance rating (greater than 75%), and received dissatisfaction ratings

(Somewhat or Completely Dissatisfied) of greater than 10%: Assistance in developing career

and/or transfer plans (18.6%). Two items that registered a strong dissatisfaction rating,

25

Opportunities for workplace experiences (i.e., internships, co-op, apprenticeships, etc.) to

supplement classroom learning and Job Search and Placement Assistance rated low in overall

importance categories, 51.7% and 53.5% respectively.

26

Table 14Demographic Description of the Class of 2001 Transfer Graduate Respondents by Program of Study


# # % # # # # # # # # # # #TRANSFER PROGRAMS

BT Business Transfer 46 31 67% 15 16 0 1 2 2 26 0 3 0 6

CI Computer Information Systems 7 4 57% 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2

CU Computer Science Transfer 2 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

EN Engineering Science 8 4 50% 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 1

GE Pre Engineering 1 1 100% 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

HD Early Childhood Development 10 4 40% 0 4 0 0 2 1 4 0 0 1 1

LA Liberal Arts 77 23 30% 6 17 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 9

TOTALS 151 67 44.4% 28 39 0 1 4 3 59 0 3 1 2041.8% 58.2% 0.0% 1.5% 6.0% 4.5% 88.1% 0.0% 4.5% 1.5% 29.9%

27

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Table 15Educational Status, Plans and Aspirations of the Class of 2001 Transfer Program Graduates

Question Total Transfer Graduates# %

Q15 Are you currently attending school? Yes, Fulltime 28 42.4% Yes, Parttime 14 21.2% No 24 36.4% Total 66 100.0%

Q17 How well did NSCC prepare you for continuingyour education? More than adequately 20 57.1% Adequately 13 37.1% Less than adequately 1 2.9% Not at all 1 2.9% Total 35 100.0%

Q18 When you were preparing to attend anothercollege, how was the transfer process? Smooth sailing, no problems 22 61.1% Some glitches, but overall no problems 7 19.4% Moderate setbacks 5 13.9% Many setbacks/problematic 2 5.6% Total 36 100.0%

Q19 Are you planning to continue your education at alater date? Yes 13 52.0% No 4 16.0%

Undecided 8 32.0% Total 25 100.0%

n:\survey\grads01\internal report/table15.xls 28

LEVELS OF IMPORTANCE LEVELS OF SATISFACTIONNot Not Some- Table 16 Some- Not

Important Very What Very Total Transfer Graduates' Levels of Importance & Satisfaction Total Very what SatisfiedAt All Important Neutral Important Important Responses Survey Question #6 Responses Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied At All0 0 3 1 26 30 a. Quality of instruction IN Major field of study 30 16 11 3 0 0

0.0% 0.0% 10.0% 3.3% 86.7% 53.3% 36.7% 10.0% 0.0% 0.0%

1 1 3 9 15 29 b. Quality of instruction OUTSIDE Major field of study (i.e, electives) 30 11 15 4 0 03.4% 3.4% 10.3% 31.0% 51.7% 36.7% 50.0% 13.3% 0.0% 0.0%

1 1 4 6 17 29 c. Assistance in developing career and/or transfer plans 28 9 8 9 1 13.4% 3.4% 13.8% 20.7% 58.6% 32.1% 28.6% 32.1% 3.6% 3.6%

5 1 8 6 9 29 d. Job search and placement assistance 28 3 4 17 3 117.2% 3.4% 27.6% 20.7% 31.0% 10.7% 14.3% 60.7% 10.7% 3.6%

4 0 9 8 7 28 e. Opportunities for workplace experiences (i.e., internships, 27 3 5 15 2 214.3% 0.0% 32.1% 28.6% 25.0% (co-op, apprenticeships, etc.) to supplement classroom learning 11.1% 18.5% 55.6% 7.4% 7.4%

2 0 0 10 16 28 f. Academic assistance, personal support (i.e., tutoring, 27 12 10 3 1 17.1% 0.0% 0.0% 35.7% 57.1% counseling, etc.) 44.4% 37.0% 11.1% 3.7% 3.7%

