Two studies commissioned by CIC reveal that private colleges and universities tend to offer a college environment where students are likely to be engaged in the kinds of activities that promote learning. They also demonstrate that alumni of private institutions are likely to say that their college experience prepared them for being active and engaged citizens who are conscious of the world around them and have the skills to contribute to a global society, among other things.
     The studies document the value of a private college education in terms of the scope and quality of the education students received during college, as well as the lasting effects of the education. The initial results of the studies were released and discussed during the Presidents Institute in January. CIC will be using the data as part of its “Making the Case” initiative, to help support messages on the effectiveness of private colleges and universities.
     CIC asked George Kuh, director of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Indiana University, to aggregate his current data on the quality of education students receive during college and to make comparisons of public and private institutions. And Jim Day, a principal with Hardwick~Day, Inc., a higher education research firm, conducted the Alumni Outcomes Study for CIC. He has collected information that measures the long-term effects of a college education, up to 33 years after graduation. CIC asked Day to compare the experiences
of students at public and private colleges and universities.
     “NSSE and the Alumni Outcomes Study are highly regarded studies that use sound research methods based on current understanding of the college-going experience,” said Michelle Gilliard, CIC vice president for planning and evaluation. “Both studies
are deepening our understanding of the private college experience and are beginning to provide the kind of empirical data we’ve long sought. While the studies are relatively new, the analyses were based on thousands of student and alumni responses. When necessary, the databases were expanded to ensure that the comparisons are nationally representative of the two sectors of American higher education,” Gilliard added.

NSSE Study
     NSSE measures the extent to which students are engaged in educational practices that correlate with high levels of learning. The analysis CIC commissioned included survey responses from more than 171,631 students (first-year and senior) at 650 four-year colleges and universities during the 2001-2003 survey administrations. Fifty-six percent, or 367 of those institutions are private. The survey measures two things: 1) what students do—that is, the time and energy they devote to educationally purposeful activities, and 2) what institutions do—that is, the kinds of educational practices faculty and staff use to induce students to engage in activities that promote learning.
     NSSE has created five benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice to represent the multi-dimensional nature of student engagement:

Sample Findings
     The chart below contains a few sample findings from the NSSE analysis that illustrate the level of engagement among students at private and public institutions. While students in both sectors tend to be engaged in their learning, the level of engagement
varies for different types of institutions. Importantly, these differences are statistically significant. In addition, the findings suggest that throughout a student’s career, from first year to senior year, those enrolled in private institutions tend to be more engaged in their
learning than their peers at public institutions.
     Click here to view an enlarged PDF version of the above chart. (In order to view properly, the
             minimum software requirement is version 4.0. Adobe Acrobat, available for free from the Adobe Web site.)

The Alumni Outcomes Study
     This study is organized around key factors identified by education researchers Alexander Astin, Ernest Pascarella, and Patrick Terenzini as critical to educational effectiveness. Specifically, the survey examines those elements of the college environment that contribute to students’ positive outcomes:

     This study was undertaken to assess learning effects, interviewing alumni of each class from five to 33 years after graduation. The survey was conducted by telephone among people from the 1970-1998 graduating classes of four-year institutions. The survey includes interviews with over 1,900 alumni drawn from more than 900 public and private institutions. Alumni of 34 percent of the institutions graduated from private institutions.

Sample Findings
     The findings (see below) suggest different effects a college experience has on one’s adult life, depending on the type of institution the person attended. On several measures, it seems that smaller, private institutions are achieving greater success in their efforts to provide a high-quality education whose lasting value is appreciated years after graduation.

	Findings From Hardwick~Day Alumni Survey
	•  Independent college alumni were more likely than public university alumni to have graduated in four years or less—72 percent versus 52 percent. •  Independent college alumni were more likely than public university graduates to say they felt better prepared for life after college— 42 percent versus 32 percent. •  Fifty-six percent of alumni of independent colleges and universities said they benefited very much from personal interaction with professors, versus 24 percent of alumni of public universities. •  Fifty-four percent of independent college alumni said they benefited very much from high-quality, teaching-oriented faculty, versus 30 percent from public university alumni. •  Seventy-two percent of alumni of independent colleges and universities said their professors often challenged them academically and personally helped them meet those challenges, compared with 52 percent of public university alumni. •  Sixty-two percent of alumni of independent colleges and universities said they benefited very much from many small classes with fewer than 20 students, versus 15 percent of public university alumni. •  Independent college alumni were more likely than public university graduates to participate in international study or another off-campus study experience— 42 percent versus 27 percent. Note: Click here for complete findings presented by Jim Day during the 2004 Presidents Institute.