I 71-18,208 GESSNER, Quentin Henry, 1924A STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF AN INTER-UNIVERSITY REGIONAL CENTER AS HELD BY ALUMNI OF THE PARTICIPATING MICHIGAN UNIVERSITIES. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1970 Education, adult U n iv e rs ity M ic ro film s , A XEROX C o m p an y , A n n A rb o r, M ic h ig a n A STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF AN INTER-UNIVERSITY REGIONAL CENTER HELD BY ALUMNI OF THE PARTICIPATING MICHIGAN UNIVERSITIES By Quentin Henry Gessner A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Administration and Higher Education 1970 ABSTRACT A STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF AN INTER-UNIVERSITY REGIONAL CENTER AS HELD BY ALUMNI OF THE PARTICIPATING MICHIGAN UNIVERSITIES By Quentin H. Gessner Purpose of the Study The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the per­ ceptions college alumni have of a continuing education regional center as related to factors influencing their perceptions; namely, experience and need. Experience and need were investigated in terms of the college experience of alumni, their Center participation, and their perceived educational needs. A secondary purpose was to compare the perceptions of the regional center held by college alumni on the basis of alumni from the three in­ stitutions involved in the study. This study used a systematic random sample drawn from a restricted universe. The universe of possible respondents was defined as college alumni of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan living in four selected counties in Southwestern Michigan, i.e., Kent, Ionia, Allegan and Ottawa. A questionnaire was selected as the most feasible method of obtaining alumni perceptions of a regional center. Responses received from 438 college alumni produced information relative to their perceptions of the inter-university regional center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Major Conclusions 1. Essentially, college alumni of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan don't know what is being offered by the regional center. 2. For college alumni to know what is being offered by the regional center, it is important that they have participated in Center programs 3. College alumni of the three universities know more about related activities offered by the Center than either credit or non-credit programs. 4. To determine the perceptions college alumni have of a regional center, one must be concerned with the age of college alumni, the school they attended and their sex. 5. Alumni perceptions of intent to participate are related to their undergraduate major and time elasped since last degree. 6. Recency of Center experience was an important factor in alumni per­ ceptions of the center. 7. Alumni indicated a strong interest in participating in conference activities. 8. Past Center participation by college alumni is the factor most positively related to alumni oerceptions of the regional center. Perceived educational needs of college alumni for academic credit programs, home and family living programs, and professional growth programs are significant factors in alumni perceptions. Recommendations The three universities sponsoring the regional center should assume a greater responsibility in meeting the continuing educational needs of alumni as determined by this study. For alumni to know more about the Center and its functions, It is necessary for the Center to have more alumni participate in its pro­ grams . Since admissions and counseling and information services were related factors in alumni perceptions of the Center, it is recommended these activities be utilized as major foci to implement recommendation number one. There is a need for an expanded program of credit offerings in educa­ tion, business administration, social work, liberal arts, and natural resources. More extensive offerings of non-credit programs are recommended In the following areas: hianan relations; local, state, and national affairs, creative arts, aging, community development, education, con­ tinuing education for women, natural resources, and social, economic and political Issues. Perceived educational needs by alumni indicate greater emphasis should be placed on professional growth programs. In view of the popularity of conferences as a function of the regional center, it is suggested this type of short-term learning experience be expanded. Since last degree relates to alumni perceptions of non-credit programs, it is suggested recent graduates particularly be informed of non­ credit programs conducted by the Center. Since recency of Center experience was significant in alumni per­ ceptions of intent to participate in Center programs this suggests frequent communication between the Center and recent participants is desirable. ACKNOWLEDGMENT S It is extremely difficult, through a brief acknowledgment, to express gratitude to all who have given so generously of their time and have provided continuous encouragement and leadership. The completion of the requirements for an advanced degree is possible only through the extra efforts and consideration of many people, of whom I am recognizing only a few. The author is indebted to Dr. Max Raines and Dr. David Ralph who served as members of his doctoral committee. Special acknowledgment and appreciation is due to Professor Russell Kleis who encouraged the writer to complete his graduate studies and also served on his doctoral com­ mittee. I am also most appreciative of the constructive guidance and sincere personal encouragement provided by Dr. Floyd Parker, who served as chairman of my doctoral coimnittee. I am particularly grateful to those persons from Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan who supported this study, both financially and through personal interest. These included Dr. Armand Hunter, Dr. Louis A. Doyle, Dr. Elmer Anttonen an Mr. Jack Kenney of Michigan State University; Dr. Leo Stein, Mr. Barrett Vorce and Mr. John Lore of Western Michigan University; Dr. Everett J. Soop, Dr. Alfred W. Storey, Mr. Geoffrey Smith, and Mr. Robert Foreman of the University of Michigan. In addition, Mr. William Schmalgemeier of the University of Michigan provided invaluable assistance and gave freely W / iii t of his time in the preparation of the data for computer analysis. A special thanks to my parents and particularly to my Father, Henry Gessner for his confidence in me and to whom I am indebted for much of the determination so necessary to complete a doctoral disserta­ tion. Finally, my sincerest love and appreciation to my wife, Doris, for her assistance in preparing the manuscript, and to my children, Helen, LuAnn, Thomas and Christine, all of whom sacrificed many personal pleasures of the things we normally share together and who provided me with the understanding and encouragement needed to complete this effort. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ACKNOWLED G E M E N T S ............................................. iii LIST OF T A B L E S ............................................... vii LIST OF A P P E N D I C E S ..................... X CHAPTER I. II. III. ....................................... 1 Statement of P u r p o s e .............................. Assumptions ......................................... Significance of the S t u d y .......................... Definition of T e r m s ................................ Limitations of the S t u d y .......................... Organization of the S t u d y .......................... 8 9 10 12 13 13 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 15 INTRODUCTION ...................... Extension Education ................................ Alumni Education ................................... Theoretical Bases of Perception ................... Transactional Theory .............................. ..................................... Gestalt Theory ............................ Directive-State Theory Areas of A g r e e m e n t ................................ Selected Factors Related to Perception ........... Experience, Need, Participation and Adult Education Participants ............................ Experience and Adult Education Participants . . . . Participation and Adult Education Participants . . Need and Adult Education Participation ........... Summary of Related Literature ............... . . . 41 42 45 55 62 RESEARCH D E S I G N ..................................... 64 Introduction ....................................... S a m p l e ............................................. Instrumentation ..................................... Study Q u e s t i o n s ..................................... Data Collection Procedures ........................ Methods of A n a l y s i s ................................ 64 64 65 69 71 73 v 16 23 32 35 36 37 38 39 CHAPTER PAGE IV. ANALYSIS OF F I N D I N G S ........................ Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents by i n s t i t u t i o n ..................................... College Experience of Alumni by Institution . . . . Center Participation of Respondents by Institution . Perceived Educational Needs of Alumni by I n s t i t u t i o n ......................................... Alumni Perceptions of Credit Programs ............. Alumni Perceptions of Non-Credit Programs ......... Alumni Perceptions of Related Activities ........... Statistical Analysis of D a t a ....................... V. SUMMARY OF Conclusions 76 76 81 86 91 94 109 121 134 .................. 162 Conclusions Related to the Sixteen Operational Questions for the S t u d y ............................ General Conclusions ................................ R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s ..................................... Implications for Further Research ................. Concluding Statement ................................ 163 167 169 172 173 .................................................. 174 A P P E N D I C E S .................................................... 180 BIBLIOGRAPHY Vi LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1- Survey Population and Sample............................. 73 2. Age Distribution of Respondents by Institution.. . . . 78 3. Sex Distribution of Respondents by Institution......... 79 4. Marital Status of Respondents by Institution........... 80 5. Income Level of Respondents by Institution.............. 82 6. Occupation or Profession of Respondents by Institution. 83 7. Educational Degrees Attained by Respondents by Institution............................................. 85 Time Elapsed Since Respondents Last Degree by Institution............................................. 87 9. Center Participation by Respondents by Institution. . . 88 10. Types of Respondents' Center Experiences by Institution............................................. 89 Recency of Respondents* Center Experiences by Institution............................................. 90 Number of Programs Participated in by Respondents by Institution............................................. 92 13. Respondents Perceived Educational Needs by Institution. 93 14. Total Alumni Perceptions of Credit Programs ........... 96 15. University of Michigan Alumni Perceptions of Credit Programs......................................... 98 Michigan State University Alumni Perceptions of Credit Programs......................................... 99 8. 11. 12. 16. vii Western Michigan University Alumni Perceptions of Credit Programs ..................................... Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Credit Programs Alumni Perceive as Being Offered . . . Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Credit Programs Alumni Perceive as Being Successful. . 105 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Credit Programs Alumni Perceive as Should be Offered . 107 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Credit Programs Alumni Perceive They Would Participate In .......................................... 108 Total Alumni Perceptions of Non-Credit Programs . . . . 110 University of Michigan Alumni Perceptions of NonCredit Programs.......................................... 112 Michigan State University Alumni Perceptions of NonCredit Programs.......................................... 114 Western Michigan University Alumni Perceptions of Non-Credit Programs...................... ........... 115 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected NonCredit Programs Alumni Perceive as Being Offered . . . 117 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected NonCredit Programs Alumni Perceive as Being Successful. . 119 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected NonCredit Program Alumni Perceive as Should be Offered. . 120 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected NonCredit Programs Alumni Perceive They Would Partici­ pate I n ................................................... 122 Total Alumni Perceptions of Related Activities......... 123 University of Michigan Alumni Perceptions of Related A c t i v i t i e s ...................... ....................... 125 Michigan State University Alumni Perceptions of Related Activities ........... ........................ 126 viii TABLE 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. PAGE Western Michigan university Alumni Perceptions of Related Activities..................................... Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Related Activities Alumni Perceive As Being Offered. 128 . 129 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Related Activities Alumni Perceive as Being Successful. 130 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Related Activities Alumni Perceive as Should be Offered............................................ 132 Comparative Responses by Institution of Selected Related Activities Alumni Perceive They Would Participate In..................................... 133 38. What The Center is Doing - College E x p e r i e n c e ......... 136 39. What The Center is Doing - Center Participation . . . . 137 40. What The Center is Doing - Educational Needs........... 139 41. What The Center is Doing - Demographic Factors......... 140 42. Program Success - College Experience.................... 141 43. Program Success - Center Participation.................. 143 44. Program Success - Educational N e e d s .................... 145 45. Program Success - Demographic Factors .................. 147 46. What The Center Should Be Doing - College Experience. 47. What The Center Should Be Doing - center Participation. 48. What The Center Should Be Doing - Educational Needs . . 152 49. What The Center Should Be Doing - Demographic Factors . 154 . 149 150 50. Participation - College Experience..................... 156 51. Participation'- Center Participation................... 157 52. Participation - Educational Needs ..................... 159 53. Participation - Demographic F a c t o r s ................... 161 54. Significant Factors Related to Alumni Perceptions . . . ix 183 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX PAGE A Cover L e t t e r ....................................... 180 Questionnaire 181 ..................................... Follow-Up Post C a r d ................................... 182 Summary Table of Significant Factors Related to Alumni P e r c e p t i o n s ................................. 183 B x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Since the termination of World War II, the strongest demand for education ever witnessed in America has occured. Parallel to this in­ creased attention given to education generally is the emphasis currently being placed on continuing education or the concept of life-long learning. The principle that adults should continue to learn during their lifetimes has gained acceptance in educational circles. The Commission of the Professors of Adult Education suggests that the assumption of learning as a life long process is based on a new fact of life: ....the accelerating pace of social change. For the first time in the history of civilization, the time span of drastic cultural change has been telescoped into less than the lifetime of the individual. The current generation of mature adults now represents the first generation faced with managing a culture different in kind than the one originally transmitted to them. The consequence of this new fact is such that the well educated youth of today is an obsolete man tomorrow. 1 The implications for continuing education in preventing the obsolescence of man are enormous. Drucker sees the "new educated society as a society with many new commitments by university and individual to continuing education, commitments to the application of knowledge, and The Adult Education Association of the U.S.A., Adult Education, A New Inoperative for our Times, A report by the commission of the Pro­ fessors of Adult Education^ (Adult Education Association of the U.S.A., 1961), p. 5. 1 2 commitments to the development of the whole human being, to a personal life as well as work." 2 Since education is essentially a continuing process of self-renewal, opportunities for continuing education must be made available to the persons living in our society. The University, as an important instrument in the educational process, represents a power­ ful force not only for providing continuing education opportunities, but to assist in advancing the concept of an educated society. That the universities of our country must commit themselves to continuing higher education is one of the important imperatives of our time. Blackwell has stated that, "the university should not be merely a mirror of its society but should definitely and actively affect social change."^ Whitehead has said that "the justification for a university is that it preserves the connection between knowledge and the zest for 4 life." Houle has suggested that universities "have more of an obligation to provide service; they must respond to demands for the proliferation of courses, for complete coverage of subject-matter and for greater spread geographically. 2 Peter F. Drucker, "The University in An Educated Society," Oakland Papers, ed. James B. Whipple and Gary A. Moditech (Boston, Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1966), p. 5. 3 Gordon W. Blackwell, "Community Needs and Higher Continuing Education," The Continuing Task, (Boston: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1967), p. 25. 4 Alfred North Whitehead, The Arms of Education and Other Essays, (The New American Library, Mentor Books Edition, 1949), p. 87. Cyril O. Houle, Major Trends in Higher Adult Education, (Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1959), p. 11. 3 Since the university is one of the few objective institutions in American society it is obligated to make itself useful in maintaining and improving society. To fulfill this societal role, the university should maintain contact with all segments of the population and be prepared to extend the boundaries of the campus to adults of all ages, after their withdrawal from formal classroom instruction, to make it possible for continuing learning. Former President Johnson has stated: ....the role of the university must extend far beyond the ordinary extension-type operation. It's research findings and talents must be made available to the community. Faculty must be called upon for consulting activities. Pilot pro­ jects, seminars, conferences, T.V. programs and task forces drawing on many departments of the University— all should be brought into play. This is a demanding assignment for the universities and many are not now ready for it...6 Thus, the die appears to be cast. Universities in the 1970'smust be commtr.ed to the concept of continuing education and to extending their resources to assist in resolving the social inqperatives currently con­ fronting our society. Generally, universities extend their divisions or continuing education services. boundaries through extension Burch suggests that the presence of university extension in the university hinges on three premise! .... (1) that a university should make available extension education opportunities for a formal college education— or its equivalent— to young people and others who are unable to become regular fulltime students; (2) that it has an obligation to provide educational services to the wider com­ munity that supports it; (3) that it should provide opportunities for continuing education for those who have absorbed as much formal education as they desire, but who wish to continue learning.7 6U .S ., congressional Record, 89th Congress, 1st Session, 1965, Vol.Ill, Part 1, p. 510. 7Glen Burch, Challenge to the University, (Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1961), p. 20. 4 Extension education can be one of the major instrumentalities through which the adult population achieves the fruits of life-long learning. Animportant consideration to recognize in reference to the extension of university resources is that a university has many communities it must Creese supports this notion by stating: serve. ....for a college of medicine, the natural community is that of the local physicians, for the school of education it is the community of teachers and schoolmen; and for the engineering college it is the community of engineers, industrial executives, foremen and skilled workmen of industry. To these special communities within communities, the University has an obligation in higher adult education.® Universities naturally differ in the approach they take to reach their communities. One possibility is for the University to establish a regional center located within a given geographical area. Such a regional center can then provide the unique, educational programs and services of the sponsoring institution. In recent years, cooperative efforts by several universities have led to a consortium arrangement on a regional basis for the purpose of offering programs and services for a specific geographical region. Generally, however, institutions of higher education have been slow to form cooperative plans on a regional basis. Enarson points out: ....except for a few activities, such as the regional plans which are gradually developing for professional or specialized instruction, there are not too many examples of educational cooperation among the colleges of the United states. In Michigan the presidents of the state institutions, in recognition of the desirability of statewide coordination and planning in higher g James Creese, The Extension of University Teaching, (New York: George Grady Press, 1941), p. 83. 