0 0 4 4 21 29 g. Acquisition of knowledge and skills transferable to the 29 7 14 7 0 10.0% 0.0% 13.8% 13.8% 72.4% workplace 24.1% 48.3% 24.1% 0.0% 3.4%

4 0 5 3 17 29 h. Availability of financial advice and assistance 27 10 6 10 0 113.8% 0.0% 17.2% 10.3% 58.6% 37.0% 22.2% 37.0% 0.0% 3.7%

0 0 4 6 19 29 i. An environment supportive to confidence and self-esteem 28 10 13 5 0 00.0% 0.0% 13.8% 20.7% 65.5% building 35.7% 46.4% 17.9% 0.0% 0.0%

2 0 5 7 15 29 j. Developing greater knowledge and tolerance for other people 28 10 12 6 0 06.9% 0.0% 17.2% 24.1% 51.7% and ideas 35.7% 42.9% 21.4% 0.0% 0.0%

3 3 1 9 13 29 k. Learning how to manage time more effectively 28 5 13 10 0 010.3% 10.3% 3.4% 31.0% 44.8% 17.9% 46.4% 35.7% 0.0% 0.0%

0 0 1 9 19 29 l. A student-friendly and focused learning environment 28 12 11 5 0 00.0% 0.0% 3.4% 31.0% 65.5% 42.9% 39.3% 17.9% 0.0% 0.0%

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Linear Trend Data: Class of 1997 - 2001

Table 17 provides linear trend data on key highlights of each graduating class 1997 through

2001. The number of graduates has ranged from a low of 694 in 1997 to a high of 790 for the class

of 2000. The overall rate of response (64.8%) increased by 10% from last year (54.2%) and is the

highest since 1998.

More career graduates in the class of 2001 responded than responded in 2000, and the rate

of response to the survey for Career graduates (N= 69.6%) is the highest in three years. More 2001

graduates are employed in a related field (n=79.5%) than reported in the last five years. The

number of career respondents reporting that they are continuing their education (n=26.8%) is down

from a high of 36.4% for the class of 2000, but is nonetheless the second highest rate in five years.

The unemployment rate of 2001 career program graduates (2.0%) in the third lowest since 1997

and is significantly lower than the state average of 4.9% overall. The percentage of graduates who

have chosen not to work or attend school (i.e., not in the labor force) has dropped considerably to

9.0%, down from an all time high of 18.3% in the class of 2000.

Linear trends for the Transfer Graduates show slightly increased percent of respondents for

the class of 2001 (n=44.4%). The number of respondents successfully transferring to another

college/university (n=62.7%) is the lowest in five years.

cg\survey\grads01\internalreport/report text.doc

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TABLE 17Success Rates of Graduates

Linear Trends: Classes of 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2001

CategoryClass of

2001Class of

2000Class of

1999Class of

1998Class of

1997

• Total # Graduates 789 790 669 739 694

• Total Graduate Response Rate 511 428 421 530 44664.8% 54.2% 62.9% 71.7% 64.3%

• Total # CAREER Graduates 638 622 511 579 553

• Total Career Grad Response Rate 444 360 339 429 37669.6% 57.9% 66.3% 74.1% 68.0%

• Total # Working Full or Part time 353 256 247 331 296 In a Related Field (inc. Military) 79.5% 71.1% 72.9% 77.2% 78.7%

• Total # Working Full or Part time 33 23 33 34 22 In a Non-Related Field 7.4% 6.4% 9.7% 7.9% 5.9%

• Total # Continuing Education* 119 131 28 44 3026.8% 36.4% 8.3% 10.3% 8.0%

• Total # Unemployed/Seeking 9 7 15 6 14 Employment 2.0% 1.9% 4.4% 1.4% 3.7%

• Total # Not in the Labor Force 40 66 12 14 139.0% 18.3% 3.5% 3.3% 3.5%

• Total # Unknown 0 0 4 0 10% 0% 1% 0% 0.3%

• Total # TRANSFER Graduates 151 168 158 160 141

• Total Trans. Grad Response Rate 67 70 84 101 6944.4% 41.7% 53.2% 63.1% 48.9%

• Total # Continuing Education 42 47 64 73 49 (based on those providing data) 62.7% 67.1% 76.2% 72.3% 71.0%

* If a graduate responded as being employed in a non-related field AND continuing education , they are reportedas continuing education .

n:excel\survey\grads01\internal report/table17.xls

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Appendices

10 Month Graduate Follow-Up Survey Instrument: Please contact the Office of Planning & Research for a copy of this document

Question 16 Where are you enrolled and what is your program of study?

