Postgraduate Outcomes of College Students New Directions for Institutional Research, Number 169

• the internal and external demands for these data,
• the strengths and challenges of their data, and
• how to best communicate these data to various constituents.

Mary Ann Coughlin is the associate vice president for academic affairs at Springfield College.

Heather A. Kelly is the director of institutional research at the University of Delaware.

Allison M. Walters is the assistant director of institutional research at the University of Delaware.

1. Postgraduate Outcomes in American Higher Education 11
Mary Ann Coughlin, Jerold S. Laguilles, Heather A. Kelly, Allison M. Walters

Institutions of higher education are under increased scrutiny from all stakeholders to define the value of the credentials they award. National efforts such as the College Scorecard are discussed, along with the challenges of defining and collecting first-destination outcomes.

2. Collecting and Using Postgraduate Outcomes Data at a Private College 25
Jerold S. Laguilles

This chapter describes how a private college has improved its postgraduate data-collection efforts and results based on the recommended First-Destination Survey standards of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Data results are utilized at the institutional and program level, and interpreted based on the institutional context.

3. First-Destination Outcomes at a Public Research University: Aligning Our Survey With a Set of Standards 37
Heather A. Kelly, Allison M. Walters

Building on its long history of collecting postgraduate outcomes, a public research university decided to adopt theNational Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) First-Destination Survey standards. This chapter presents the enhanced survey and knowledge rate efforts along with survey results compared with NACE benchmarks.

4. So Much More Than Salary: Outcomes Research in the Liberal Arts 51
Cate Rowen

Liberal arts colleges must define their own college value proposition within the mission of a liberal education. This chapter draws on case studies from four institutions and reflects on the inherent challenges of interjecting the complex values of the liberal arts into a national discussion focused on the financial bottom line.

5. Community Colleges: Preparing Students for Diverse Careers 61
Lou A. Guthrie

Community colleges serve students with a variety of educational and career goals, and it is challenging tomeasure and demonstrate their successful outcomes. This chapter reviews community colleges’ measures of success, including transfer activities, and strategies for effectively communicating outcomes data to stakeholders.

6. Leading Gainful Employment Metric Reporting 73
Kristina Powers, Derek MacPherson

U.S. Department of Education Gainful Employment reporting requirements should be examined by institutional researchers. This chapter recommends why and how institutional research should lead an institution’s collaborative reporting efforts on gainful employment.

7. Using State Workforce Data to Examine Postgraduation Outcomes 87
David R. Troutman, Jessica M. Shedd

State workforce data offer the opportunity to move beyond selfreported survey data when examining postcollegiate outcomes. This chapter provides an introduction to state workforce data, specifically unemployment insurance (UI) wage records, and their strengths and limitations for informing postgraduate outcomes.

INDEX 103

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