9 Harold L. Enarson, "Federal-Regional Relationships in Higher Education, " Higher Education, XVI, No. 6 (1960), pp. 3-9. 5 education, maintain an organization known as the Michigan Council of State College Presidents. In 1953 the initial inquiry into the possi­ bilities for inter-institutional cooperation on a regional basis in Michigan was made when the Governor and the Legislature requested a series of higher education studies of selected phases of field and extension ser vices.^ From 1956 to 1958 a statewide survey of higher education in Michigan was made under the auspices of the legislative committee which employed John Dale Russell as director. The Russell report in 1958 advo­ cated a central coordinating board in the state that would facilitate communication among institutions on matters of program development and to advise institutions relative to program development. Russell called the creation of a Field Services Committee, by and under the Michigan Council of State College Presidents, "a notable step in the right direction, it is evident that the work of this committee has resulted in improvement of service to the people of Michigan in all branches of extension and adult e d u c a t i o n . T h i s committee is now named the Michigan Coordinating Council of State College Field Services (com­ monly abbreviated to Field Services Council). The Field Services Council was instructed to proceed as rapidly as possible with such measures as joint housing for extension activities; use of joint names for the physical *~°Field and Extension Services of the State Supported Institutions of Higher Learning in Michigan. A report by the Field and Extension Ser­ vices Study Group for the Michigan Council of State College Presidents, (Ann Arbor: Edwards Brothers Publishers, Inc., 1956), p. 113. 11 John Dale Russell, Higher Education in Michigan. The Final Report of the Survey of Higher Education in Michigan, Lansing, Michigan, September, 1958, pp. 114-117. 12Ibid, p. 33. 6 location, telephone and stationary identification, publicity, and publi­ cations; use of joint library and audio-visual facilities; and coopera­ tive inventory, purchase, and use of equipment and standard supplies.^-3 The next year the Michigan Coordinating Council of State College Field Services recommended that the Michigan Council of State College Presidents approve the following broad general policies for the implementation of a system of cooperation and coordination of the field service program of the state colleges and universities in Michigan: 1. The state tax-supported colleges and universities are committed to a system of cooperation and coordination in field service programs on both a regional and a state­ wide basis. 2. The individual identity and unique function of each institution shall be respected. 3. The member institutions of the Council are committed to the development of a plan of cooperative and coordinated regional field office operations.^ These policies, among others, were approved by the Michigan Council of State College Presidents on April 3, 1959 and thus the groundwork was laid for consortiums to be created and operationalized by state supported institutions. Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan have, historically, extended their boundaries to serve the people of Michigan. Although Michigan State University and the University of Michigan conduct programs on a total state-wide basis, this 13 M.M. Chambers, Voluntary Statewide Coordination in Public Higher Education, (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1961), p. 46. 14 Policies Adopted for Michigan Coordinating Council of State College Field Services, (unpublished monograph. East Lansing, March 1959). 7 study is concerned with the regional center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the three universities share a common facility and co­ operate in establishing and maintaining educational programs. The Center was established in 1943 as a regional center of the University of Michigan. Michigan State University opened a regional office in the same city in 1956 and Western Michigan University established a regional office in 1965. In 1966 all three universities moved into a joint facility now known as the University Center. Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University generally adhere to the basic premise that human and cultural resources of the university could and should be expanded to the local communities to serve stated needs and to solve problems of joint concern. Consistent with this statement of purpose each university has attempted to respond to the expressed needs of the com­ munity in two ways; 1. By offering the people the resources of the University through courses and programs unique to each of the three universities. 2. To cooperate in the coordinated planning of courses and programs generally demanded of all universities.^ A potential audience for participation in regional center con­ tinuing education programs is the alumni of the sponsoring institutions. Michigan state University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan have a substantial number of alumni living in the geographical area surrounding the Grand Rapids regional center. 15 This provides the three Report submitted to Mr. Glenn S. Allen, Jr., State Budget Director by the Grand Rapids Board of Education, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1969, (Mimeographed). institutions with an excellent opportunity for offering continuing educa­ tion experiences for their graduates. Statement of Purpose If one accepts the concept of continuous learning for the adult population of our society (and college alumni are an important segment of that society), and the role of the universities in implementing the process of life-long learning, then it can be said that universities should provide educational opportunities to aid their alumni in continuing their personal, political, philosophical and social growth. Therefore, adult educators should be concerned with the interests alumni have for pursuing such opportunities. College alumni of the three sponsoring institutions currently par­ ticipate in program activities offered by the University Center. However, the number is small when compared to the number of alumni living in the geographical area serviced by the University Center. At the present time most programs offered by the Center are for graduate credit and are attended mainly by teachers requiring state certification. It is not known how many alumni of the three universities are aware of the University Center, its functions, and the educational opportunities available to them. It is the intent in this study to examine the perceptions college alumni have of the regional center. the It is anticipated that the manner in which alumni perceive the continuing education activities of the Center will be at least partially dependent upon their ejqperiences and their per­ ceived needs. Therefore, the specific purpose of this study is to in­ vestigate the perceptions college alumni of Michigan State University, 9 Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan, living in four counties in Southwestern Michigan, [Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, and Ionia], have of the University Center located in Grand Rapids with respect to their college experience, their center participation, and their perceived educational needs. It is expected that if the University Center can pro­ vide educational programs to meet the needs of college alumni, the par­ ticipation level on the part of the alumni of all three universities can be increased. The possibilities for continuing alumni education through joint action by the three state universities functioning on a regional center basis seems appropriate and feasible and appears to be one ai.ea in which cooperation can be extended and improved. In 1929 Shaw expressed the notion that "the responsibility on the part of college and university bodies in an educational service to their alumni must be a c c e p t e d . N o w , some 40 years later, in 1970, evidence should be obtained which will enable the three universities to carry out this responsibility more effectively. Underlying this study are certain assumptions which are necessary for critical evaluation of the results derived from the study. These assumptions are as follows: 1. That a valid and reliable instrument has been developed to identify perceived program activities of a regional center. Wilfred B. Shaw, Alumni and Adult Education, (New York: American Association for Adult Education, 1929), p. 106. 10 2. That factors exist which relate to how college alumni perceive the continuing education activities of a regional center. 3. That an individual's perceived needs are a valid index of his real needs. 4. That college alumni will respond to a mailed questionnaire. 5. That the respondents responded to the instrument honestly. 6. That the population under investigation is sufficiently large and that it is normally distributed in reference to all of the variables included in this study. Significance of the Study At the present time data are lacking relative to how the alumni of the three universities view the regional center operation. Since re­ liable information upon which to base decisions is an important aspect of administration, before programs actively can be planned for alumni, it is important to determine their knowledge and understanding of the functions of the Center. According to Dressel, "all colleges and uni­ versities, private or public, could profitably use survey results in a critical restudy of their operations. The study should provide the directors of continuing education, the directors of the regional center, and the directors of the alumni associations of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan with greater insight into the perceptions alumni have of the regional center and continuing education programming. It should also provide further insight into the process of perception 17Paul L. Dressel, Evaluation in Higher Education, (Bostont Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1961), p. 374. 11 formulation by alumni. In addition, information obtained from these data relating the factors of perception formulation to the alumni perceptions of a continuing education regional center should provide an opportunity to draw some conclusions about college alumni. Further importance of the study should be derived from data obtained concerning expressed needs alumni have for continuing education program activities and a determination of which of the three universities might best provide the resources for each program area. In addition, informa­ tion from these data might suggest specific target groups that should be considered in planning regional center activities. The perceptions on the part of the alumni concerning the program activities of a regional center possibly will either reinforce the director's value judgments and philosophy or will help to demonstrate how these subjective judgments may be modified to bring them into line with that of the alumni. The results of the survey should enlarge the base of information on which educational perceptions are founded. Wilfred Shaw clearly stated the necessity of “bringing the whole idea of an educational policy directed toward the alumni into the open— to define it in acceptable terms and to correlate such scattered efforts as are already underway." 18 This study should increase the educator's knowledge of alumni education through his efforts to provide continuing education programs for college alumni. 18 Shaw, op. cit., p. 107. 12 Definition of Terms Alumnus is defined as any person who has received a baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree from Michigan State University, Western Michigan Uni­ versity or the University of Michigan. Regional Center refers to the combination of personnel services and physical facilities provided jointly in Grand Rapids by Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan to keep the universities in close contact with the needs, interests, problems and con­ cerns of the people, and through which the universities channel their resources to the citizens of that geographical area. College experience refers to selected factors in the background of college alumni as related to the institutions included in this study. Center participation refers to prior experiences college alumni have had with the regional center in Grand Rapids. Educational needs refers to the educational needs of college alumni that might be served by the regional center* Perception. For the purpose of this investigation, perception refers to the process of making a cognitive statement based on past experience and need about the program activities of the regional center. 19 19 Based upon a definition of perceptions int Howard S. Bartley, Principles of Perception, (New York* Harper and Brothers, 1958), pp. 1-22. 13 Limitations of the Study The limitations are related to the specific nature of the popula­ tion included in the study, the limited number of college alumni from which the sample was drawn, and the limitations of the questionnaire as a data-gathering instrument. The population for the study is limited to a sample of college alumni of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan who currently live in four selected counties in Southwestern Michigan which are serviced by the inter-university regional center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Two factors, (i.e. esq>erience and need) related to how people perceive have been selected for use in this study. It is not the intent of this study to include other factors that also influence perception. Organization of the Study This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter I . Introduction Introduction to and statement of the purpose of the study. The assumptions, significance and limitations of the study are presented along with the definition of terms. Chapter II. Review of Related Literature and the Theoretical Basis for the Study Historical and philosophical background of extension education and alumni education and the theoretical basis for the selected factors related to perception are reviewed. 14 Chapter III. Research Design Describes the methodology used in the study including the research design, description of the instrument, sample selection procedures, and the analysis process. Chapter I V . Presentation and Analysis of Findings Presents and describes the analysis of the perceptions college alumni have of a regional center and the significant factors related to alumni perceptions. Chapter V . Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations Relates the major findings, conclusions that can be made, and recommendations for future program activity. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The purpose of this chapter is to review selected research and literature related to the following three areas: (1) the historical and philosophical background of extension education, (2) the historical and philosophical background of alumni education, and (3) selected factors that relate to perception as a theoretical base for the study, i.e., experience and need. The historical and philosophical development of extension education and alumni education are included in the literature review to provide the reader with sufficient background for understanding the setting for the study. It appears there has been little research reported that investiga­ tes the functions of a university-sponsored regional center and the literature discloses no studies dealing either directly or indirectly with perceptions of such a center by college alumni or the general population. Despite the dearth of significant research concerning the perceptions held by college alumni of a regional center, it is a basic assumption behind this study that alumni perceptions of the Center will be signi­ ficantly related to college experience, experience gained by participation in Center programs, perceived educational needs and selected personal factors of the alumni. 15 16 With this premise in mind, the third section of this chapter per­ taining to perception and selected factors has been divided into three sub­ sections ; i.e., experience, participation and need. However, due to the lack of studies in the literature concerning college experience of alumni, their participation in regional center programs and their perceived needs, the literature review will discuss experience, participation and need as related to adult education participants generally. This includes: (1) studies which show the relationship between educational experience and con­ tinuing education participation, (2) studies that attempt to establish a relationship between social and personal factors and participation, (3) a survey which shows patterns of adult education participation, and (4) studies that infer need as a motivation to participation. Extension Education Robert J. Blakely has stated: ....resources for knowledge, the throbbing tumultuous vulgar world of the adult community is where this knowledge is most needed. The university is the supreme exemplification of a faith in reason. The free man in the free society is the person faced with the sharpest challenge to translate reason into action. Here— between the university and the adult learner— is a natural relationship.20 The relationship to which Blakely refers, between the university and the adult community, has had an exciting and, at times, a turbulent growth pattern. Historically, higher adult education in America can be traced to 20 Robert J. Blakely, Adult Education in a Free Society, (Toronto, Canada, Guardian Bird Publications, 195B), p. 94. 17 the early 1800’s when several eastern colleges provided public lecture series. During the latter part of the 19th Century when universities grew rapidly in both size and patronage, those based upon the Jacksonian concept of education carried forth the idea of extending the boundaries of knowledge to the people. Horton alludes to the fact: ...that universities, particularly in the midwest were unshackled by tradition, filled with energetic people eager for education. Passage of the Morrill Act by Con­ gress in 1862 gave these states millions of acres of public land for endowment of their universities. The growth of many of these institutions, with their peculiar sensitive­ ness to the public interest and their direct responsive­ ness to the public will, into distinguished centers of learning and research has had an enormous influence on all American universities.^ The growth of the universities during this period of time and the idea of diffusing knowledge through society led to what is now called university extension. Grattan states it very eloquently when he says, "the roots of a rationale for university extension are to be found in the 22 rationale of the place of a university in a democratic society.” Discussing this growth period Grattan further states that: ...American college teachers had been making their knowledge available directly to the people at large, chiefly in the form of single lectures, for a long time before they heard of uni­ versity extension. As early as 1816, a professor at what is now Rutgers in New Jersey had offered lectures in science, the popular-soience lectures of Silliman of Yale, beginning in the 1830's, and Columbia in the 1830*s. Harvard as early as 1840, Michigan State in 1855, Kansas State in 1868, Minnesota in 1881, and Wisconsin in 1885 had begun experiments along the same general lines, not always with much success. In 1876, President Daniel Coit Gilman made planned lecture series for 21 John R. Morton, University Extension in the United States, (Birmingham, Alabama, University of Alabama Press, 1953), p. 4. C. Hartley Grattan, In Quest of Knowledge, (New York: Association Press, 1955), p. 183. 18 the 'educated public' including specifically art students, teachers, lawyers, physicians, clergymen, bankers and business­ men, an integral part of the system of instruction at Johns Hopkins. . . University extension provided for lectures in series on a single subject matter and gave opportunity to impose diciplines like occasional essays and reports and final examinations.23 During this same period of time, the Chautauqua movement, founded by methodist Bishop John Heyl Vincent in 1874, deeply influenced the development of extension in America. 24 A noted authority has termed this movement the beginnings of the Americanization of university extension. 25 Of particular importance was the influence that Chautauqua had on William Rainey Harper. years. Dr. Harper had been on the Chautauqua staff for fourteen When he became president of the University of Chicago he provided education in the United states with strong support by creating the extension service as one of the University's five principal divisions. The plan of extension teaching that President Harper developed at the University of Chicago was distinctive in three respects. It established a formal per­ manent division of the University, second, it integrated its activity with that of other divisions of the University; and third, it offered college courses for credit by mail and in extension classes. 23Ibid, p. 185. 24 Ibid, p . 166. 25 Creese, op. cit., p. 38. 26 Ibid, p. 44. 26 It was Harper's 19 intent that the University of Chicago provide for the large numbers of people unable to attend regular classes on the campus, but whom he knew could profit from the facilities of the University. Shortly after Harper's action at Chicago, the Wisconsin idea of university extension was established by University of Wisconsin President Charles Van Hise, who said: ...The broadest ideal of service demands that the university as the best fitted instrument, shall take up the problems of carrying out knowledge to the peo p l e . It is apparent that this work is one of enormous magnitude and not inferior in importance or in opportunity to the functions of the university earlier recognized— those of instruction and research. The crux of the matter is that it is our aim to take out the know­ ledge, whether the people ask for it or not. It strikes me that in education, we ought at least to be as careful as are the brewing interests in the state, and therefore we are not going to wait for the people to come to u s , we are going to take our goods to them. We are going out to the people.27 Since that time many institutions have followed the Wisconsin model in developing their own extension programs. By 1914 thirty state uni­ versities had an organized extension division with a or committee. permanent, director Reflecting the growth of extension education and its general acceptance, an extension association, the National University Extension Association was formed in 1915. The group consisted of twenty- two colleges and universities and met at the University of Wisconsin in tribute to the role of extension at Wisconsin. In the years that have followed, extension education has been characterized by growth in the numbers of institutions active in higher adult education, in the diversity Charles Van Hise, "The University Extension Functions in the Modern University," NUEA Proceedings, 1915, pp. 7-24. 