Question 20: Do you have any additional comments or suggestions regarding your educational experiences at North

Shore?

Question #16: Where are you enrolled and what is your program major? Career Program Responses

Career Program

Graduates

FT

PT

College/University

Major BA X SSC Business Administration BM X Eastern Nazarene Business Management

X Boston University Microsoft Certification BT X Suffolk University Accounting

X SSC Political Science X SSC Marketing/Business X Umass Boston Management/Finance X Lesley University American Studies X Merrimack College Accounting X Umass Boston Marketing X Bentley MSA X SSC Finance X SSC Accounting X Mass. School of Law Corporate Law

CF X SSC Business Marketing CI X University of Central Florida Accounting CJ X Umass Boston Criminal Justice

X Northeastern University Criminal Justice X Westfield State College Criminal Justice X SSC Criminal Justice X SSC Criminal Justice X Umass Criminal Justice X Umass Criminal Justice X Endicott Criminal Justice X SSC Liberal Arts X SSC Criminal Justice

CP X NSCC Computer Prog. & Acct. X Merrimack College Computer Science

DV X Lesley University Human Services EN X Umass Lowell Mechanical Engineering

X Umass Lowell Civil Engineering FC X Northeastern University Paramedic Technology FL X University of New Hampshire Env .Conservation/Wetland

Ecology FS X SSC Fire Science

X Northeastern University Paramedic Technology GE X Merrimack College Civil Engineering HD X Merrimack College English

X SSC Communications Disorder HE X Northeastern University Liberal Arts/Business minor

X SSC Education

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X Lasall College Early Childhood Ed HG X NSCC Gerontology/Human Services HL X Northern Essex Community Coll. Human Services HP X Umass Boston Management/Accounting HP X Mass School of Law Criminal Justice LA X SSC Sociology

X Mass College of Pharmacy Radiological Sciences X SSC Communications/Journalism X Umass Boston Biology X SSC Sociology X SSC Sociology/English X Umass Boston English X Suffolk University Psychology X Umass Boston English/Creative Writing X Umass Boston Undecided X Umass Amherst Early Childhood Ed X NSCC Nursing X Umass Lowell Psychology X SSC Finance X SSC X SSC Psychology X SSC Communications

LB X SSC Environmental Biology MT X Umass Lowell Health Education NE X SSC Nursing

OTX X SSC Occupational Therapy PN X Lesley University

X Northeastern University Nursing X NSCC Nursing X NSCC Nursing

PT X Palmer Institute Massage Therapy RS X Northern Essex Community College RT X Middlesex Community College Ultrasound ST X NSCC Nursing TE X NSCC Dev. Disability Degree WD X NSCC Digital Graphic Design WH X NSCC Business Administration

X NSCC Gerontology WP X NSCC Exec. Admin. Asst. ZCM X NSCC Business

X Endicott College Liberal Arts X NSCC Early Childhood Development X NSCC Early Childhood Development

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Office of Planning & Institutional Research

