Constituency Research Survey marks turning point for Rutgers
Archived article from Oct 18, 2004
By Ashanti M. Alvarez
Most people in New Jersey have a favorable view of Rutgers, but they aren’t certain of exactly why. That is one of the significant findings of a groundbreaking survey of how Rutgers is perceived by a broad range of New Jersey constituencies in and outside the university. It suggests that the university needs to do a better job of communicating its strengths to internal and external audiences.
More than two-thirds of New Jersey residents and business leaders surveyed give Rutgers high marks for the quality of its teaching, academic programs and professional schools and believe that providing a quality education is Rutgers’ most important mission. But fewer than 10 percent of these groups accord the same importance to having faculty do research at the state’s largest research university.
“That’s a big challenge,” said Kim Manning-Lewis, vice president of university relations. “Rutgers is New Jersey’s only comprehensive public research university. If New Jerseyans don’t understand our value how can we get them to support our programs and, ultimately, our funding? How can we make the case?”
The statewide survey of approximately 8,000 people, including residents and business leaders as well as Rutgers students, faculty, staff and alumni, found that 68 to 96 percent of the external constituents believe that New Jersey is a good place to get a college education. They also believe that higher education is adequately funded by the state. The majority of residents (70 percent) and business leaders (75 percent) said that New Jersey ranks near the top or middle in state support in support for higher education, compared to 45 percent of faculty and 61 percent of staff who consider state funding adequate.
In addition, 77 percent of alumni, 66 percent of staff and 80 percent of college advisers at high schools said they were “very likely” to recommend Rutgers. But only 39 percent of New Jersey high school students and 38 percent of Rutgers faculty described themselves as “very likely” to do so.
“This survey reveals how much work we need to do to understand the nature of faculty and student reservations," said Barry Qualls, dean of humanities for the New Brunswick/Piscataway Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "If 38% of our faculty is not recommending Rutgers, this is troubling because it seems to indicate doubts about how effective the education we are offering really is. Amidst the wonderful resources we have here, how we get prospective students to appreciate the values of a research university and how we get faculty to support energetically our recruitment work must be major concerns."
The New York-based global research firm Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI) conducted the survey earlier this year to help the university better understand the expectations of its constituencies and how Rutgers is perceived. The original intent was to gather data that would assist Rutgers in improving communication. But the study turned up some operational deficiencies that cannot be addressed with better communication. An operational issue is one that will take work, money and policy to address, such as students’ inability to get courses of their choice or the overall quality of dormitories. A communications issue requires a coordinated campaign to change public perception, such as the low level of awareness of Rutgers as a leading research university.
“There are some things that one can fix with marketing, perhaps,” said Chemistry Professor and University Senate Chair Martha Cotter, a member of the communications advisory committee. (The committee, formed by the president last year, includes faculty, students and administrators.) “But the fact that the dormitories are falling apart -- you can’t fix that with propaganda,” Cotter added. “You’ve got to fix the dormitories.”
President Richard L. McCormick said the study results will be thoroughly analyzed and widely shared as a road map for improvements. “The results of this survey will not sit on a shelf,” McCormick said. “I have asked members of my cabinet to respond to both the operational issues and communication components.”
continued...
Page 1 of 2
Next >
Return to the Oct 18, 2004 issue
|