20 of its offerings and in the number of students enrolled in college and university programs. Morton has pointed out "this feeling of responsi­ bility on the part of institutions of higher education resulted in 30 to 50 million people utilizing one or more university extension or evening college services and approximately two million taking part in organized and continuing adult university instructional programs in 1951-52." 28 Thus, it would appear that the outreach of the modern university has con­ tributed significantly to its growth and support from its constituency, but the path to obtaining acceptance and to define the service role of the University has been long and arduous, and the struggle continues. American universities have had three major functions— teaching, research and public service. have Generally, the teaching and research functions been closely allied while the service function was considered to hold a minor role in the total operation of a university. However, in today's complex technological society, the service function has become one of increasing importance, both to the university and the community it serves. This notion is supported in the 1967 Annual Report of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching which states: ...what would appear to be desirable now, where needed, is the modernization of the university's governance to take account of all three functions in which the typical institu­ tion is engaged today— teaching, research and public service. Such a process would have the salutary effect of focusing the entire academic community's thought on the function of public service and perhaps lead to a redefinition of the meaning of the university in today's world . ^ 28 Morton, op. cit., p. 87. 29 "The University at the Service of Society," 1966-67 Annual Report (New York: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1967), p. 13. 21 The National Association of State Universities further delineated the role of the state university by issuing the following policy statement: The State university should guide as well as reflect the plans and aspirations of the people of the State from which it derives its support. The citizens of the State have every right to expect their university to bring all of its resources in teaching, research, and public service to the solution of their problems. Only in this manner can the largest number of deserving citizens receive effective higher education. The State university, in addition to educating the youth of the State, must be concerned with adult and continuing education in all of its ramifications. Degree credit courses, formally organ­ ized programs designed for vocational and professional training, retraining and 'refresher* courses, special programs to aid in the solution of business, industrial, agricultural, and labor problems— all these are normal functions of a State educational institution. When private and church colleges render such valuable services, and often they do, they render them because they choose to present such opportunities in certain areas. The State university is responsible for offering such ^grvices in all areas— to the public that provides its support. A study by Burch suggests, that the service function has pretty generally been accepted as part of the University responsibility, although with some marginal overtones.31 Overcoming marginality, identifying and strengthening the role of extension education in institutions of higher education is a significant challenge for university adult educators. Inter­ action between the people and the university is supported by Morton who stated: ...The pattern of University Extension in the U.S. has generally developed as a result of demands made on universities by their supporters. The great vitality of this movement stems from the fact that it has always been primarily concerned with 30As quoted in Survey: Extramural Courses for Academic Credit. The Extension Service, the University of Michigan, 1964, p. 96. 31 Burch, op. cit., p. 11. 22 assistance to people attempting to resolve some of the real problems of life, problems about which they were enough con­ cerned to be trying to do something themselves and with which they genuinely wanted assistance. It seems probable that readjustments in University programs to enable more extensive adult use of university resources have only begun. There are many reasons for this prospect. One of the most important is that adults looking for education seek leaders whom they can accept. A very large proportion of such leaders in the U.S. today are associated with universities. Thus, from the point of view of an adult seeking education, probably his greatest opportunity is to find ways in which he can use the resources of universities. Conversly, from the point of view of uni­ versities , a new, and perhaps their greatest, opportunity for service is offered by the finding of ways to organize their programs so that their resources can and actually will be used extensively by adults. It is adults who are engaged in making the decisions and taking the actions on which the welfare of this country, and to an increasing extent the world depends.^ This notion suggests it is imperative that providing educational services and programs to mature adults in their respective communities be implemented as one of the major functions of the modern university in order that research findings, the discovery of laboratory experimentation, and the theories developed by the academic scholar, can be communicated from the campus resources and brought to bear upon the problems of pollution, industry, labor, agriculture, transportation, human relations and so forth. Blended with the world of practical experience, the uni­ versity resources can increase the technical, social, political, economic and moral progress of our society. Once the role of extension education is firmly established, universities can serve their clientele in various ways and at different levels. It is apparent that in our time which so manifests change and complexity, we are witnessing the emergence of Horton, op. cit., p. 131. 23 education as a vital and dominant institution of our society. According to Houle, "education is the best way to develop the countless potentialities for growth which everyone possesses." 33 This suggests extension education needs to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of poeple, and that the continuing educator must first determine who his clients are, and which of their problems and needs he has the resources to serve. When this task has been accomplished, the adult educator can then assist in the utilization of university resources through extension educa­ tion to meet the educational needs of people. If we accept the premise that progress is the result of human effort, continuing education of adults should increase the possibilities of achieving maximum use of the human resources of our society. Alumni Education The beginning of alumni education has been credited to President Hopkins of Dartmouth College when he stated in his inaugural address in 1916 ... In urging that the alumni make a special effort to have their relations with the college based on continuing intimacy of contact I do not forget that a share of the responsibility for developing the alumni movement aright belongs to the college....If the college, then, has conviction that its influence is worth seeking at the expense of four vital years in the formative period of life, is it not logically com­ pelled to search for some method of giving access to this influence to its graduates in their subsequent years 1 The college has no less an opportunity to be of service to its 33 Cyril O. Houle, Continuing Your Education, (New Yorks McGrawHill Book Company, 1964), p. 7. — 34 Fredrick Harbison and Charles A. Meyers, Education, Manpower and Economic Growth, (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964), p. 13. 24 men in their old age than in their youth, if only it can establish the procedure by which it can periodically throughout their lives give them the opportunity to replenish their Intellectual reserves.... It at least seems clear that the formal educational contacts between the college and its gra­ duates should not stop at the end of four years, never in any form to be revived.^5 Eight days after the Hopkins address. President Alexander Merklejohn of Amherst College made a similar plea in which he decried the lack of thought given the important subject of the relationship between the college and its graduates. Speaking at the 150th anniversary exercises of Rutgers College, he said: ...The real test of a graduate's loyalty is that of membership in a college community. If the college has given itself up to the pursuit of knowledge and appreciation philosophic, literary, scientific, humanistic, no man who has ceased from that pursuit is in any genuine sense a member of the college community. I sometimes think that the only real test of our teaching is that of the extent to which pupils continue to study our subjects after they leave us. ... I am dreaming of the college community as a body of thousands of men-teachers, graduates, undergraduates— all of whom are engaged in the same intellectual operation, in the same great enterprise of the mind.^® Dean Ernst E. McMahon of Rutgers University in his definitive work on alumni education reports that "Amherst seems to have been the first college in which an educational program was developed by an alumni o r g a n i z a t i o n . N o t only was the Amherst program the first one organized through an alumni association, but it was also the first continuing ^ A s quoted by Shaw, op. cit., pp. 7-8. 36 Rutgers College, The Celebration of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of its Founding as Queens College (New Brunswick: Rutgers College, 1917), pp. 118-21. ^ E r n s t E. McMahon, New Directions for Alumni Education for the College Graduate, (Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1960), p. 7. 25 education program for alumni identified as part of the adult education movement rather than solely as a device to keep the alumni in closer touch with the alma mater. 38 Alexander G. Rutheven, following his election to the presidency of the University of Michigan in 1929 expressed his concern for alumni education when he stated: ...If the University can be of assistance to alumni by continuing their education, it is admittedly under some obligation to provide this service, since— as generations of educators have been informing graduating classes— their education is not complete and they are graduating into, not out of, the university.^ Over the past half century numerous institutions have developed formats for alumni programs. Dartmouth, Ohio State, Michigan, Syracuse, Lafayette, Amherst, Wisconsin, Yale, and others have attempted to provide services for their graduates. The Bureaus of Alumni Relations at Michigan and Syracuse in cooperation with their Extension Services provided reading lists for alumni Vassar use as one method of continued contact and service. developed "the Alumnae House," and Lafayette "the Alumni 40 College. Other institutions held alumni days and alumni university programs. South­ western University at Memphis, which opens its alumni education programs to alumni of other colleges, is credited with the purpose of wishing to stir, challenge, and thrill its alumni by an educational experience. 39 42 As quoted by Shaw, op. cit., pp. 27-28. 40 Ralph Beals, Aspects of Post-Collegiate Education, (New York: American Association for &dult Education, 1935), pp. 1-2. 41 42 McMahon, op. cit., p . 4. Alfred O. Canon, "A New Obligation to Alumni," American Alumni Council News, Volume 25, No. 4., 1958, p. 12. 26 The Boston University discussion series stemmed from a group desire for 43 "intellectual stimulation". Even though many institutions have shown an interest in alumni education, the fact remains, however, that consistent well-developed alumni programs appear to be scarce. Dean McMahon supports the conclusion that alumni education as a serious objective of universities is a re­ markably scarce commodity in our academic market place. He points out that only one-tenth of the eight hundred members of the American Council on Education even claim to be involved in any form of continuing education for their alumni. 44 The first national survey of alumni education programs was made in 1928, and the most recent before McMahon's work, two in 1956 and 1957, showed little change, in terms of percentage, over the participation re­ ported in the 1928 survey. On the 1956 survey, sent to 700 members of the American Council, McMahon reports: ...Only 267 institutions replied. Of these 72 reported current or past programs of continuing education for alumni, and 195 reported that they did not have and had never had such a program, of the seventy-two with a current or past history of alumni educational work, fortv-four rated their efforts as successful and sixteen as unsuccessful.45 What the above results actually mean in terms of participation is not clear... about six percent of the Council's membership are still engaged in the work, and two percent have withdrawn. That this is less than an adequate, desirable, proportion of participating institutions appears to 43 Eric W. Carlson, "An Experiment in Alumni Group Discussion," Adult Education, Volume 9, No. 3, 1959, p. 173. 44 McMahon, op.cit.. p. 3. 45 Ibid. p. 13. 27 be self-evident. As McMahon states, "It seems safe to conclude... that relatively few college or university alumni are significantly touched by continuing education programs for alumni." 46 The most recent data on alumni education are scarcely more encourag­ ing. The 1967 survey of the American Alumni Council received responses from 672 of a membership presumed to be about 800. to sponsor programs of continuing education. Of these, 476 claimed However, that included courses of every description other than regular classes, extension, seminars! short courses, etc. Of the total, only 72 indicated that their courses were considered as part of an alumni college, and only 133 of the 476 were co-sponsored by the alumni association. 47 The results of these studies indicate that unfortunately, far too often the returning graduate is either not provided the opportunity to pursue further study with his alma mater or his contact is superficial at best, usually in conjunction with an athletic event. It would appear that the education of the university graduate is often terminated at a point in time when he is assuming a responsible role in society. Continued lack of contact with the uni­ versity and the educational process will lead to obsolescence with little, if any awareness of the essentiality of continuing alumni education, as one element in the continuing education process. To stress the need for such efforts, McMahon states: ...It must be admitted that leaders in American thought have repeatedly stressed the need for increased participation in 46 47 Ibid., p. 14. 1967 Survey on Continuing Education (Washington, D.C.: American Alumni Council, 1967), p. 1. 28 the public life of the nation by better informed citizens.... College alumni are a significant fraction of the total citizenry, and the current activity of approximately one hundred universities in encouraging an informed awareness of current public problems through the provision of educa­ tional programs - no matter how limited - for their alumni may be a major contribution to American life. Ultimately, alumni education may become the solution to the problem of stimulating the participation of college alumnus in civic and political activities, with such programs customary in all colleges. Their origin, development, and trends merit attention. Further evidence of the need for institutions of higher education to become more aware of the need for increased alumni education was manifested in the report of the 1956 Shoreham Conference on Continuing Education for Alumni which made the following statement and affirmations: ...Education is a cornerstone of a free society, and on the colleges and universities of this nation— and their alumni— much of the responsibility for leadership of that society depends. The growth of that leadership in quality and quantity is of immediate and crucial inportance. I. therefore,... this conference affirms that the continuing education of the adult is a major responsibility of this nation's colleges and universities, and that each in­ stitution must accept an obligation for the continuing education of its alumni as a vital part of that responsibility. II. This conference calls upon the administrations and faculties of the colleges and universities, upon their alumni associa­ tions, and upon the individual alumni of the nation to recognize this responsibility in their purposes and actions. III. This conference recommends that the...nation1s colleges and universities engage in programs of continuing education for their alumni, considering these programs as part of a longrange commitment that begins with the student on the campus. IV. 48 This conference asserts its conviction that programs of con­ tinuing education developed for alumni should be characterized by the same seriousness in intent and purpose, and quality in content and performance, that are found in regular curricula. McMahon, op. c i t ., p p . 4-5. 29 V. This conference believes that the curriculum and its teaching should be designed to further the desire for, and the process of, continuous education.^ It seems evident that alumni are an identifiable and accessible audience for continuing education programs and that they represent a tremendous human resource that needs to be developed. Odiorne indicates that the "Alumni of the University of Michigan now number over 200,000 and the rate of depreciation of the total investment made in them in the past exceeds the total expenditures in turning out today's graduate who will shortly become obsolete unless he is given more extensive doses than we have seen in the past." 50 The continuing education of these alumni and like others is now made imperative by the pace of discovery and the obsolescence of knowledge, and the need to interpret the new and ever changing conditions around us. One has only to consider the new knowledge that practicing doctors, architects, engineers, teachers, physicists, chemists, economists, or psychologists must acquire to keep abreast of their fields, to recognize the necessity for continued learning. Calkins emphasized the inportance of this point when he stated: ...No branch of higher education is more neglected today than the re-education of the educated. And no neglected branch of education is more important at this time to the future of this country. Quite properly we devote great effort to the preparation 49 Robert J. Ahrens, Continuing Education for Alumni, (Washington, D.C.: The American Alumni Council, 1958), p. 1. 50 George S. Odiorne, "Adult Education in the Multiversity, "Unpublished Monograph, University of Michigan, 1968, p. 3. 30 of youth for their lives and careers and for the future of our society. Quite properly also we devote great effort to research, to wrest the secrets of nature from her and to untangle the skeins of human behavior for the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of man. This vast research effort, importantly, even if incidentally, tends to make the pre­ paration of youth more reliable for specialized achievements but it is often at the expense of broad over-all preparation for the changing conditions of life, and it has the additional effect of rendering this specialized preparation obsolete as soon as possible. Please understand me. I do not deplore these enterprises. I accept them and applaud them. But I do think that the time has come for our educational institutions to give greater thought to how they may offset the damage this system does to the living generation of adults who are managing things for some time to come. 1 speak not only for the present generation of adults, but for all generations who find themselves, as we do, in an era of rapid change. That company promises to include most of the adult population of this country and of the world for the foreseeable future. Such a company is not of negligible importance."^ ^ The need for continuing education for alumni seems apparent. It is hope­ ful that many institutions not now concerned with providing a continuous program of education for their graduates will move in this direction in the near future; and those colleges and universities now engaged in a continuing alumni education program will continue to nurture its growth and development. It would seem further desirable if institutions of higher learning would enter into a consortium arrangement to provide alumni education. MacCarthy indicated that: ...already there are small beginnings in the area of interinstitutional cooperation and reciprocity which may be the key to future successful programs of continuing education. It would seem feasible and desirable to suggest that on a nationwide basis colleges and universities unite in working arrangements whereby distant alumni may be integrated into local programs of other universities much as undergraduates Robert D. Calkins, "New Tasks for our Universities", National University Extension Association Proceedings, 1962, p. 23. 