Graduate Follow-up Survey Comments 2001 BM: Business Management I enjoyed many of my classes and felt many professors had great patience with me. I will always continue to recommend NSCC. BT: Business Transfer Now that I am at Suffolk, I value my time at North Shore even more, because I went to night school and most of the students were adults with families. Suffolk day classes are full of just out of high school young people who are more interested in drinking and socializing than reading and doing homework. I enjoyed being in classes with adults much more. The discussions were better because the students actually DID the reading! I had a wonderful experience at North Shore. I transferred to Salem State and I feel I had a better education at North Shore than the other students who spent their first two years at Salem. I attribute this to the excellent teachers I had at North Shore. I was a little disappointed that some of my classes didn’t transfer, because the schools are supposed to be working together. I didn’t think they worked together very well. If I could have continued my education at NSCC, I would have. Every single person that I came in contact with at NSCC was helpful, supportive, positive, and genuinely concerned with me, my individual needs, and showed interest in my attempts to succeed. I miss my experiences at NSCC. Presently I am a senior at Lesley University, and it doesn’t even slightly compare to NSCC. I have had 4 courses taught by professors teaching the course for the first time! The level of support is minimal and the personalized feeling of commitment to student success is nonexistent. Too bad NSCC doesn’t offer an undergrad education. I would have been there! My overall experience at NSCC was good. Most of the instructors are A+ first rate. They are focused and well prepared. I think more can be done to prepare students for the career transition period. Fortunately I was already experienced in looking for work. But friends of mine at NSCC didn’t have a clue as to how to look, be prepared for (resume, cover letter, etc), the interview process. I think you may offer a service for this, but it isn’t well known. As for myself, I would have liked more assistance on how to get financial aid. I asked questions, but got little help. So consequently, I paid without any help. Last but not least, I just wanted to say that my time spent at NSCC was worthwhile and fulfilling and worth every cent. NSCC, as far as I am concerned, is a very good school. I transferred to Suffolk University upon the completion of my Associate’s Degree. I have just graduated with a GPA of 3.77 in Finance. I am looking forwarding to earning my Master’s Degree in the near future. Keep the standards high. Good job! CF: Culinary Arts & Food Service Came to NSCC as an in-between place. Don’t care for Culinary Arts and am now studying business at Salem State. CI: Computer Information Systems I appreciate the efforts made to schedule as many classes as possible at night. I think the typing proficiency exam is a waste of time and resources. The instructors, without exception, were dedicated professionals.

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CJ: Criminal Justice I am now a big advocate of NSCC. I tell everyone who is thinking about going back to school to attend. Now that I’ve graduated, I really miss it. I loved attending North Shore. I do not believe the staff are helpful when veterans are registering for classes. Every semester that I (a veteran) tried to register for class I was always being given the run around. Being that I also had a full time job, that didn’t help much either. I would suggest coming up with a system where a veteran can register at any campus. That also played a major role in my complaint. In Lynn, I was told I had to go to Danvers to register and in Danvers I was told I had to go to Lynn. Overall, I am satisfied with my experience at NSCC. North Shore gave me a chance when I didn’t think I had one. CO: Computer Applications I found the once a week 3 hours cram classes were very difficult and sometimes unfair. Those courses taken at night or during summer did not have easy access to teachers always. Thus making it harder to bounce questions off of them. I wish I had the time and knew the exact words that would enable me to express my gratitude for the kind of help that I received at North Shore Community College. My experience at North Shore is one that I shall always share with others as long as I live. In addition, please allow me to say that I am very proud for the short period of time that I had to work in the computer lab. It’s not a dream, it’s real. Please accept my sincere gratitude and tell me how to pay back for some of what NSCC did for me! Thank you very much! CP: Computer Programming I like the learning and working environment at NSCC. It provides perfect opportunities for education, work and self-advancement. DD: Developmental Disabilities I really enjoyed the atmosphere at NSCC. Many of my classes were at the Beverly campus. The faculty and staff were very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. It was a great learning environment. WIT program is great. I had a learning disability, but had a wonderful time at NSCC. I had a difficult time at another college. DL: Dual Diagnosis Human Services Certificate Pay in Human Services is disappointing. Work conditions questionable. Also, to be certified in Substance Abuse seems to be extensive for what you will receive in remuneration. Pupils should be made aware of obstacles. NSCC: found dedicated teachers. Students were friendly but a great range of intellectual acumen. Actually am retired. Do volunteer work in a faith ministry. Have a BA degree. Needed to make a change of career, which required updating my academic learning, etc. DT: Nutritional Sciences and Diet Technology I am a 45 year old evening student. I have been working at my current job for over 25 years. I think your surveys should address this issue. I acquired my degree so that I will have something to do during my retired years.

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DV: Developmental Disabilities Caseworker (Cert) Push writing skills in all majors. This is not focused on enough. EN: Engineering Science NSCC Professor _________ (Engineering) is still #1 on my list of professors. I was enrolled in the Engineering Transfer program and had an excellent experience at NSCC. The faculty in the math/science and engineering departments are excellent, particularly ______. I cannot say enough about _____ as a professor and a person. To start out at NSCC is an excellent way to begin a college experience. I am somewhat saddened to see that the engineering program and classes offered are shrinking. FL: Floriculture I hope that NSCC continues with the Essex Aggie programs. It would be a shame to see them fall by the wayside as agricultural and horticultural training is and will always be an important aspect, now and in the future. My experience at the Aggie Division has been outstanding in all aspects. The facility and courses prepared me for employment in my current field. The faculty gave me encouragement to continue my education at UNH. Thank you to everyone in the Horticultural Department. It was an experience I will always remember and treasure. FS: Fire Science Degree As a student of 50+ years, I thought the whole experience was great. The instructors were all able to pass on their enthusiasm and excitement about their fields of knowledge. I wish as a high schooler I had teachers such as these, always reinforcing and supportive of me. But that is in the past. Good luck and keep up the good job. GR: Digital Graphic Design Certificate Overall my instructors were very good, but there were several that added very little to my educational process. I feel instructors should be supervised more closely. Also, if a particular instructor gets a bad rating from the majority of the students taking the course, why are they allowed to continue teaching at the college? If you ask for student opinions, then what happens to the results? We’re the ones paying for the education, and I feel like I got “ripped off” because of a few unworthy instructors who failed at their jobs. HA: Drug and Alcohol Rehab I just really would like to say I loved coming to NSCC. I felt very comfortable. It was like a 2nd home. Teachers in Substance Abuse classes were awesome, very patient and understanding. Criminal Justice classes with _____ were absolutely amazing, and Pharmacology was a blessing. I have had to use things we learned in that class on the job, at home, and on the streets. Thank you NSCC for a wonderful experience. HD: Early Childhood Development My experience at NSCC was wonderful. In fact, I want to come back to obtain another degree/certificate. HE: Early Childhood Education My experience at NSCC was great! If they had a bachelor’s degree program, I would definitely attend.

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I enjoyed my time at NSCC and I feel it was a great learning experience. I was enrolled in the early childhood program. ______ was fantastic! I learned a lot from her and was prepared for the workforce overly! She was honest and fair and I respect that in a professor. I also enjoyed having ____ as a professor. I learned a lot from her as well. I had many great professors while at NSCC. The only department I had a problem with was Financial Aid. They were very rude, especially in the Lynn office. They were unhelpful. When I entered NSCC’s EC program, I had been a stay at home mother for 10 years. I felt unsure and inadequate in regards to pursuing work outside of my home experience. Going back to school after so many years, I was excited about new goals and yet frightened of failing again. This time around, I took school very seriously. I found the EC program to be extremely informative and up to date on new and interesting ideas about child development and teaching. I am confident in the knowledge I have gained and often find myself much more prepared and informed than my coworkers. I have also learned to appreciate and respect people of many different cultures and backgrounds. I think ________ and her team are awesome! I was disappointed with the recent letter in the paper written by the President of NSCC. I feel his comments were somewhat degrading. I realize it is only a community college, but the education I have received here is first rate. I have taken college courses at another university in the past, but I did not find them anymore challenging. NSCC may be a wonderful place for students with language or learning difficulties and blue collar workers, but it should not be implied it is not good enough for intelligent middle class students. HG: Gerontology Certificate Some of my teachers/educators should not have been able to teach at NSCC, they did not have the background I would have chosen for them to be worthy of the excellent teachings that are of utmost importance for educating a student. Nutrition and Body Health and Disease Courses. HL: Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate The teacher was fabulous! Almost quit at one time and he helped me to believe in myself and what I was doing. HP: Paralegal Studies First, the professors in my major field of study are a tremendous asset to North Shore Community College. They were always helpful, attentive to personal and education needs. In addition, the professors in my major field of study were challenging, which is the reason why I have been successful professionally. Second, I would suggest that the professors have their schedules posted on the school’s web site. Having the schedules posted on the web site would make it easier for students and alumni to know when they can contact a professor if there is a personal or educational issue. I did not have a good experience when I first attending college out of high school 16 years ago and decided to work instead. When the opportunity to attend NSCC full time, after taking 1-2 night courses, came about I did not hesitate. The experience was a good one and it motivated me to continue on to obtain a 4 year degree. NSCC is a good transition for those who are undecided in a major or a career path. I would recommend NSCC. My educational experiences were top notch. I was an older student (64) and my peers were so nice to me. They treated me the same as they treated others more their age. My professors were all excellent teachers and were all willing to give you all the help you needed. Classes were fun and interesting. There was only one course I regretted taking, and it was an elective course. This professor did not teach, it was a sink or swim class. LA: Liberal Arts I think North Shore is a great school and I felt really supported and encouraged there.