31 currently transfer from one institution to another. He must find appropriate sources of education at locations that are accessible and, therefore, interinstitutional cooperation and reciprocity may be the key to the future success of such a program. A possible model for implementing such a plan already exists in the state of Michigan. As discussed in the previous chapter the University Center now established in Grand Rapids by Michigan State University, the Uni­ versity of Michigan and Western Michigan University provides an excellent opportunity for the development of a continuing alumni education program for graduates living in the Grand Rapids area. It would appear that extension education and alumni education could be blended together in a functional way to carry out MacCarthy's suggestions for continuing alumni education. It should be mentioned that universities do attempt to meet the educational needs of their alumni by offering various continuing educa­ tion programs. These programs are not necessarily organized by alumni offices, but are the regular continuing education programs of pro­ fessional schools and Extension Services. The point is made however that universities cannot continue to avoid the responsibility of concerning themselves with the continuing education of their alumni. They should be concerned with alumni needs for continuing education and provide the means to meet them. They should also make an effort to increase alumni awareness and level of understanding of the overall extension functions of the University and the specific educational programs that are, or 52 Alan MacCarthy, "Call to Cooperation," National University Extension Association Proceedings, 1967, p. 98. 32 could b e , made available bo the alumni community. Diekoff expressed his hopes for the future of alumni education most eloquently when he stated: ...When the urban university fully recognizes that college graduates however clearly stamped "A.B.", have not mastered for a lifetime the sum of human wisdom and that not all of them have lost their appetite for learning, it will establish through its evening college an “Alumni University." When it finds the right way to do this, the stimulating way to work with those to whom not the future but the present is entrusted, its activities will "tend much to increase learning and civility" in its comnunity. It will provide for college graduates as well as for other current citizens opportunities for an occasional personal renaissance. The renaissance of custodians of the present could be the renaissance of America. As naive as Gulliver, I expect them to do it. I confidently expect alumni associations the country over to insist that their Alma Maters treat their members as adults, credit them with intellectual interests, recognize their learning readiness, afford them opportunities to poke their minds into renewed activity, to keep up to date in their specialized knowledge, to restore their culture to the level of their twentieth year, and to revive the social conscience with which they voted in their first elections. And I expect the evening colleges of urban universities to respond to their pressure. For these, to use Gulliver's phrase, are the reformations “plainly deducible from the precepts delivered."53 Theoretical Bases of Perception as Defined in this Study The adult educator has a vital role to play in the task of strength­ ening and promoting the concept of continuous life-long learning. It seems evident in our presently changing and complex society, the tradi­ tional formal schooling of yesteryear is not sufficient to provide man with the intellectual skills required to satisfy his needs and desires, therefore continuing education should be related to the life-long processes 53 John S. Diekhoff, "The Alumni University," The Journal of Higher Education. Volume 28, October, 1957, pp. 360-361. 33 of human development: and the satisfaction of human needs. In a sense, continuing education can be defined in terms of human development and its relationship to human need. Professional adult educators should search for ways to respond to the changing complex needs of people and to do so within the framework of their total growth and development. Both as individuals and as contributors to the larger society the programs adult educators develop and operate must translate into action the idea of fulfilling human needs. Lawrence K. Frank eiqplains it this way: ...the adult educator needs to be more aware of individuality, to respect its expression by persons, as essential to valid communication and productive relationships. Adult educators should be especially responsive to each person and solicitous of that individual's way of t h i nking.^ While this study is not directly concerned with either the needs of adults, or their growth and development as such, these are factors that must be considered if adult educators are to be sensitive and responsive to adults. This study attempts to deal with a specific segment of the adult society, college alumni, to examine the perceptions they have of the functions of an interuniversity regional center charged with providing continuing educa­ tion services. It is also concerned with selected factors that relate to how college alumni will formulate their perceptions of the Center. Perception is a term with various meanings. Bartley quotes several dictionary definitions as follows: (1) perception is any act or process of knowing objects, facts, or truths, whether by sense experience or by thought; awareness of objects; consciousness. (2) Reference of sensation to an Lawrence K. Frank, "Introduction" Psychological Needs of Adults, A Symposium by Gardner Murphy & Raymond Kuhlen, Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1955, p. 2. 34 external object. (3) am immediate or intuitive cognition or judgement; an insight analogous to sense perception in respect of immediacy and the feeling of certainty accompanying it, and often inv>lying nice observation, or subtle discrimination.55 These definitions of the common usage of the term "perception** illustrate its diverse meaning. The literature in the field of psych­ ology provides an even greater range of definitions several of which are presented here to provide the reader with examples of the broad usage of the term. James defines perception as "Consciousness of particular material things present to sense."56 Seashore states that "sensation and perception together constitute sensory experience."57 Boring, Lang- feld, and Weld in Foundations of Psychology state, "perception is the first event in the chain which leads from stimulus to action," also, "that perception is the experience of objects and events which are here, now," and, "perception is always a response to some change or difference in the CD environment." It is not the intent of this study to deal with each of these definitions, but to relate to perception in the sense that the perceptual field in which a person functions determines his behavior. The definition used as a theoretical base for this study as stated by Combs is as follows: ^Bartley, op. c i t . , pp. 8-9. 56William James, Principles of Psychology, (New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1892), p. 76. 57 Carl Seashore, Introduction to Psychology, (New York: The Mac­ Millan Company, 1924), p. 85. 58 Edwin G. Boring, Herbert S. Langfeld, and Harry P. Weld, Founda­ tions of Psychology, (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1948), p. 216. 35 ...People do not: behave according to the facts as others see them, they behave according to the facts as they see them.... These personal meanings which govern behavior the psychologist calls perceptions.59 Combs further states that: ...all behavior^ without exception, is completely determined by, and pertinent to, the perceptual field of the behaving organism... .^ Many theories have been advanced relative to certain aspects of perceiving. Allport in his Theories of Perception and the Concept of Structure^ lists thirteen separate theories. From a review of the litera­ ture of the theories of perception, the writer has selected three major theories of perception as particularly relevant to this study, namely transactional theory. Gestalt theory and the directive-state theory. Transactional Theory The transactional theory defines perception as the "process by which a particular person, from his particular behavioral center, attributes significances to his immediate environmental situation." following constructs explicate this 1. 62 The definition: The facts of perception always present themselves through concrete individuals dealing with concrete situations. 59 Arthur W. Combs and Donald Snygg, Individual Behavior, (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1949), p. 17. 60 Ibid. , p. 20. 61 Floyd Allport, Theories of Perception and the Concept of Structure, (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1955), p. 15. 62 William P. Ittelson and Hadley Cantril, Perception: A Tran­ sactional Approach, (New York: Random House, 1954), quoted in Perceptions, Its Relation to Educational Administration, ed. Daniel E. Griffiths, (Columbus, Ohio: University Council for Educational Administration) p. 2. 36 2. Perceiving is always done by a particular person from his own unique position in space and time and with his own combination of experiences and needs. 3. Each of us, through perceiving, creates for himself his own psychological environment by attributing certain aspects of his eiqierience.®-* Transactional theory suggests that past experiences play an important role in perceiving and also gives a central place to the directionality of the perceiver and looks upon, perception as a guide to action. In this study eiqperience will be investigated as one factor related to how college alumni perceive a regional center. Gestalt Theory Gestalt psychologists have dealt with the problems of individual behavior utilizing the "phenomenological" approach to psychology. This approach seeks to understand the behavior of the individual from his own point of view therefore Gestaltists discuss a perceived situation in relation to the individual's perceptual field. Combs states, "By the per­ ceptual field, we mean the entire universe, including himself, as it is experienced by the individual at the instant of action." 64 Combs indicates, ...although the content and form of organization vary from individual to individual and from time to time, the per­ ceptual field always has direction, it is always organized and meaningful..Our perceptions are never masses of meaning­ less and unrelated stimuli....at any given time, the field of a given individual is organized with reference to his need and the activity by which he is trying to satisfy his need at the time.65 63Ibid, p. 86. ^ C a m b s , op. cit. , p. 20. 6^Ibid., pp. 23-24. 37 Heule suggests that need will be expressed in terms of how one perceives the situation since "expression is an integral part of the perceptual process." 66 The Gestaltists further believe that "what is perceived is what we have learned to perceive as a result of our past experiences." 67 For the purpose of this study past experience and need will be included as factors related to perception. In relation to the Gestalt theory, this study seeks to learn how things "seem" to the individual from his frame of reference; or, more specifically, how do college alumni see the regional center from their individual points of view. Directive-State Theory The directive— state theory of perception developed by Bruner and Postman is one of the earliest forms of social psychology's contribution to perception. Bartley states that according to this theory: ...perception is based upon two sharply contrasting factors: the structural and the behavioral.... The second set, or the behavioral determinants, stem from higher-level processes, those having to do with other features of psychological activity. These processes carry the effects of past experience in general and include the organism's needs, tensions, value systems, and biases.* 66 Mary Heule (Ed.), Documents of Gestalt Psychology University of California Press, 1961), p. 312. 67 (Berkeley: Ibid., p. 85. 68 B.S. Bruner and L. Postman, "Symbolic Value as an Organizing Factor in Perception" Journal of Social Psychology, 1948, p. 203, Volume 27. 69 Bartley, op. cit., pp. 17-18. * (Tensions, value systems, biases and punishment are not investigated as influencing factors in this study.) 38 In further discussion of social perception, particularly as it pertains to the directive-state theory, Allport suggests that need deter­ mines, within limits, what a subject will perceive^conceptually, what experiences will be manifested in his perceptions. reality based on his experiences. He will interact with Thus, an individual's perceptions will be related to his needs and what he has experienced. Areas of Agreement The three theories of perception described; transactional. Gestalt, and directive-state, suggest some agreement concerning the factors that seem to influence how a person perceives. The transactional theory places major emphasis on the experiences one has had that create his psychological environment, and suggests that present perceptual experiences involve a total complex of significances. larly composed. All previous experiences have been simi­ Therefore, all previous experiences will be brought to the present experiential occasion and play a major role in determining how th occasion is experienced. Transaction will take place in that one will externalize his perceptions based on his needs and will direct his actions accordingly. The GestaltiBt, like the transactionalist, stresses the importance of one's experience to the process of perceiving. This theory also re­ cognizes the importance of the individual's needs as an influencing factor in perception, and agrees with the transactional theory that perception has direction. 70 Directive-state theory, in agreement with both the Gestalt Allport, op. cit., p. 78. 39 and transactional theories, emphasizes the influence experience and need have on perceiving. Selected Factors Related to Perception Three perceptual theories which appear to have relevance for this study have been discussed. Prom these three theories two factors that influence how people perceive, namely, experience and need, have been ex­ tracted based on the following criteria: 1) commonality among the three aforementioned theories, 2) all are measurable, 3) data can be obtained, 4) all can be analyzed, and 5) they will contribute to a better understandin< of perception. The two factors, experience and need, in the following paragraphs are: a) described in general terms, and b) are supported by additional statements from the literature in terms of how they relate to perception. 1. Experience Generally, personal experience provides the individual with a frame of reference for perceiving, or as Combs indicates, “What is perceived is what we have learned to perceive as a result of our previous experiences....^ Commenting further on experience, Combs states, "the perceptions possible to any individual will be limited, in part, by the individual's direct 72 experience of the environmental factors to which he has been exposed." 7^Combs, op. clt., p. 88. 72 Ibid., p. 83. 40 2. Need Need implies reference to need. the necessity for something. In Trow states: The person "wants or needs things and conditions that are in the environment with which he has become acquainted, ^ and which he knows has potentialities for satisfying him. '* Further relationship between how one perceives and his needs is stated by Combs: ...man is an insatiably striving organism forever seeking the maintenance and enhancement of the self....His perceptions enable him to be aware and to behave in ways which lead to the satisfaction of his fundamental need. We would expect, then, that an individual's needs would have profound effects on his perceptions, and this is exactly what proves to be so. Frank has stated, "The adult educator needs to become more aware of individuality, to respect its expression by persons, as essential to valid communication and productive relationships." 75 This suggests the adult educator must be aware of the concerns of potential program parti­ cipants. For the person who has not done so in the past participation in continuing education programs requires a change in his behavior. To bring about such a change in the individual's behavior, it has been stated it is necessary to change that person's perceptual field. To accomplish this task will require the adult educator to be knowledgeable of the factors that are related to the formulation of an individual's perceptual field. 73. William C. Trow, Psychology in Teaching and Learning, (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1960), p. 286. 74 75 Combs, op. cit., p. 54. Frank, op. cit., p . 2. 41 Further Delineation of Experience and Need as Factors Related to Perception The psychological literature reviewed provides the theoretical basis for this study that experience and need are related to the formulation of one's perceptions. It is necessary, however, to further delineate ex­ perience and need as factors in how a person perceives as related to this study. All of the college alumni sampled will have had college experience at one of the three institutions involved in this study; or perhaps at two of the universities, or possibly all three. Since the purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions college alumni have of a regional center, the specific deduction from perceptual theory, is that college experience which alumni have had, and their experiences with the regional center will influence their perceptions of that center. In addition, whatever perceived needs college alumni have for continuing their educa­ tion, and particularly those needs they feel the center might provide, will serve as in influencing factor on their perceptions. Experience, Need, Participation and Adult Education Participants The literature reveals little information on college experience, participation, and needs as related to college alumni. literature does report However, the a number of studies that examine the known re­ lationship that exists between experience, participation, need, and adult education participants. The research studies reported and litera­ ture reviewed is for the purpose of extrapolating those relevant findings that could be applied (generally) to college alumni in relation to the influence that experience, participation, need, and personal factors might possibly have on their perceptions. In this study specific attention is not given to each of the findings reported, but descriptions are 42 presented to provide the reader with background information. Experience and Adult Education Participants The three universities that sponsor the regional center have a substantial number of alumni living in the geographical area serviced by the Center. These college alumni have been exposed to and given the opportunity for a college education. However, it would appear that many of these alumni are apathetic to the process of continuing their educa­ tion. According to Ecklund: ...the crucial education of Americans is thus effectively terminated just as they reach the most critical and responsible phase of life, just as they become voting citizens, professional workers and aspiring parents. They approach the most vital responsibilities of their lives with an education which will shortly become obsolete and with little if any awareness of the essentiality of continuing their education if they are to achieve an optimum degree of their po t e n t i a l . ^ Presumably, the college student develops some notion toward continuing education while in his undergraduate years; but, it is conceivable he may not give the concept of life-long learning any consideration at all. Ideally, universities would build into a student's curriculum experiences that would provide the opportunity for exposure to, and understanding of this concept. Dewey expressed the notion, "that the educational experience should provide the individual with attitudes and desires that will lead him to continue his learning experience." 77 From this theoretical notion Brown 76 Lowell R. Ecklund, "The Alumni University— Education's New Frontier," Adult Education, Spring 1961, p. 6. 77 John Dewey, Experience and Education, (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1938), p. 122. 43 postulated the hypothesis, "that the extent and quality of continuing education of the college alumnus has a significant, positive relationship to the quality of his undergraduate collegiate experience." 78 Brown selected two groups of alumni on the basis of their collegiate experience. The alumni in one of the groups were presumed to have had an average type of undergraduate college experience. The other group was made up of alumni whose undergraduate college experience was presumed to be superior to that of the average alumnus. The study involved ranking of over 800 colleges and universities according to the number of scholars they had produced from 1946 to 1951. The alumni from the two groups were selected in a random manner, but in such a way as to have an equal number of men and women in each sample. Distribution according to age was arranged; also alumni were matched according to the curriculum pursued during college, Conclusions drawn from the study were as follows; 1. Both the qualitative and the quantitative dimensions of continuing education of college alumni are significantly related to a high quality of collegiate education. 2. Some evidence was produced that a close relationship exists between the quality of educational experience in college and the quality and extent of educational life that follows college. 3. The older alumni as a group were more actively involved in educational activities than were the younger. 4. Comparisons made between older alumni and younger alumni on the quality of their educational experience showed no con­ sistent trend favoring either group. 78 Alan M. Brown, "College Experience and Continuing Education Activity," The Continuing Learner, ed. Daniel Soloman, (Chicago; Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1964), p. 41. 79 Ibid., pp. 42-43. 44 5. Women as a group were more actively engaged in educational pursuits than men. 6. Women ranked higher than men on the quality of experience. 