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I felt my academic advisor was extremely helpful. I also felt that ______ in the financial aid office was helpful as well. The only problems I had with NSCC were minor scheduling inconveniences. Other than that, my experience was excellent. Professor _______ is an extraordinary man. He actually made my graduation possible after the dean would not write off one of my courses. Professor _______ deserves all of the utmost respect as both a faculty member and also a human in general. He is an unbelievable and remarkable man – North Shore would be at an incredible loss without him. My experience at NSCC was a positive spring board into higher education. I think NSCC is the best decision I’ve ever made. I am now in my final semester at Umass Boston, anticipating a BA in English. My decision to attend NSCC was, up to this point in my life, the best decision I have made in my life. The receipt of my degree has done more for me financially, emotionally, and mentally to me and my family and friends alike. I truly feel my status in this world has improved dramatically. I very much enjoyed and benefited from my experience at NSCC. I found most of my instructors to be knowledgeable, interesting, and friendly. There was one area that I thought could use some more attention: enforcing discipline and respect in the classroom. On many occasions I found myself in an uncomfortable and even hostile environment due to groups of younger “rowdier” students who take classes together, and basically do nothing but crack jokes, make rude comments, and berate other students and/or the instructor. It was strange and uncomfortable to be a woman in my mid twenties being in situations similar to high school. The hostility of some of the younger students made me hesitant to participate in class for fear of being singled out and insulted by the younger, less mannered students, which was a shame, because it make the experience less enjoyable for me. It would be nice if NSCC became a four year school offering BA and BS degrees. I feel more confident as a student because of my experience at NSCC. The faculty were always extremely supportive of me and my goals. I am grateful to have met such enthusiastic professionals. The only problem that I experienced during my three years at NSCC was the incompetency of some of the staff working in the financial aid office. I found them to be very unhelpful and not really aware of what they were doing. Despite that, the rest of my experience at NSCC was excellent and very enjoyable. As an adult learner returning to college in my fifties to earn my first college degree, I found the faculty and environment very supportive. The math tutoring, especially, was a great help to me. The diversity in the classroom was an education in itself. NSCC is a wonderful asset to the North Shore community. I believe anyone who really wants and education in this state can get one if they are willing to work. I’d like to thank all of you who work so hard and are paid so little for helping me to earn something I have always desired. One of the best experiences. Kids feel ashamed of going to NSCC, but once they realize what NSCC can do for you and how well you succeed, later all that stigma goes away. ____ and all the people in Student Support are wonderful. They gave me a real boost in life and made me believe in myself. Salem State did not accept all my courses. Needed to take more there. I was in the Joint Admissions program and then needed four extra classes at Umass Lowell. My advisors did not look at the college requirement of Umass while advising me, only the classes I needed to get my

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associates. If I had taken one more math class at NSCC, I would not have needed those 4 classes at Umass. MC: Medical Assisting Certificate My educational experience at NSCC was very rewarding. It prepared me for a career as a medical assistant. The MC program gave me the knowledge and confidence to pursue my goals. The MC staff was always available and very supportive. I really enjoyed my experience at NSCC. I was enrolled in your Medical Assistant Program. though I found it to be a wonderful program, now that I am working in the field, I almost wish I went to a clinical based program. For example, Bryman. I do realize that your program covers all aspects of medical assisting, which is good, but I think because my clinical externship was so poor, I got very upset with the whole thing. I asked to be switched, but they wouldn’t let me. It was a total waste of 160 hours. I wish I had more hands on experience in school and in my externship. Because of my age and my time as a working mom, I wish I could have concentrated more on the things I needed to really learn. If I had known any better when I entered NSCC, I would have tried to get into nursing instead of Medical Assisting. I wish I talked to someone who took the course. I don’t know if I will get the opportunity to go back. I tried to get into 2 different programs this year, and they were both closed. I really think you have some wonderful teachers, although the pharmacology class was horrible. I am grateful for the opportunity to go back to school at my age, and I hope to be back. I absolutely admired all of my professors and gained a great deal from them. The things I gained at NSCC affected me both professionally and in the world. Aside from performing a job, they were paid to do, several of my professors reached out to me when I was struggling through a very difficult time in my life, and made certain that I not only completed my education, but that I actually learned what I was there to learn. If not for them, I may have given up on my education and let my personal life destroy any chances I had at a future. MT: Medical Office Support Certificate I have had some great instructors, such as ____ for speech class, ____ for several medical office classes, including medical terminology and keyboarding among other courses. The Business Communications class with ______ was also very enlightening. Those courses were very useful, practical, and a great foundation for my current endeavors. I really appreciated how my instructors took the time to explain things with me one on one when I needed it. I had a great experience at NSCC and I am pleased and proud I had my start there. NE: Nurse Education Enjoyed attending NSCC. Staff was very helpful with my needs. Keep up the good work. Please note, I had a job lined up well before I graduated, I just changed status -- counselor to nurse -- that is why my job search was no problem. I thought the nursing program and its faculty were outstanding! It allowed the adult learner the flexibility needed to organize work, family, and other commitments. The faculty knowledge and experience was so valuable to our learning. I recommend NSCC’s Nurse Education program often. The tuition was reasonable and affordable. Many scholarship opportunities were available. The support staff and supplies in our skills lab were also fantastic. What more can I say? First Class education at low cost. Danvers campus clean, bright, good atmosphere to learn. _____ available, helpful, supportive, helped me find the job of my dreams. Very prepared for nursing boards. Math tutoring very helpful upon admission. A 38 year old coming back to school received help on sharpening old skills. Thank you.

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As an older adult going to college for the first time, I was looking for a lot of answers to different questions. I found most of NSCC’s staff to be very helpful. When appointed an advisor I thought this would be very helpful. Much to my surprise, after just one meeting with her, i left her office with my jaw hitting the floor and very discouraged. I went to my advisor in search of unanswered questions, instead she threw more unanswered questions my way. Fortunately, I met an NSCC student that had an excellent advisor with great advice. At that point I decided I would never go to my advisor again and became determined to get answers on my own. Once in the nursing program I got the support I needed and was looking for. Please let your advisors know that their advice could make or break a student’s success, goal at NSCC. I will never forget the last words my advisor asked me. “What kind of job do you think you’ll be able to get with a nursing degree?” Believe me when I tell you this statement was said in a very negative manner. Back then (7 years ago) I didn’t know the answer to that question. I just knew I wanted to be a nurse. Today I could give her a list of job opportunities that have been available to me. I’m glad I continued to follow my heart and not her negative words. We definitely need more clinical experience in the nursing program. The program is so fast paced and intense it should be extended to 3 years, to include more classroom and clinical instruction. Overall the program was good and I have a great job in a profession I love. LPN to RN transition needs to become more in depth. The program should be more involved over a longer span of time – not crammed into a few days. Computer teaching needed to develop LPN skills. Preparation for the State Boards needs to be more developed into the program, not just the last few weeks of school. Instructors need to be more available for individuals that are having trouble, not so critical of mistakes, more understanding and less stressed out. I had a great experience and I am very pleased to have achieved my goals with NSCC assistance. Yes, in the first year of the Nurse Education program you are required to do a pediatric rotation for clinical purposes. The pediatric clinical settings are either hospital or community health based. I believe that students who have a desire to work with pediatric patients in a hospital setting should be offered that clinical setting ahead of those students who have no desire to work in pediatrics after graduation. I had full intentions of becoming a Pedi-2 nurse at Beverly Hospital. I feel that although I did learn at Lynn Community Health Center (Pedi Dept), the more acute setting of a hospital would have benefited my career choice. In having spoken with other classmates who did not have any desire to pursue a pediatric career in nursing, they stated that they in fact would have preferred a community based health setting instead of an acute setting. OT: Occupational Therapy Assistant Not very happy with my experience. Really did not prepare me for my work as an activities director. OTX: Occupational Therapy Assistant Accelerated The professors that taught the OTX program were in tune to me personally and helped me develop confidence to work in the field. I attended the excellent OTX program at NSCC. Prior to beginning the program, the school had arranged sessions with faculty and some graduates to discuss the program. Although the magnitude of the course load was discussed, I feel I was not given an accurate description of how intense the program was. If the accelerated program is still offered, I think the intensity of the program should be stressed to those apply-ing to the program. I think NSCC offers an excellent OTA program. I feel the faculty is well educated and very enthusiastic about the field. I feel I obtained the necessary knowledge needed to excel at my job as a COTA. My major concern is that the applying students are aware of the program’s intensity. PN: Practical Nursing Certificate I took two courses after receiving my certificate in Practical Nursing. I withdrew from both due to very