80 These findings would lead one to expect that the collegiate experience of college alumni would have not only an effect on their knowledge of and participation in continuing education activities, but since knowledge and experience influence perceptions, they would also influence the perceptions college alumni would have of the educational enterprise offering such pro­ grams. According to Kelley: ...Perception and its resulting reality is definitely related to wholes. We extract meaning from our surroundings as a whole. This meaning is as broad as life itself. This appears to be related to the Gestalt theory of wholeness and the possibility that the whole of one's college experience relates to the perceptions one makes. That the level of education achieved by an in­ dividual will influence his future educational activity has been well docu­ mented. Johnstone's study reports, "that the results show convincingly that the more education one has, the more likely it is that one will 82 engage in additional learning experiences.” For purposes of this study this suggests that a possible relationship exists between the level of education a person achieves and the knowledge or perception one has of an educational institution or the opportunities they provide. 80 Further Ibid., p. 52. 81 Earl C. Kelley, Education For What is Real, (New York: Harper and Row, 1947), p. 64. 82 John W.C. Johnstone and Raymond J. Rivera, Volunteers for Learning, (Chicago: The Aldine Publishing Company, 1965), p. 96. 45 evidence was reported by Seaman and Schroeder with their conclusion that there is a positive relationship between a person's level of education and the extent to which an individual participates in educative behavior. 83 The three perceptual theories described earlier in this chapter, i.e. transactional. Gestalt and directive-state theory all support the effect of past experience on perception. This suggests that the college experience alumni have had will influence their perceptions of a continuing educa­ tion center sponsored by their alma mater. This premise further suggests that universities should take advantage of the influence they exert on the college student to instill a desire and concern for continuing their educa­ tion upon graduation. Brown has pointed out that, ...If it is true that certain kinds of collegiate education are productive of a higher level of continuing education for the individual, institutions of higher learning committed to promoting continuing education for their alumni should examine and evaluate their education p u r p o s e . Participation and Adult Education Participants A second factor that relates to the perceptions college alumni will formulate of a regional center is the pattern of experience they have had in the past with the center. Educators, particularly adult educators, use the term participation in reference to involvement in Don F. Seaman and Wayne L. Schroeder, "The Relationship Between Extent of Educative Behavior by Adults and Their Attitude Toward Con­ tinuing Education," Adult Education Journal, Volume XX, No. 2, 1970, p. 104. 84 Brown, op. c i t ., p . 54. 46 events, programs, or activities whose primary purpose is educational in nature. Douglah has suggested that participation has certain universal properties. Among these are: 1. There is a quantitative dimension to participation. 2. There is a qualitative dimension to participation. 3. The act of participation is usually a means toward an end. 85 These declarations have particular relevance for this study in reference to participation by the Center. by college alumni For college alumni in the programs and activities offered to express how well they think a regional center is performing its functions calls for a qualitative judg­ ment, and for alumni to reveal the number of experiences they have had at a center relates to the quantitative dimension of participation. In addi­ tion, participation is usually considered an instrument for satisfying a goal which a person deems desirable. Generally, the first experiences adults have with continuing education are typically job-related ones. 86 Since American society has been traditionally a work-oriented society, participation in work related education is generally accepted by the American adult. This suggests that those alumni who have participated in programs at the University Center, did so because of their jobs or professional careers, and would further suggest that alumni would participate in center program offerings to per­ petuate job-related or professional growth, or to satisfy a need. This 85 Mohammad Douglah, "Some Perspectives on the Phenomenon of Participation," Adult Education Journal, Volume XX, No. 2, 1970, pp. 90-91. John W.C. Johnstone, "Adult Uses of Education: Fact or Forecast," Sociological Background of Adult Education, (Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1964), p. 114. 47 study seeks to determine the anticipated participation level of alumni in reference to not only job and professionally related areas, but for other educational program areas as well. An interesting study by Love presented findings and implications germane to the participation of adults in educational activities. Love employed motivation research through depth interviews to determine the psychological steps an individual experiences before making the decision to pursue educational courses. The findings reported the need for the existence of certain conditions, among which were the following: 1. The individual has to know of a specific course offering. 2. The individual attention must focus on a definite institu­ tion of l e a n i n g in terms of its prestige and general clientele. The results of Love’s study seem to suggest that college alumni would participate in programs if they were aware of program offerings that could aid them in resolving a problem. It further suggests that the attention of the alumnus must be focused on one of the three uni­ versities supporting the center if he is to participate in program activity. One might suspect this would be particularly true of professional school alumni who often appear to have a close relationship with their alma mater. It is assumed that adults continue to enroll in adult education classes because doing so results in the achievement of desired satisfactions by the adult learner. As indicated by Houle 88 and Sheffield, 89 the 87 Robert Love, "The Use of Motivation Research to Determine Interest in Adult College-Level Training," Educational Record, 32:217-218, July, 1953. 88 Cyril O. Houle, "Who Stays and Why?" Adult Education, 14:225233, Summer, 1964. 89 Sherman B. Sheffield, "The Orientations of Adult Continuing Learners The Continuing Learner, Daniel Lokman, (ed.) (Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1964), p. 2. 48 specific satisfactions or combinations of satisfactions that influence continuing education by adults vary substantially from person to person, whatever the satisfactionsr those who achieve them at a high level would be expected to persist in adult education to a greater extent than those who achieve fewer satisfactions. While the author's study does not deal with satisfaction levels directly the results of these studies suggest that if college alumni have taken courses or participated in programs offered by a center, their perceptions of how well a center is doing its job might be related to the level of satisfaction they gained from their experiences. One of the most consistent findings in educational participation research is the relatively high association between participation and level of formal education. Douglah, in a study collaborating with Gwenna Moss, attempted to look at factors associated with participation within groups of low and high educational levels. 90 The factors relevant to Douglah's study were background factors such as; sex, age, enployment status, level of occupation, level of income, and marital status. It was concluded that differences in participation cannot be accounted for by a common set of factors. Wiegand made a study to determine factors related to participation m continuing education among a selected group of graduate engineers. 91 90 Mohammad Douglah and Gwenna Moss, "Differential Participation Patterns of Adults of Low and High Educational Attainment," Adult Educa­ tion, 28:247-259, Summer, 1968. 91 Richard Wiegand, "Factors Related to Participation in Continuing Education Among A Selected Group of Graduate Engineers," (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Florida State University, 1966). 49 The study attempted to determine the extent of participation in continu­ ing education over a s xteen-year period among those in the sample, and to determine relationships between participation and specific characteristic of the participants. Characteristics of participants were categorized into: 1) educational background, 2) job-related factors, 3) geographical factors and 4) personal factors. Participation was studied from the point of view of three major types of activity: 1) course work, 2) professional activities and 3) self-directed learning. Results showed significant re­ lationships between participation in formal credit work and fifteen of the twenty-four variables or characteristics. Specifically, the significant factors that are relevant for the writer's study are as follows: 1. Year of graduation— participation steadily increased from oldest classes to more recent ones. 2. College proximity— e.g., 45.7 percent who were near a college participated while 35.2 percent who were not participated. 3. Marital status— e.g., 66.7 percent of single persons participated while 39.9 percent of married persons participated. 4. Age— e.g., 56.3 percent of the under-thirty group partici­ pated with steadily decreasing rates in each higher age group. In this study it is anticipated there will be a relationship between alumni participation in program activity they believe the center should be offering and recency of degree, marital status and age. Neither college- nor center-proximity were tested in this study; however, Wiegand*s study suggests that those alumni living in closest proximity to the center will make greater use of its services than those alumni living farther away. Verner states that "accessibility and proximity to educational programs appear to influence participation; therefore, residents of rural areas 50 participate less in formally organized programs. 92 The assumption cam be made that proximity, particularly as related to the regional center, might possibly influence the perceptions alumni have of a center, and perhaps should be studied in future research. Probably one of the more extensive research efforts related to participation in adult education was the study of the educational pursuits of American adults by Johnstone and Rivera, conducted in 1962. 93 Their report, Volunteers for Learning, presents findings of the National Opinion Research Center's on-going inquiry into the nature of adult education in America. The study had as its central focus the educational experiences of the American population following termination of regular full-time attendance at a school or college. The organization of the investigation involved four distinct phases of inquiry. 1. The task of providing a general description of the nature and scope of adult participation in formal and informal educational pursuits of all kinds. 2. An examination of the social and social psychological factors which help explain whatever patterns of educational be­ havior were observed in the first phase of the study. 3. Same analytic considerations as Phase II, but with attention focused specifically on young people between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four. 4. The nature of facilities for adult education in "typical urban centers." 92 Coolie Verner and John S. Mayberry, Jr., "The Nature of Adult Participation," Adult Education, (Washington: Adult Education Association of the United States, 1965), p. 13. Johnstone and Rivera, pp. XXV and XXVI of general introduction. 51 These four phases of inquiry represent a unified and broadly based study of activities and sentiments of the American public concerning adult education. Except for the final phase of the study, the investigation was national in its focus. The study was developed chiefly around a national sample survey involving three stages. The first stage, designed to yield basic informa­ tion on adult education activity, was carried out by means of household screeing interviews in which a responsible adult reported on the educa­ tional activities of all members of the household. A probability sample of 13,293 households was drawn for this stage of the study. The second and third stages of the survey design focused on more intensive information concerning educational experiences. Here they used personal interviews of approximately one hour's length taken with sub­ samples of individuals drawn from the original sample of households. The fourth phase of the study took form as a separate field operation, con­ sisting in itself of two distinct stages. First, a stage in which in­ ventories of educational facilities were taken in four middle-sized cities, and second, a phase in which random samples of adults were interviewed in two of these four centers. The principal findings are presented in response to specific questions asked in the study: 1. How many adults engage in educational activities after they terminate their formal schooling? a. The answer hinges on the definition one applies to educational activity. b. As defined in this study, approximately 25 million adults are active in one or another form of learning during a twelve-month period. c. Fifteen percent or more them seventeen million persons were enrolled in courses on a part-time basis. 52 2. 3. 4. d. Twenty-five million were fulltime students. e. Close to nine million engaged in independent study. f. Sixty-one percent of all adults interviewed had been involved in some form of learning activity, as defined by this study, sometime in their adult lives. What types of subjects do adults study? a. Studies were primarily non-credit with the subject matter overwhelmingly non-academic. b. Thirty-three percent of learning activities were voca­ tional, twenty percent were recreational, twelve percent were academic and three percent current events. c. The emphasis is on practical applied knowledge and skills rather than theoretical or philosophical concerns. Where do adults go to take courses? a. Fifty-six percent were outside of formal educational institutions. b. in terms of overall number, more adults had studied in churches and synagogues than in any other type of institution. What are adult education participants a. 5. They are younger than the average a median age of 36.5. like? American adult with b. Men and women are about equally divided. c. They are better educated than the average adult with an average of 12.2 years of school. d. They consist mostly of white-collar or blue-collar workers with median family income $1,200 higher than average. e. The majority live in large urban areas, particularly in the suburbs. How do family responsibilities affect rates of learning activity? a. Older men and women were virtually identical in their rates. b. Young mothers were less involved than non-mothers. 53 6. 7. c. Young fathers were more involved than non-fathers mainly due to the emphasis on vocational training. d. Young fathers were more involved than young mothers. Why do adults take courses? a. Younger adults more often take courses for job-centered reasons. b. Older persons more likely take courses simply for general knowledge. c. Leisure-centered reasons are also prevalent but the importance varies with different age groups. d. Women enroll more often in response to home and family life and leisure-time interests. e. In addition, women are more likely to take course to meet new and interesting people. f. Some take courses simply to escape daily routine. What factors are associated with the persistence of learning interest during adult life? a. Learning interest fell off continuously in each older age group and the rate was an accelerating one. b. The effect of education on learning was equally dramatic with a sharp difference between those with little educa­ tion and those who had attended sixteen years or more. c. Parents' educational attainment also influenced positively the interest of the person.94 Specific attention is not given in this study to the findings of Johnstone's national survey; however, the results provide important back­ ground information concerning the participation patterns of American adults in adult education. 94 Ibid., pp. 1-17. 54 Studies that deal more specifically with university extension participants reveal similar findings. Participants attending programs offered by extensions are extremely varied in their characteristics. The range in age is from the late teens to the seventies with a heavy concentration in the twenties and thirties. 95 Morton's study of extension participants found that most of the users of university extension services were men and women of mature age. The median age for the nation as a whole was 34 years.96 It was also found that men outnumber women and that the participants in university extension are considerably better educated them the average of the total population.9^ The largest single occupational category was that of teachers, with workers from business and industry only slightly less numerous.99 While participation in adult education activities has been a problem of significant proportions for some time the necessity for pro­ fessional refurbishing of adults of all ages, sexes, and occupations, and the pressures of automation are causing older adults of both sexes and citizens from various work orientations to increase their partici­ pation in adult education. It appears from the studies that have been made of the different variables related to participation in continuing education programs that the eiqphasis has been mostly on the personal and 95 96 Verner, op. c i t ., p. 10. Morton, op. cit., p. 88. 97Ibid. 98 , Ibid., p. 89. 55 social components. Kreitlow, in his review of adult education research areas needing attention, states, "while the concern for the problem of participation and for the values to accrue from the resolution of this problem are emphasized in the literature, actual participation studies have not often gone beyond the mere enumeration of gross participation." 99 A basic question that can be asked is, why do people participate? Need and Adult Education Participation From a review of the literature it would appear that the satis­ faction of basic needs is the motivating force for participation in con­ tinuing education programs. In this study, it is expected that there is a relationship between the perceptions held by college alumni of the regional Center and their educational needs. This suggests that alumni will perceive the Center differently if they have educational needs they think the Center can or should satisfy, than if they do not. Since research in adult education supports the notion of a relationship between level of education and participation, it can be suggested that the more highly educated an individual is, the greater the possibility that he will seek personal improvement through education. Therefore, it appears that college alumni as a group should be interested in pursuing addi­ tional education dependent upon their individual needs. Bergevin has concluded that: »>an effective program of adult education should consider 99 Burton W. Kreitlow, Relating Adult Education to Other Disciplines, (Cooperative Research Project No. E-012; Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1964), p. 73. 56 the needs and related interests of the adult learner and attenqpt to discover and meet his real needs as well as the needs of his social order. a number of models have emerged from adult education research in reference to the needs of adults. According to Douglah: ...one of the most widely used approaches is the familiar need satisfaction model. This model simply contends that all people have some basic needs which they must satisfy. Therefore, they tend to be attracted toward and feel more involved in activities which they see as having good chances of satisfying their needs. An individual's decision to participate or not will, thus, depend upon whether the sponsoring agency is able to provide him with opportunities which he sees as making a contribution toward satisfying one or more of his personal needs. One can speculate from this model that if college alumni have needs which they must satisfy, their participation in center activities, and also their perceptions of center activities, will be dependent upon whether they feel the center can provide the programs and activities necessary to satisfy their needs. wientge developed a model for the analysis of continuing educa­ tion for adults to determine logical areas of need for additional offerings. 102 Basically, it focuses on the development of the adult life cycle separated into ten-year periods. A description follows: ...Twenties and under— this group contains the young adults who work fulltime. Many are married. Continuing education is a vehicle for vocational improvement with this group. Finding a mate, home and a job is a major undertaking. 100Paul Bergevin, A Philosophy for Adult Education, (New York: The Seabury Press, 1967), p. 141. 101 102 Douglah, op. c i t ., p. 92. King M. Wientge, "A Model for the Analysis of Continuing Education for Adults," Adult Education, Volume XVI, No. 4, Summer, 1966. 