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poor classroom quality of instruction. I am still in dispute with the college regarding the withdrawal of the second course held at the Lynn campus. It was awful. We discussed what we did all day at work and told jokes – nothing was taught. I received an “F” when in fact I WITHDREW. I will NOT return to NSCC in the future. There were times when I felt so good about myself that I stopped and called _______ to tell her I knew what to do when the time counted. PT: Physical Therapist Assistant North Shore preparatory classes for life and education helped out a lot with my future in my career. I wanted to thank you for everything. RT: Radiologic Technology I enjoyed my experience at NSCC. My instructors in my program were wonderful. They knew their jobs well and knew how to teach so we would understand. They were great instructors. I graduated knowing just about everything I needed to know in my field and enough to further my education in another. ST: Surgical Technology The hospitals make the program. Winchester and Mt. Auburn were great. Lawrence General was not prepared to train students. TC: Technical Writing Going to NSCC was my first college experience (I was in the navy for 12 years prior). I was extremely satisfied with my two years at NSCC. I received a certificate in Technical Writing. Professor _____ was outstanding. I found the entire staff to be very helpful. I currently live in Maryland, or I would continue to take classes at NSCC. Keep up the excellent work that you do at NSCC. TTN: Telecommunications Tech. Nynex Some of these questions were irrelevant as I was enrolled in a company-sponsored program (NEXT STEP). I have had an opportunity to discuss and compare what I was taught at NSCC, and others were taught in other schools. My experience was obviously superior to theirs in every instance. WH: Wellness & Health Arts Classes are not very challenging. Also many professors are not very good teachers. I could have learned as much by home-studying without instruction. Having the proper qualifications doesn’t always mean someone can teach. In the Wellness and Healing Arts Certificate program, I was very impressed with the knowledge the instructors had, and their willingness to share their skills. Students were from a broad background and we all learned from each other. The Health Wellness and Healing Art program was a life changing experience for me and I hope for mankind. You continue to support such a much needed service program. One of a kind. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can’t express enough my appreciation for NSCC. You made my goal of receiving a degree become a reality. I have worked hard, but the college has worked hard for me. The faculty, financial assistance and students have made my last 3 years memorable. Thank you.

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WP: Office Support Certificate I came to North Shore as an older returning student. I have a degree in education but wanted to learn office skills for a change. I did not feel out of place at school. Everything was there to help me be successful. I had the feeling that North Shore and its teachers really wanted me to succeed. I only had one teacher that I felt was below standard. ZCM: Cosmetology The North Shore CC will be making a terrible mistake if they pursue closing the cosmetology program. It is the #1 school for cosmo – the teachers are #1 and the people/teachers/students deserve the opportunity to experience this program. I received excellent training in the Cosmetology Program. One suggestion I would have to you is a better cosmetology department. Meaning better equipment and larger classroom areas. Other than that, it’s a great place. Very well known also. thank you.

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NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S Graduating Class of...

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