57 Thirties— Members of adult students courses. If they program they will Their focus is on of this decade compose the largest percentage enrolled in degree or certificate credit have already completed a formal educational attend refresher and upgrading programs. job and home improvement and on family growth. Forties— Adults in the forties are more likely to engage in a variety of continuing education pursuits as recognized status activities to aid in the maintenance and enhancement of their life roles. In the Rogerian sense there is movement in the direction of self-actualization. Fifties— The fifties for most adults is the age of acceptance of a certain status q u o . The goals and activities are oriented toward holding on and achieving continued recognition while at the same time thoughts creep ahead to the demands of the next decade. Continuing education activities in this decade are more likely to be concerned with such things as world affairs and community planning,and the arts and humanities. Sixties— In this decade adults exhibit increasing concern with matters of planning for successful career termination and the transformation into retirement. This group is increasing in numbers. Little is known about optimal continuing education for them. Government medical programs will serve to add to physical longevity. An inportant function for continuing educa­ tion may well be to add to intellectual longevity. Seventy-plus— Living in retirement is the main preoccupation for adults in this decade. Mow to participate in retirement activities that are rewarding and stimulating is a major concern. For the adult educator or regional center director planning educa­ tional programs for college alumni, utilizing Wientge*s model should be helpful in analyzing the needs of adults based on a decade development scale. The model also suggests the concerns adults have at various age levels that may affect their perceptions of their educational needs. Per­ ceived educational needs of college alumni are investigated in this study. The system of needs developed by Maslow is also constructed along developmental lines and helps to explain some of the changes that take place in behavior between birth and maturity. According to Maslow, all human needs can be classified under the following headings: 58 ...Physiological needs. The needs 'that must be satisfied if the biological processes of the organism are to be maintained. These needs naturally assume a certain priority, inasmuch as the very existence of the organism depends on their satisfaction. Safety needs. The needs to protect the organism against the dangers of the environment are second only to the physiological needs. The individual needs, furthermore, to feel some degree of security— to feel some kind of assurance that he will be protected from danger and that his physiological processes will be maintained. Love and attention. The need to share some kind of close, emotional satisfying relationship with another person is an important one during adult years. During the early years of development, the emphasis is on receiving, rather than giving, love and attention. Esteem needs. These are the socialized needs— the need for self-respect, self-esteem, and the esteem of others, as well as the need to feel useful and necessary to others. Needs for self-actualization. These include man's desire for self-fulfillment— that is, his need to realize his best potentials and to achieve the ideals and aims he has set for himself. It is interesting to note that the needs in Maslow's list are arranged in ascending order from the most primitive to the most socialized and from the most simple to the most complex. Maslow's need hierarchy enables us to understand the nature of human needs; and it suggests that based upon transactional theory the individual will perceive from his particular behavioral center the significant factors in his environmental situation. The models reviewed stress the importance for the adult educa­ tor to concern himself with the needs of his clientele in relation to a variety of developmental and environmental factors. However, many psychological variables are involved when an individual is concerned with 103 ^ Abraham H. Maslow, Motivation and Personality, (New York: Harper and Row, 1954), pp. 82-85. 59 satisfying personal needs. Several studies reveiwed are based on the assumption that adults enroll because doing so results in achieving satisfaction of needs. The following studies illustrate that needs vary from study to study with no consistent use of any specific theory. Houle studied a group of twenty-two adults who were described as continuing learners. This was the only characteristic they had in common, 1 otherwise they varied considerably in sex, race, age, national origin, social status, religion, marital condition and level of formal education. Houle identified three sub-groups: 1) goal-oriented— those who use educa­ tion as a means of accomplishing fairly clear-cut objectives; 2) activityoriented- -those who take part because they find in the circumstances of learning a meaning which has no necessary connection; and 3) learningoriented— those who seek, knowledge for its own sake. 105 The fulfillment of needs is the implied rationale for the attendance for each group. For example, the reasons given for attending by the goal- oriented group were to get ahead on the job, to fulfill personal goals, or to obtain information that would help in a specific situation. The activity-oriented person gave reasons unrelated to the course content, but fulfillment of personal needs was implied. However, the learning- oriented person attended because of a desire to know and to choose and 104 Cyril Houle, The Inquiring M i n d , (Madison, Wisconsin; University of Wisconsin Press, 1961), p. 13. 105 Ibid., pp. 15-16. 60 make decisions in terms of potential for growth.106 Sheffield, using Houle's concepts of learning orientations, tested the validity of the hypothesis that there is a direct relationship between the extent to which continuing education conference participants engage in adult education and the degree to which they are characterized by one of the orientations.^0^ the hypothesis. The results provided evidence for partically accepting A positive relationship was found between the extent to which the learning and the personal-goal orientations are held and the extent to which adults participate in learning activities, but no signi­ ficant relationship was found between the other orientations and the extent of learning undertaken. The individual orientations that emerged were: 1) learning orientation, 2) sociability orientation, 3) personalgoal orientation, 4) societal-goal orientation and 5) need-fulfillment orientation. The fulfillment of needs is implied in each of these orienta­ tions . In a study conducted by Dobbs of self-perceived needs of adults in a declining and in a non-declining community, comparisons were made with a view toward determining how these data could be used in initiating a program which will meet the educational needs of adults in both com­ munities.106 Evidence was provided in the findings of this study that adults in both the declining and non-declining community aspired to a 106 Ibid., pp. 16-25. 107 Sheffield, op. cit., p. 22. 106 Ralph C. Dobbs, "Self-Perceived Educational Need of Adults," Adult Education, Volume XVI, No. 2, Winter, 1966. 61 more rewarding life than they now have. The most frequently-expressed dominant aim of adults interviewed was of an economic nature; however twenty percent of those interviewed expressed their dominant aim to be of an educational nature. These findings complement the generally accepted principle suggested by Smith and McKinley, M c C l u s k y , ^ ^ and Essert,^-^ that apathy and lack of participation can be overcome if continuing education programs are directed toward the interests and needs of the people adult education wants to attract. Since need basically determines what persons will perceive and how they will behave, it is necessary in developing programs in adult education to stimulate an individual's desire for continued learning throughout li f e . The perceptions a person holds of an educational enter­ prise will be related to the needs he has and the possibilities for satisfying such needs. In addition such needs will influence his per­ ceptions of continuing education and what continuing education can do for him. Hopefully, his need or level of interest will motivate him toward continuing education action. 109 M.R. Smith and John McKinley, "An Institutional Approach to Adult Education in the Community," Adult Education, 6:25-26, Autumn, 1955. 110 Howard Y. McClusky, "Community Influences and Adult Learning," Adult Education, 8:103-105, Winter, 1958. Ill Paul L. Essert, Creative Leadership, (Mew York: PrenticeHall, Inc., 1951), p. 224. 62 Summary of Related Literature This chapter reviews studies and literature relevant to this in­ vestigation. Three general topics were surveyed: namely, the historical and philosophical background of extension education, the historical and philosophical background of alumni education, and perception as a theoretics bases for this study. The literature relating the historical and philosophical background of extension education and alumni education was reviewed to trace the development of both facets of education, and to illustrate the need for each phase— not as separate entities— but as a combined area of concern for the adult educator, and particularly for the adult educator involved in higher adult education. It was suggested that a model for implementing extension education directed toward a specific segment of the population— college alumni— exists in the regional center concept of higher continuing education. Alumni perception of a regional center was identified as the purpose for the study. From the theories of perception, three theories were reviewed as being relevant to this particular investigation; namely, directive-state. Gestalt, and transactional. The factors extracted from perceptual theories that relate to how one perceives were experience and need. It was established that both college experience and center participation would be used as educational needs as a relevant forms of experience, and perceived representative of need. The final phase of the revi< concentrated on research studies and literature concerned with experience, participation and need, and their relationship to adult education partici­ pants . 63 The literature suggests that one's college experience, level of education, recency of degree and certain demographic factors are related to participation in adult education activities. It further suggests that participation is largely based on educational needs. Since a regional center provides continuing education activities, it can be infer­ red that experience and need will likewise influence one's perception of a regional center. CHAPTER III RESEARCH DESIGN Introduction The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions college alumni have of a continuing education regional center as related to factors influencing their perceptions i namely, experience and need. Experience and need will be investigated in terms of the college experience of college alumni, their center participation, and their perceived educa­ tional needs. A secondary purpose is to compare the perceptions of the regional center held by college alumni on the basis of alumni from the three institutions involved in the study. Sample This study used a systematic random sample drawn from a restricted universe. The universe of possible respondents was defined as college alumni of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan living in four selected counties in Southwestern Michigan, i.e., Kent, Ionia, Allegan, and Ottawa. The universe was selected because it provided the most feasible approach to investigating alumni perceptions of the regional center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, since the four counties selected are all served by the three institutions 64 65 sponsoring the Center. In the present study the sampling unit was defined as any alumnus of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and the Uni­ versity of Michigan. A systematic random sample, stratified by institu­ tion, of 5 percent of the total population for each institution was selected from mailing lists provided by the three universities. A twenty percent over-run was instituted to allow for estimated loss due to in­ accurate mailing lists provided by the university alumni offices. Thus, a common fraction of l/20th was applied to the total universe less the twenty percent over-run. This procedure called for the selection of every seventeenth name from the lists. from numbers one to seventeen. to the sampling unit. A random start was then selected A total of 1,050 questionnaires was sent Individual university questionnaires mailed were as follows: 1. Western Michigan University — 301 2. Michigan State University — 357 3. The University of Michigan — 392 A response rate of 60 percent was anticipated, or approximately 525 responses. Permission to administer the sample was obtained from interviews with the directors of continuing education at the three uni— versities, the alumni directors and the directors of the regional center in Grand Rapids. InstrumenLation The questionnaire approach taken in this study was selected as the most feasible method of obtaining alumni perceptions of a regional 66 center. It is recognized that mailed questionnaires are notorious for their low rate of response, but because funds were not available to attempt large scale interviews, and because it was anticipated that the rate of response for college alumni would be greater than a questionnaire sent to the general population the mailed survey technique was choosen. It was also believed the questionnaire method would provide for the most factual response, thereby reducing bias on the part of the respondents. Seltiz indicates that a "major advantage of questionnaires is that respondents may have greater confidence in their anonymity, and thus feel freer to express views they fear might be disapproved." 112 Further support for the use of the questionnaire technique comes from Good who states: ...the questionnaire normally comes into use where one cannot really see personally all of the people from whom responses are desired, or where there is no particular reason to see them personally....the questionnaire is an important instrument for gathering information from widely scattered sources. In addition, it can be said that questionnaire inquiries are adapted both to gathering facts and to gathering opinions and attitudes and have a wide range of applications.^ It should be pointed out that the survey technique used in this study provides only one method for gathering data for administrative decision-making in policy and program formulation. The instrument used was a fixed-alternative questionnaire pre­ pared by the writer consisting of four parts. Questionnaire items were 112 Claire Seltiz, Research Methods in Social Relations, (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965), p. 240. 113Carter V. Good, A.S. Barr and Douglas E. Scates, The Methodology of Educational Research, (New York: Appleton Century-Crofts, Inc., 1941), p. 325. 67 selected after a review of the literature and discussions with advisors, alumni regional directors and continuing education directors. Revisions were made after each of these discussions and the final instrument was perused by advisors, the regional center directors and the continuing education directors. Prior to distribution several alumni were asked to respond to the questionnaire items and a Michigam State University gra­ duate class provided a pre-test by having the instrument administered to them in a role-playing situation. As a result of the pre-test several changes were made in the wording of the questionnaire for clarification purposes. The purpose of the instrument was to gather data that would identify the perceptions college alumni have of the continuing educa­ tion functions of a regional center. Additional data was to be obtained on selected factors related to alumni perceptions. Part A provided a face sheet to collect data concerning the demo­ graphic characteristics of the respondents. These included: age, sex, marital status, income level and occupation or profession. The next section of Part A referred to college experience of the alumni, their participation in Center programs, and their perceived educational needs. Questionnaire items used to measure college experience of alumni included: institution attended, educational level, and recency of degree. Center participation by alumni was measured by the number of experiences, types of experiences and recency of experiences. Perceived educational needs were measured by alumni need for further credit, counseling, home and family living programs, professional growth programs, public affairs programs, liberal education programs, cultural experiences, and eiqperiences in social, political and economic issues. 68 All of the questions were of the multiple-choice type. This form was selected as the most appropriate for this segment of the in­ strument. Moser indicates that this type of question is preferable by stating, "if the range of answers to a question is limited and well established, pre-coding is generally to be preferred." 114 The remaining six pages of the instrument were of an inventory, check-list type to determine the perceptions college alumni have of the regional center. Part B included a list of credit graduate programs. Part C was comprised of non-credit programs, and Part D of related activities. random order. These program activities were listed on the questionnaire in The respondents were; requested to check each item on the basis of their knowledge of the Center's functions? how well they think the Center is performing these functions; what program activities they believe the Center should be offering; and if they would attend these programs were they to be offered. The reason for choosing this form of question was that it provided for greater uniformity of response along the specific dimensions in which the investigator was interested. Re­ sponses will not range over nearly so wide an area as with an open-ended question.it can be stated that the inventory type question is more simply and accurately coded since the coding is in reality done by the 114 E.A. Moser, Survey Methods in Social Investigation, (London: Heinemann Educational Books, Ltd., 1958), p. 230. 115Bernard S. Phillips, Social Research, Strategy and Tactics, (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1966), p. 117. respondent rather than some person far removed from him. The coder is only responsible for transferring the coding of a category from the questionnaire to the code sheet. Finally, the inventory checlc-list type of question was selected because of the limited writing required and its ease and speed for the respondent. Study Questions College alumni of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan living in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, Michigan are potential users of continuing education programs offered by an educational enterprise known as a regional center. Informa­ tion is lacking in terms of how much the alumni of the three universities know about the Center. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions these college alumni have of the inter-university regional center; and to study selected factors related to alumni perceptions. Therefore this study seeks to provide answers in the following areas: A. B. Perceptions by college alumni of an inter-university regional center. 1. What do alumni think the Center is doing? 2. How well do alumni think the Center is doing? 3. What do alumni think the Center should be doing? 4. Will alumni participate in the activities they think Center should be doing? the Factors related to perception. How are the following selected factors related to alumni per­ ceptions of the Center? 1. College eicperience — What is the profile of college experience which characterizes college alumni, i.e., institution attended, educational level, educational major, recency of degree? 70 2. Center participation — What is the pattern of experience which college alumni have in reference to the Center, i.e., number of experiences, types of experiences, recency of ex­ perience? 3. Educational needs — What is the profile of educational needs of college alumni that might be provided by the Center, i.e., further credit, counseling, home and family living, professional growth, public affairs, liberal education, cultural experience, experiences in social, political and economic issues? 4. General demographic information — What is the profile of general demographic information of college alumni, i.e., age, sex, marital status, income level, occupation or profession? The general questions stated above lead to the formulation of the following sixteen operational questions for study. 1. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and college experience? 2. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and Center participation? 3. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and educational needs as perceived by alumni? 4. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and general demographic factors? 5. Is there a significant relationship between how well the alumni think the Center is doing and college experience? 6. is there a significant relationship between how well the alumni think the Center is doing and Center participation? 7. Is there a significant relationship between how well the alumni think the Center is doing and educational needs as perceived by alumni? 8. Is there a significant relationship between how well the alumni think the Center is doing and general demographic factors? 9. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center should be doing and college experience? 10. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center should be doing and Center participation? 71 11. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center should be doing and educational needs as perceived by alumni? 12. Is there a significant relationship between what alumni think the Center should be doing and general demographic factors? 13. Is there a significant relationship between alumni participa­ tion in activities they think the Center should be doing and college experience? 14. Is there a significant relationship between alumni participa­ tion in activities they think the Center should be doing and Center participation? 15. Is there a significant relationship between alumni participa­ tion in activities they think the Center should be doing and educational needs as perceived by alumni? 16. Is there a significant relationship between alumni participa­ tion in activities they think the Center should be doing and general demographic factors? Data Collection Procedures As reported previously, the sampling unit utilized in this study were the college alumni of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan living in four selected counties in Southwestern Michigan. A questionnaire and covering letter (see Appendix A) and self-addressed stamped envelope were mailed to randomly selected college alumni on March 6, 1970. Questionnaires were number coded so non-respondents could be identified. Also a different color code was utilized to identify the responses for each institution. color scheme used follows: 1. Michigan State University — green 2. The University of Michigan — blue 3. Western Michigan University — yellow The 72 The covering letter used in the mailing was prepared on University Center stationary displaying the seal of each institution. The content of the letter mailed to each alumnus sampled was the same except for two pre­ determined differences. Each regional center director's signature was affixed to those letters going to the alumni from his institution. writer's name was included on all letters. The The second difference in the letter related to the positioning of the name of each institution in the lead paragraph where all three universities were named. Each university was listed first on the letter being sent to its alumni. The mailing was distributed in envelopes supplied by each of the three universities. Envelopes were marked as follows: 1. Michigan State University - Continuing Education Service 2. The University of Michigan - Extension Service 3. Western Michigan University - Division of Field Services The return stamped envelopes were addressed to be returned to the University Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Upon retreival, the instru­ ments were coded for both general purpose and university identification as follows: 1. The University of Michigan — 2. Michigan State University — 3. Western Michigan University — 1,001, 1,002, etc. 2,001, 2,002, etc. 3,001, 3,002, etc. Because of the nationwide postal strike that occured shortly after the questionnaires were mailed, a decision was made to delay sending followup post cards until March 27, 1970. The postal strike possibly had an effect upon the response rate of the questionnaires. Follow-up cards were then mailed to the non-respondents with April 10, 1970 established 73 as the termination date for all responses. Table 1 shows the survey population and sample. TABLE 1 SURVEY POPULATION AND SAMPLE Institutions Alumni University of Michigan 6664 392 129 Michigan State University 6069 357 155 Western Michigan University 5117 301 154 1,050 438 Totals 17,850 Sample Returns Actual Sampling Fraction 1 51 1 43 1 33 1 41 Responses to the questionnaire were coded for keypunching and computer processing. Methods of Analysis The data were first analyzed by obtaining a frequency profile of population characteristics and alumni perceptions. These data formed the basis for a descriptive analysis of credit programs, non-credit programs, and related activities in terms of the total alumni respondents, and by institution. A comparative analysis of alumni perceptions by institution was also done. A test for significant relationships between alumni perceptions of what the Center is doing and the factors related to perception was per­ formed. The chi-square test of significance was used because of the 74 discrete nature of the data (know - don't know). Siegel states, "when the data of research consist of frequencies in discrete categories, the chi-square test may be used to determine the significance of differences between two independent groups. The measurement involved may be as weak as nominal scaling. Alumni perceptions of how successful Center programs are; what programs the Center should be offering; and if alumni would participate in such programs were tested against factors related to perception for significant relationships utilizing stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Initially, an attempt was made to analyze the data by individual responses with the program areas. However, it was found that the data were insufficient for this approach. A further attempt was made to classify the items in the program areas by topics and once again the data were insufficient for this procedure. These conditions caused the investigator to establish a single index for each perception concept, namely; how successful Center programs are; what programs the Center should be offering; and if alumni would participate in such programs as related to each of the program areas. These indices were then summed over all program areas to give twelve criterion variables. These variables were tested against factors related to perception as predictor variables. Sterling and Pollack suggest that: ...stepwise multiple regression may be valuable in the analysis of multivariate data with variables that are measured by numbers for which an underlying continuous scale can be assumed....We may even want to do this when the discrete variables do not permit the assumption of an underlying 116 Sidney Siegel, Nonparametrie Statistics For The Behavioral Sciences, (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956), p. 104. 75 continuous scale. Although this procedure might violate the basic assumptions on which correlations are computed, it may offer the investigator many useful hints about the relative importance of variables in a file.^*7 The question pertaining to alumni perceptions of "how successful center programs are," definitely present variables with an underlying continuous nature (excellent, fair, poor). Using the recommendation of Sterling and Pollack, stepwise multiple regression analysis was applied. For the questions on alumni perceptions of programs that "should be offered" and "participation," it might be argued that the variables measured are not continuous, should not be). (definitely should be, might be, definitely However, as suggested by Sterling and Pollack, stepwise regression analysis was used to extract the greatest amount of valuable information. Theodore D. Sterling and Seymour V. Pollack, Introduction to Statistical Data Processing, (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968), p. 459. CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS In this chapter the findings of the study are presented in descriptive and analytical terms. The descriptive analysis looks at the population by institutions in terms of its demographic characteristics, college experience, Center participation and perceived educational needs. Also described are alumni perceptions of Center programs by institution and a comparative analysis of alumni perceptions of selected programs by institution. The statistical analysis is presented as related to the questions for the study. Included, also, is a review of the significant factors influencing alumni perceptions. Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents by Institution Data were gathered on the characteristics of: age, sex, marital status, income level, and occupation or profession. Age groupings on the basis of 10-year intervals were established. The data revealed a modal age range of 30-39 years for the total respondent! It is interesting to note the modal age range for the University of Michigan respondents fall into the 40-49 year classification. The data reveal that both Western Michigan and Michigan State had a younger population responding to the instrument than the University of Michigan! 76 77 conversly, the University of Michigan had a larger number of alumni in the 60-and-over age bracket than either Western Michigan or Michigan State. Table 2 shows the age distribution of the respondents.* Table 3 shows the sex distribution of the respondents by institutions The total result indicates that males constituted 65.1 percent of the respondents and females 33.8 percent. ratio. This represents almost a 2-to-l However, in the case of the respondents from Western Michigan the difference was less with 38.3 percent of the responses from women and 59.1 percent from men. Both the University of Michigan and Western Michi­ gan had almost the same frequency of male respondents; however, twentyone more females were included in the Western Michigan alumni group. Respondents were also asked to indicate their marital status. reported in Table 4, 78.5 percent of all respondents are married. As Of the Michigan State graduates, 83.2 percent were married and 13.5 percent were single. This compared to 73.6 percent married and 22.5 percent single from the University of Michigan, and 77.9 percent married and 17.5 percent single from Western Michigan University. The respondents current income levels are reported in Table 5 which shows a modal income level of between $10,000 and $14,999 for all respondents. Several interesting features concerning these results are worthy of mention. The modal percentage for respondents from each university and the total modal percentage for all respondents was consistent at the 35 percent level in the $10,000 to $14,999 classification. At the $6,000 to $9,999 * For purposes of abbreviation in the Tables, Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan will be referred to as WMU, MSU, and U-M. TABLE 2 AGE DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION U-M Age Ranges MSU Number WMU Number Totals Number Percent Number Percent 21 - 29 13 10.0 40 25.8 41 26.6 94 30 - 39 24 18.6 46 29.7 45 29.2 115 40 - 49 38 29.5 38 24.5 33 21.4 109 Percent Percent 1 21.5 26.3 24.9 I 50 - 59 24 18.6 19 12.3 14 9.1 57 13.0 60 6 over 30 23.3 12 7.7 21 13.6 63 14.4 129 100.0 155 100.0 154 100.0 438 100.0 Totals TABLE 3 SEX DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION U-M Sex Number VWU MSU Percent Number Percent Number Percent Totals Number Percent Male 90 69.8 104 67.1 91 59.1 285 65.1 Female 38 29.5 51 32.9 59 38.3 148 33.8 128 99.3 155 100.0 150 Totals 97.4 433 88.9 TABLE 4 MARITAL STATUS OF RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION Marital Status U-M MSU WMU Number Number Percent Number Percent Single 29 22.5 21 13.5 27 17.5 77 17.6 Married 95 73.6 129 83.2 120 77.9 344 78.5 Widow or Widower 0 0.0 2 1.3 6 3.9 8 1.8 Divorced 2 1.6 2 1.3 1 0.6 5 1.1 126 97.7 154 99.3 154 100.0 434 99.0 Totals Percent Totals Number Percent 81 income level, 31.2 percent were from Western Michigan, 23.9 percent from Michigan State and only 12.4 percent from the University of Michigan. At the other end of the income scale in the $25,000 and over category, 15.5 percent of the respondents were from the University of Michigan as compared to 7.1 percent from Michigan State and 5.8 percent from Western Michigan. The data revealed that the alumni in the sample from Michigan State and the University of Michigan generally have a higher level of income than the Western Michigan graduates. Table 6 classifies the respondents by institution according to their occupation or profession. (The findings show professionals repre­ sented 67.6 percent of all graduates.) It is interesting to note that 76.7 percent of the University of Michigan graduates were in the profession classification compared to 58.1 percent of the Michigan State alumni. However, in the manager and housewife categories, Michigan State respondent were 13.5 percent and 11.6 percent respectively, whereas the University of Michigan graduates in the same two categories were 7.0 percent and 3.9 percent and Western Michigan responses were 6.5 percent in both. Per­ centages in the other classifications were similar for each institution. College Eag>erience of Alumni by Institution The respondents were requested to indicate the educational degrees they had attained and the institutions from which they were received. The coding of this question did not provide information about schools for respondents with multiple degrees. When a person had a degree from more than one of the institutions involved in this study, they were coded as part of the sample from the university where their name appeared on the TABLE 5 INCOME LEVEL OF RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION Income Level U-M Number Percent MSU Number Percent VMU Number Percent Totals Number Percent $3000-5,999 7 5.4 6 3.9 13 8.4 26 5.9 6000-9,999 16 12.4 37 23.9 48 31.2 101 23.1 10,000-14,999 46 35.7 55 35.5 54 35.1 155 35.4 15,000-19,999 23 17.8 23 14.8 19 12.3 65 14.8 20,000-24,999 9 7.0 13 8.4 3 1.9 25 5.7 25,000 & over 20 15.5 11 7.1 9 5.8 40 9.1 121 93.8 145 93.6 146 94,7 412 94.0 Totals TABLE 6 OCCUPATION OR PROFESSION OF RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION Occupation or Profession U-M Percent Number MSU Number Percent WMU Number Percent Totals Number Percent Professional 99 76.7 90 58.1 107 69.5 296 67.6 Manager or Proprietor 9 7.0 21 13.5 10 6.5 40 9.1 Clerical 2 1.6 4 2.6 2 1.3 8 1.8 Sales person 2 1.6 5 3.2 4 2.6 11 2.5 Housewife 5 3.9 18 11.6 10 6.5 33 7.5 Skilled worker or Foreman 2 1.6 3 1.9 1 0.6 6 1.4 Administrative 6 4.7 7 4.5 6 3.9 19 4.3 Other 1 0.8 5 3.2 13 8.4 19 4.3 126 97.9 153 98.7 153 99.3 432 98.5 Totals 84 mailing list. in Table 7. On the basis of this procedure the results are tabulated Of the Michigan State graduates, 65.2 percent and 70.8 per­ cent of the Western Michigan graduates were recorded as having only a Bachelor's degree. In contrast, only 41.9 percent of the University of Michigan alumni were recorded as having only a Bachelor's degree from that institution. For those respondents recorded as only having Master's degreei from the participating institutions, the results are reversed with the University of Michigan alumni having 38.0 percent in that category and Michigan State and Western Michigan having 22.6 percent and 14.9 percent respectively. The only other category with an appreciable number of re­ spondents is that representing both Bachelor's and Master's degrees. It is interesting to note that Western Michigan had 11.7 percent in this category whereas Michigan State had 6.5 percent and the University of Michian 7.8 percent. The length of time that had elapsed since graduates had received their highest degree was also analyzed. The modal period of time elapsed was less than five years for 31.3 percent of the alumni responding. Each of the remaining periods of time since the last degree was earned showed a continual decrease in the number of respondents in each category. ever , some interesting institutional differences were observed. How­ For example, the graduates of the University of Michigan numerically were in reverse order when compared to the respondents from Michigan State and Western Michigan. The University of Michigan graduates receiving their degree within the last five years constituted only 18.6 percent as com­ pared to 34.2 percent of Michigan State graduates and 39.0 percent of Western Michigan graduates. At the other end of the continuum, 32.6 per­ cent of the University of Michigan's graduates had received their degrees TABLE 7 EDUCATIONAL DEGREES ATTAINED BY RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION U-M Degrees Number MSU Percent WMU Number Percent Number Percent Bachelor1s 54 41.9 101 65.2 109 70.8 Master's 49 38.0 35 22.6 23 14.9 0 0.0 4 2.6 0 0.0 Bachelor's and Master's 10 7.8 10 6.5 18 11.7 Bachelor's and Doctorate 4 3.1 2 1.3 0 0.0 Master's and Doctorate 3 2.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Educa. Specialists 0 0.0 2 1.3 1 0.6 Doctor of Medicine, Law, Dentistry or Vet. Med. 9 7.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 129 100.0 154 99.5 151 98.0 Doctorate {Ph.D. or Ed.D.) Totals 86 over 20 years prior to the date of this study as compared to 20.6 percent from Michigan State and 8.4 percent for Western Michigan graduates. These results are shown in Table 8. Center Participation of Respondents by Institution Respondents were asked to indicate if they had participated in programs or activities offered by the regional center in Grand Rapids. Table 9 illustrates that 41.5 percent of all alumni sampled for this study responded that they had participated and 55.0 percent gave a no response, institutional differences were quite varied. For example, 43.4 percent of the University of Michigan graduates, and 49.5 percent of the Western Michigan alumni had participated in Center programs or activities, whereas only 31.6 percent of the Michigan State alumni responded in the affirmative. An interesting finding is that only Western Michigan had more graduates that had participated in Center programs than those that had not partici­ pated among those that responded. For those alumni who had participated in Center programs or activities in the past, the respondents were asked to identify the types of Center experiences they had engaged in. Table 10 shows that 35.6 percent of all alumni with Center experience had participated in credit courses, with considerably fewer alumni indicating experiences in other activities offered by the Center. The results also suggest more Uni­ versity of Michigan graduates had participated in non-credit courses than the alumni from Michigan State or Western Michigan. Results of the recency of alumni experiences in Center programs is given in Table 11. For the total group, 17.1 percent of those participating TABLE 8 TIME ELAPSED SINCE RESPONDENTS LAST DEGREE BY INSTITUTION Time Since Last Degree Number U-M Percent MSU Number Percent WMU Number Percent Totals Number Percent Less than five years 24 18.6 53 34.2 60 39.0 137 31.3 5 - 1 0 years 24 18.6 36 23.2 48 31.2 108 24.7 10 - 20 years 34 26.4 29 18.7 29 18.8 92 21.0 Over 20 years 42 32.6 32 20.6 13 8.4 87 19.9 124 96.2 150 96.7 150 97.4 424 96.9 Totals TABLE 9 CENTER PARTICIPATION BY RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION '' Center Participants U-M Percent 31.6 76 49.4 181 41.3 103 66.5 67 43.5 241 55.0 1.6 3 1.9 11 7.1 16 3.7 100.0 155 100.0 154 100.0 438 100.0 Number Yes 56 43.4 49 No 71 55.0 2 129 Totals Totals Number Percent Number Percent No Responses WMU MSU Number Percent TABLE 10 TYPES OF RESPONDENTS' CENTER EXPERIENCES BY INSTITUTION Types of Center Experience U-M Number Percent MSU Percent Number WMU Number Percent Totals Number Percenl Credit Courses 46 35.7 45 29.0 76 49.4 167 35.6 Non-Credit Courses 16 12.4 8 5.2 4 2.6 28 6.3 Conferences 3 2.3 4 2.6 2 1.3 9 2.1 Lectures 6 4.7 3 1.9 4 2.6 13 3.0 12 9.3 7 4.5 13 8.4 33 7.4 information only 2 1.6 4 2.6 3 1.9 9 2.0 Other 6 4.7 2 1.3 1 0.6 9 2.2 Counseling TABLE 11 RECENCY OF RESPONDENTS CENTER EXPERIENCES BY INSTITUTION Recency of Experience U-M Number Percent MSU Percent Number WMU Percent Number Totals Number Percent Within Last Year 5 3.9 15 9.7 26 16.9 46 10.5 Within Last Five Years 21 16.3 22 14.2 32 20.8 75 17.1 Within Last Ten Years 18 14.0 10 6.5 10 6.5 38 8.7 Over Ten Years 13 10.1 5 3.2 9 5.8 27 6.2 91 in Center activities had done so within the last five years. Institu­ tional differences are reflected in that 16.8 percent of Western Michigan graduates taking part in Center programs had participated within the last year as compared to 9.7 percent from Michigan State and 3.9 percent from the University of Michigan. However, in the period of participation "over 10 years ago," University of Michigan alumni accounted for 10.1 percent compared to 5.8 percent from Western Michigan. Another factor analyzed in reference to alumni participation in Center programs was the number of programs graduates had attended. The modal range was five or more programs for all alumni and also for alumni on an institutional basis. Table 12 reveals that most alumni that have participated in Center activities have had more than one experience. It is interesting to note however, that more Western Michigan alumni have had only one experience at the Center than graduates from Michigan State and the University of Michigan. Perceived Educational Needs of Alumni by Institution Respondents were asked to express their perceived educational needs in seven program areas. need." Responses were scaled on the basis of "I definitely "I probably need," and "I definitely do not need." As shown in Table 13, program areas reflecting the greatest need for the total group were professional growth programs and courses for academic credit. Cultural experiences and experiences in social, political and economic issues were in less demand. Home and family living and liberal education were perceived by the respondents as the program areas of least need. TABLE 12 NUMBER OP PROGRAMS PARTICIPATED IN BY RESPONDENTS BY INSTITUTION Number of Programs Participated In U-M Nunber MSU Percent Number Percent WMU Number Percent Totals Number Percent One 10 7.8 16 10.3 21 13.6 47 10.7 Two 13 10.1 7 4.5 13 8.4 33 7.5 Three or Four 8 6.2 7 4.5 17 11.0 32 7.3 Five or More 23 17.8 21 13.5 22 14.3 66 15.1 N) TABLE 13 RESPONDENTS PERCEIVED EDUCATIONAL NEEDS BY INSTITUTION Perceived Educa­ tional Needs U-M Number Percent MSU Number Percent WMU Percent Number Totals Number Percent Need Probably Need Do Not Need 11 26 8.5 20.2 37 31 23.9 20.0 43 39 27.9 25.3 91 96 21.0 21.8 52 40.3 43 27.7 31 20.1 126 29.3 Need Probably Need Do Not Need 3 16 53 2.3 12.4 41.4 7 33 50 4.5 21.3 32.3 14 31 47 9.1 20.1 30.5 24 80 200 5.3 17.9 34.7 Need Probably Need Do Not Need 0 16 50 0.0 12.4 38.8 6 16 59 3.9 10.3 38.1 9 11 64 5.8 7.1 41.6 15 43 173 3.2 9.9 39.3 Need Probably Need Do Not Need 26 57 25 20.2 44.2 19.4 36 68 21 23.2 43.9 13.5 39 67 22 25.3 43.5 14.3 101 192 68 22.9 43.9 15.7 Liberal Education Need Probably Need Do Not Need 1 40 32 0.8 31.0 24.8 10 41 43 6.5 26.5 27.7 8 33 48 5.2 21.4 31.2 19 114 123 4.1 26.3 27.9 Cultural Experiences Need Probably Need Do Not Need 15 47 26 11.6 36.4 20.2 14 47 37 9.0 30.3 23.9 19 41 39 12.3 26.6 25.3 48 135 102 10.9 31.0 23.1 Experiences in Need Social, Poli­ Probably Need tical issues Do Not Need 11 41 28 8.5 31.8 21.7 14 56 30 9.0 36.1 19.4 22 45 34 14.3 29.2 22.1 47 142 92 10.6 32.3 21.0 AC&Q6II11 C Credit Counseling Hone and Family Living Professional vjT O V u I 94 On am institutional basis, the results differ on several items. For example, while only 8.5 percent of the University of Michigan gra­ duates expressed a need for further academic credit, 23.9 percent and 27.9 percent of the Western Michigam and Michigan State alumni indicated they have such a need. In the area of counseling, 9.1 percent of Western Michigan graduates felt a need compared to 4.5 percent of Michigan State's alumni and 2.3 percent for the University of Michigan graduates. Further study of the information from this question suggested two interesting comments. In reference to counseling, 20.1 percent of the alumni from Western Michigan and 21.3 percent from Michigan State responded "probadaly need" as compared to 12.4 percent from the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan group was much more definite in expressing they did not have a need for counseling; 41.4 percent, as compared to 32.3 percent from Michigan State and 30.5 percent from Western Michigan. Alumni Perceptions of credit Programs The three sections that follow describe the perceptions college alumni from Western Michigan University, Michigam State University and the University of Michigam have of the regional center in Grand Rapids, Michigan in reference to credit prograuns, non-credit prograuns, and related activities. Descriptive tables are presented to show the percentage of responses for all alumni and by institution. Each tad>le reflects what aldmni think the Center does on the basis of prograuns offered or not offered; how successful prograuns are as indicated by excellent, fair, poor; what the Center should be doing; and if alumni would participate in such prograuns. 95 Comparative tables are presented to show the frequency of responses by institution in selected program areas. Table 14 illustrates the perceptions of all respondents for credit programs. Education programs are indicated by 46.1 percent of the re­ spondents as being offered by the Center. Following education, liberal arts, social work, and business administration are the program areas most often perceived as offered. Except for the program areas already mentioned better than 50 percent of all respondents don't know if the remaining program areas are offered. Only 0.5 percent of those responding did not believe education courses are available, and 16.0 percent failed to respond to that part of the question. offered were generally low. The responses to the success of the programs The same four program areas were mentioned most frequently by alumni as excellent. All academic credit graduate prograuns "should be offered" according to at least some alumni. For all alumni responding, 59.5 percent thought education "should be offered," followed in rank order by business adminis­ tration, social work, and liberal arts, and natural resources. The latter prograun area would appear to represent current national interest in ecology. The Health professions including medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry were the prograun areas least mentioned that should be offered. For all alumni responding, 38.2 percent indicated they would par­ ticipate in education programs whereas 26.9 percent stated they would not participate. In addition, business administration, social work, liberal arts and natural resources were mentioned most frequently in terms of participation. I 3 P P< R *S- cr «■ M 0 i? f? 8 * M H9 f E s ITS' f ! ‘ e a» >* Z H> I g & S P g l-> IO I — »-■ Kl to 4k O' 00 NJ vn IO IO to KJ Offered 4k 00 to vo • o • VO as KJ m vo • 00 m e • • 4 • • • • • 0 • s • o • ■ —*CD to o i-* vn 00 VO O •u vn to Ui kj VO O' -J 4k to I * —1 (-1 1— M 4k K> vn to ► — 00 O' o 0 oo vn vn O » o • IO vn • K> • CO • 00 o 4 * * • • 0 * • • • • # • • vn 00 00 VO VO *-• 4k 1 — vn vn •o U1 o kj o O' o Kl Not Offered vn O' O' O' O' O' O' O' O' vn 4k ** VO O' O' O' O' vn O' vn k ■j O o * O • m VJ ao i 00 0 Kl CD • UJ o H* « KJ * K O • • ♦ Ul 4 • • • •0 • • * ■J v 4 •o • vn o o vn 4k o IO vn 00 KJ KD kj VO vo vn Co VO to VO Don't Know TOTAL O KJ IO IO KJ IO IO IO I (O K> K) KJ K> Kl N> to K> to k> 4k 4k av vn 4k O' vn to vn 4k • cn 4k vn Ov vn • as 4k to ♦ O ' O ' * « • • * 4 « • • * • • • * • 4 s Io Cn M o 00 •J VO o vO it* o o 00 vO o H H* 00 4k vO No Response ALUMNI to 00 4k I— I—1 vn • 4 • • 4 cn VO 1—• t—* vn I—* IO I— t-* M • • • • 00 cn as O' Excellent Fair O o o O o O • o i-* O O M I-1 O O o 4 M © O o o • • • • • • 4 4 • • • • 4 4 4 4 • 4 4k kl VO VO kj cn kj M vn VO cr» CD IO -kl vn kj vn vn to to Poor nJ cn H* ■ M 4k 4k vn VO u> 4k to vo O 1—* • 4 4 4 • 0 IO VO VO kl "•J A VO Ul to ■ ** P iU 0 D W 4 H O > J P ' J ^ ^ < O ' O U > 1 O V & v0 vn I O 4 IO 4k in vn vn vn vn vn 4k 4k 4k vn vn vn cn 4k vn vn vn 4k KJ O' vn ki vn kl • to 4kl • O 4o 4O' • O vo -J O • vn • CD V • 4 4 4 • • 4 • * * O o NJ -j o ki VO Vo CD O' KJ vO ao '■j vn K> kl ki Should & Might Be Offered Should Not Je Offered No Response H-* KJ to to vo J— t-J M KJ I—* VO 4k • KJ vn -J KJ O CD to to vo 4k VO kl O 00 4k VO O' + av -J CD KJ O o> kl CO kl 4k vn KJ 00 o ao Jfc kl 1-4> oo VO Would/light Participate 4k 4k VO 4k KJ 4k vn 4k vn Vo 4k 4* 4k ■kl k| kj to C O' 1•- o O O * •' • •D H •* k| 4 • • • • 4 • kl I-* kj o Cn 00 4k to vn kl O' VO 4k o Would Not Participate VO 4k V OO • • vn O' vo 4k 4* o» vo kj 4M • O • • o J“* VO CD 4k it* vo 4k 4k 4k kl K ao n CD V • •O • •J v 4 VO 00 CD vn O' o VO 4k 4k 4k O vo VO 4k 4k VO 4k 4k VO V CD i—*V VO •h-> 4o 4vn KJ VO KJ O O c n K J 00 • 4 0 • 4 0 4 ■ 00 kl a> CD ao vn kl KJ a> 4k CO KJ ao O 96 NO Response PROGRAMS 4k 4k vn 4k VO u» 4k VO 4k vn cn vn 4k -J VO 4k I- H a> CD vn VO o vn • • • 4 * * * 4 • u> 4 4 4 4 vo KD IO vn cn cn vn 4k IO kl O a> 4k O Ul vn 1— o o o VO 4k O O kj o vn • * • • 4 • 4 • • • ■ 4 4 4 • * • 0 to to vn IO VO vn O 4k sj o u> vn 4k VO IO kj cn IO IO • 4 kl H* PERCEPTIONS »-* K4k IO 4k ~kl IO O to 4k O' Ul * • 4 • 0 4 4 4 * • * CJ o vo h" vn NJ O' i— CD 4k CD 97 All other program areas had a larger number of alumni indicating they would not participate as compared to those alumni who stated they would participate. The areas of lowest response to"participation’* were the health professions in addition to agriculture, architecture, engineering and home economics. Table 15 shows the perceptions of University of Michigan alumni as related to credit programs. Education was identified by 45.0 percent of the University of Michigan graduates as being offered while no one responded negatively. Liberal arts, social work and business administratio followed as prograun areas perceived as being offered by the Center. The program areas thought to be the most successful were education, liberal arts, social work, business administration, and library science. These same program areas were also the areas most often mentioned as "should be offered." In addition, natural resources, public health, public administration, music, and nursing were most frequently suggested. University of Michigan graduates generally did not respond favorably towards participation. In the prograun area of education for example, only 26.4 percent of the University of Michigan graduates stated they would take part and 41.8 percent indicated they would not. Respondents indicatin as interest in participating in other program areas are fewer than those selecting education. The Michigan State University alumni perceptions of the regional center are given in Table 16. More alumni selected education as being offered with liberal arts, social work, and business administration follow­ ing in that order. The same four areas were designated by Michigan State graduates as excellent. TABLE 15 31.1 25.7 35.7 46.5 39.6 35.0 26.4 42.6 49.5 46.4 45.0 36.4 31.7 40.3 27.1 31.7 39.5 43.4 38.0 34.8 6.2 7.8 2.3 0.8 2.3 3.0 9.3 0.8 1.6 0.8 2.3 3.1 3.9 2.3 7.0 7.0 1.6 1.6 4.7 4.7 62.8 66.6 62.0 52.7 58.1 62.0 64.3 56.6 48.9 52.8 52.7 60.5 64.4 57.4 65.9 61.3 58.9 55.0 57.3 60.5 D M 0 3 &. No Response 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.0 0.8 0.0 3.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --- C i s 5A H O * — 1mS 9 H H M tH h) to U O O cn l-» H ■ * • • i * » • 1 f tf Ul VI 00 ov VO VIO' CO 00 u> 9 Offered H K) 10 Not H sl 00 00 KJ O KJ H H • • • f t t * • • ft Offered o H H * Oi Cl W U vo o '*= > CO cn cn 01 01 A Ul Ul cn ^1 J ft cn cn H H O' 00 KJ to t ft ft f t * t • • • f to hi KJ KJ IO IO to IO to I—100 U l 01 vl u> Oi w c tn No Response * ft • I • ft • ft f CO (ft00 Ul H 00 Ul IO K) >IWUUIHOU)UtDI V p f t O O H h l H l O O • * i » • i * i i H lC t J M U O K lK I U lU ) ■sjuiO'O'vOvOVOO'O H M H H O O H O O O O O O * * *i i ** ■ •i W^ffiUCXSOffOJi O O O O O H O O O • •••>*••• OOOd^UiOOO CnftCnftftUCnftUlft MOfrOOM^HUlO^ • • • • • t f t l f t KJA^1 to CO ■ft cn cn ft ft cn vn cn No Response to to VO IO O H 00 e ■ft• « * * • • ft •o sj O' Ul VO sl o vO O' VO H •IO hi H H IO vn H Hft O' O t • cn * ■ f Ul O' H O 00H VO 00 H O' U) VO • ft • ft • f t ft. H VO fr o o Would/Might Participate ft cn f t (ft (ft ■ftUl lU Ul K in ft * N Ul O' H o • •• f t o ft co M H hi f t ft ft ft Ul ft * to sl to O' 00 Ul VO 00 O' Ul sl tf t »• • •f * • « f t 00 VO H f t vo sl sl f t w H m t o Co cn f t f t f t f t f t * l*J 00 o cn s l lo 00 vo 00 t f t ft t • f ft • « f ao Sl Ul O' O' 00 H NJ Would Not Participate Ul ft Ul ft f t f t ft ft h Ul 00 O 00 M H f t o to o V0 • » * * • 9 • • » ft sl O' H VO VO V o O' O' f t u W f t f t f t w f t f t ft .Cfc cn Ul H f U U tl • M tl f tl • • f f t f tf t U K J ft VO hi UJ cn VO hi KJ No Response ft cn 66 PRO G R AM S M C n O lTO S iC W O O C R ED IT WOMOUtOOOOtUI^ Fair OF ■ f t f t O W U i t O H O O • * i ■ i i i * i P E R C E P T IO N S H O W b O O t O O f i p Excellent A LU M N I >0 IV hi IO IO 10IO M 10IV 00 00 O' si •slsl sl O t • ft 1'( • • •■ f ♦ftA si* sj sl N sl* LT» U N IV E R S IT Y * Don’t Know ‘ ho cn Ul U) 10 Ul H 10 VO STATE O' O' O'O' cn incn cnV ft HoM 1 00 00 slft< o >• •H 1 • • t 1f tT» o vo U) o ft H H ■ft00V» IO ft vO o J OO u t KJ 1 o ft t U ft * • f Ul o O' l£ w H 10 Oi o ft • M IC H IG A N ui H H H ui *VOH to ft ■U -P £ 19 O' fa •H *H £ O TJ H P 3 flJ 0 fa 3.8 1.9 3.2 24.0 9.7 7.8 3.1 12.2 46.7 20.7 27.2 7.7 4.5 14.2 2.5 14.9 7.1 21.3 1.2 7.7 9> ipa 1 Not ^ N a Iu t o I e a £ 0 •O -H H P 3 U 0 4 S fa & §2 46.7 48.0 46.7 29.8 40.8 44.8 47.3 36.9 17.4 29.8 25.9 42.8 45.5 36.9 45.4 36.9 40.8 33.7 46.7 42.8 41.6 42.9 42.2 37.7 40.3 38.3 42.2 40.9 28.6 36.4 35.7 40.3 40.9 37.7 42.9 39.6 40.9 35.7 41.6 38.3 a 101 The program area most; frequently mentioned by Michigan State alumni as "should be offered" was education— by 60.7 percent of the respondents. Again, education was followed closely by business administration, natural resources, social work, and public health. In addition, the program areas of home economics, public administration, engineering, nursing and music, and library science were highly rated. This seems to reflect the broader interest of Michigan State University in these subject areas. Participation was identified most frequently for education, liberal arts, business administration, social work and natural resources. Further analysis of the data reveal that while Michigan State alumni ranked liberal arts tenth as a program area that "should be offered," they ranked it second in terms of participation, and the fewest number of alumni selected liberal arts as the program area they would not participate in, other than education. An examination of the data in Table 17 for Western Michigan alumni reveal that education programs are perceived by 48.7 percent of the alumni studied as being offered. Liberal arts, social work, and business administration were next followed by music, public administration and library science. The four program areas teducation, liberal arts, social work, and business administration were perceived as being the most successful. In response to the question of program areas that "should be offered 63.7 percent of Western Michigan alumni indicated education courses should be offered for credit. Second priority was given to business administratio third was natural resources— followed by liberal arts and social work. 102 In terms of participation, Western Michigan alumni, with 46.7 percent responding indicated education as the program area in which they would participate. Liberal arts and business administration were the next categories in frequency of response, followed by natural resources, and social work. The areas indicating the largest frequency of "would not participate" occured in the health professions. In summarizing the data presented in the previous four tables re­ lated to the question of "what the Center is doing," the following com­ parisons by institution can be made. Generally, the University of Michigan responses concerning the offerings of the regional center were consistent with the total alumni responses. When comparing Michigan State and University of Michigan alumni responses, Michigan State graduates had fewer people in the "don't know" category but more alumni that didn't respond to the question. Western Michigan graduates had more responses indicating they didn't know about program areas than the alumni of Michigan State and the Uni­ versity of Michigan. An interesting point is that 15.5 percent and 15.1 percent of the total respondents indicated that medicine and veterinary medicine respectively are not offered, when in fact Michigan State has conducted programs through the regional center in both areas. These figures differ from the University of Michigan alumni responses by only .05 percent. Another interesting finding was that none of the Michigan State respondents indicated medicine is offered, when in fact Michigan State is the only one of the three institutions to offer programs in that discipline through the regional center. 103 Table 18 illustrates comparative responses by the alumni of the three universities in several selected program areas. These findings show that more Western Michigan alumni perceived the program area of education as being offered than their counterparts from Michigan State and the University of Michigan. Social work and liberal arts were selected by like numbers of people from all three universities. University of Michigan graduates Fewer chose business administration compared to Michigan State and Western Michigan alumni. In the area of public health. University of Michigan and Michigan State graduates were com­ parable with fewer Western Michigan alumni selecting that area. Differences were slight in the program area of music. Comparison by institution of how successful alumni believe program areas are is shown in Table 19. Generally, Western Michigan graduates responded to the question of success of education programs more than the alumni of the other two institutions. The comparative analysis shows Michigan State alumni responding less favorably toward music compared to other alumni. However, in reference to education, Michigan State and Western Michigan graduates were generally more favorable than the University of Michigan alumni. The results between institutions concerning the success of liberal arts prograuns were almost identical, but the program areas of public health and home economics reflected differences among institutions. A summary of the prograun areas that "should be offered" suggests that more Western Michigan graduates believe programs should be offered than their counterparts from Michigan State and the University of Michigam. Michigan State responses were generally higher than the University of i'Ahi.E i«i comparative Pi..; \ : •• hi institution s e l f sir s CREDIT 5RuGRAMS ALUM II PERCEIVE AS BE INS OFFERED Number Of Alumni U-M MSU EDUCATION WMU U-M MSU WMU SOCIAL WORK U-M MUS WMU LIBERAL ARTS U-M MSU WMU BUSINESS ADMIN. U-M MSU WMU PUBLIC HEALTH U-M MSU MUSIC WMU TABLE 19 COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTION OF SELECTED CREDIT PROGRAMS ALUMNI PERCEIVE AS BEING SUCCESSFUL Number Of Alumni 80 70 60 50 Va 40 KEY a n 30 b 20 m 10 U-M MSU MUSIC WMU U-M MSU WMU PUBLIC HEALTH U-M MSU EDUCATION WMU U-M MSU WMU LIBERAL ARTS U-M MSU WMU HOME ECONOMICS Excellent Fair Poor 106 Michigan responses and the combined responses. Table 20 reflects the differences in perceptions in reference to selected programs that alumni indicate "should be offered" by the Center. frequently mentioned by all alumni. Education was the area most Selection of liberal arts was identical for Michigan State and Western Michigan graduates with con­ siderably fewer University of Michigan responses. The number of persons suggesting home economics and engineering were similar by institution and in the same priority. In both program areas more Michigan State graduates indicated they should be offered, followed by Western Michigan and Uni­ versity of Michigan alumni. An interesting comparison is observed in the field of law where more Western Michigan and Michigan State graduates suggested it should be offered than University of Michigan alumni, although the University of Michigan is the only one of the three universities with a school of law. Other comparisons of interest are in the field of medicine where more Western Michigan graduates indicated it should be offered compared to the University of Michigan and Michigan State respondents. Also, in veterinary medicine a larger number of Western Michigan graduates indica­ ted that veterinary medicine should be available than alumni from the Uni­ versity of Michigan and Michigan State. The comparative responses by institution concerning participation in program areas that should be offered by the Center are shown in Table 21. The tabulations show that more than twice the number of Michigan State graduates indicated an interest in participating in business admin­ istration program than the University of Michigan alumni. A comparison in the field of education also indicates a numerical difference between TABLE 20 COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTION OF SELECTED CREDIT PROGRAMS ALUMNI PERCEIVE AS SHOULD BE OFFERED Number Of Alumni 107 U-M MSU ENGR. WMU U-M MSU WMU U-M MSU WMU LIB. ARTS MEDICINE U-M MSU WMU VET. MED. U-M MSU WMU EDUCA. U-M MSU WMU LAW U-M MSU WMU HOME ECON. TABLE 21 COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTION OF SELECTED CREDIT PROGRAMS ALUMNI PERCEIVE THEY WOULD PARTICIPATE IN Number of Alumni 60 40 20 4 + - . U-M MSU WMU U-M MSU WMU U-M MSU WMU U-M MSU WMU U-M MSU WMU U-M MSU WMU BUS. ADM. MEDICINE PUB. HEALTH EDUCATION SOC. WORK LIB. ARTS U-M MSU WMU PUB. ADM. 109 Michigan State and the University of Michigan alumni. A total of 61 Michigan State alumni responded affirmatively to the question of partici­ pation as compared to 41 University of Michigan graduates. The Western Michigan alumni response level was between the other two institutions. The Michigan State alumni responded with greater interest in par­ ticipation in academic credit programs than the alumni from Western Michigan and the University of Michigan, with the exception of medicine where University of Michigan graduates responded more frequently than their counterparts from Michigan State and Western Michigan. Michigan State ranked first in all categories followed by Western Michigan and then the University of Michigan. Western Michigan graduates generally responded less frequently in the "would not participate” classification then the graduates from Michigan State or the University of Michigan. Alumni Perceptions of Non-Credit Programs In Table 22 the analysis of the data for non-credit program areas reveal a pattern of similarity between alumni perceptions of credit and non-credit programs, but also suggests several distinct differences. For example, the frequency of responses is considerably fewer in number for non-credit programs compared to credit programs, and particularly in the responses referring to what is offered by the Center, and the success of the programs. In addition, for all program areas presented on both the credit and non-credit lists the number of alumni indicating "don't know" is greater for the non-credit areas. The compilation of all respondents shows education at 11.4 percent as having the highest percentage of alumni perceiving this non-credit TABLE 22 13.0 12.1 8.4 4.8 3.7 6.6 13.5 4.1 3.2 4.1 3.2 7.5 6.6 5.7 11.9 9.4 5.9 3.0 5.9 4.1 2.1 3.2 2.3 1.8 2.3 3.9 3.2 3.4 2.7 65.8 6.0 67.9 3.0 65.8 4.8 60.5 15.8 61.4 12.1 64.6 5.1 66.7 2.8 63.2 10.9 58.2 22.1 61.6 14.0 63.2 14.4 64.4 6.9 65.8 4.8 64.2 8.7 67.6 3.9 63.9 10.7 64.6 ,' 3.3 • 59.6 14.2 65.3 3.7 63.0 6.6 57.1 19.6 62.8 12.0 58.0 18.1 52.8 26.6 56.2 23.2 60.3 10.5 58.5 17.1 63.5 9.6 59.8 10.6 57 ~3_. JL •J 40.1 42.3 41.8 34.2 37.5 42.2 43.9 37.0 29.9 34.4 33.6 41.4 41.8 37.7 41.8 37.9 40.9 37.5 42.7 40.8 32.5 35.6 32.4 29.7 31.2 35.0 33.1 37.8 38.5 10.9 No Response 21.2 20.0 25.8 34.7 34.9 28.8 19.9 32.6 38.6 34.3 33.6 28.1 27.6 30.2 20.5 26.6 29.5 37.4 28.8 32.8 40.8 34.1 39.7 45.4 41.4 35.8 38.2 33.1 37.5 40-7 Would Not Part. 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.9 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 Should Not Be Offered No IResponse i — !Would/ Might Part. 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.7 4.6 2.3 0.5 0.2 1.1 5.3 3.0 3.4 1.6 0.7 2.5 0.2 1.1 2.1 1.8 0.9 2.3 3.4 3.4 2.3 3.4 3.0 2.1 1.8 3.2 2.5 0.9 Should/ Might Be Offered 1.1 0.2 0.7 4.1 2.1 0.0 0.7 1.8 5.9 4.8 4.1 1.4 1.4 0.9 0.7 0.7 1.6 1.4 0.7 0.9 3.4 1.6 2.1 1.4 1.4 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.8 Poor Excellent No Response 65.3 26.3 66.0 26.9 68.0 26.5 62.8 26.3 66.9 26.5 67.4 27.6 65.8 27.2 67.6 27.4 61.2 26.£ 63.7 26.5 63.9 26.7 66.4 26.7 66.9 27.4 67.4 26.7 67.6 27.2 67.1 27.2 67.1 26.7 67.4 26.9 67.4 27.4 66.7 26.9 65.5 26.5 66.7 26.9 67.1 27.2 66.2 27.2 66.9 26.5 67.8 26.5 68.3 26.5 67.1 26.9 67.6 26.7 68.9 Jfi.9 Fair 7.1 6.8 4.1 2.1 2.3 4.3 6.2 2.1 1.4 1.6 1.6 3.7 3.7 2.5 4.3 3.9 2.3 2.3 3.7 2.7 0.9 1.4 1.1 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.3 1.6 1.4 1.8 Don 11 Know Program Areas Medicine 1.3 Vet. Med. 0.2 Hosp. Admin. 1.4 Bus. Admin. 8.9 Music 4.4 0.7 Arch. 0.9 Dentistry Public Health 2.9 11.4 Education Social Work 6.0 Liberal Arts 7.9 Engineering 3.5 Agriculture 2.1 Pub. Admin. 3.4 Pharmacy 0.9 1.8 Law 3.9 Lib. Science Nat. Resources 3.4 Nursing 1.6 Home Eoon. 3.7 Creative Arts 7.0 5.0 Econ. Educa. Com. Develj 4.8 5.3 Human Relations 5.1 Local,State,Nat. Trade & Tech. Ed. 3.9 Rec. Educa. 2.9 Science Educa. 4.3 CEW 3.3 Aging 2.3 Not Offered ^^^lumni ^Perceptions Dffered TOTAL ALUMNI PERCEPTIONS OF NON-CREDIT PROGRAMS 50.0 52.1 50.7 46.6 47.7 50.2 50.7 48.6 45.0 47.7 49.3 49.3 50.7 50.0 51.8 48.6 50.2 45.2 50.2 48.6 43.6 48.6 45.2 40.0 43.2 46.8 45.7 49.1 46.3 43.8 Ill program area, business administration, social work, and liberal arts, followed in that order. Responses concerned with the success of these program areas were low compared to the total number of responses. The same program areas were most frequently mentioned in terms of success. The frequency of responses increased and the pattern of response changed considerably in relation to the program areas that "should be offered." The results show human relations as the suggested program area having the most responses with 45.4 percent. Following in order were local, state, national and international affairs, creative arts, aging, community development, education, recreation education, and continuing education for women. Those areas most frequently mentioned as "should not be offered” were dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and law. The analysis of the pattern of alumni participation followed a different ordering covering the same program areas. Human relations was mentioned first followed by local, state, national and international affairs, education, creative arts, and community development. Table 23 shows that University of Michigan graduates, in response to the question of what the Center does offer, most frequently mentioned social work, liberal arts, education, creative arts, and music. More University of Michigan alumni responded "don't know" to this question than the composite totals for all alumni. These same program areas were also those most frequently mentioned as successful by University of Michigan graduates. An analysis of University of Michigan alumni responses to the question of what should be offered produced some differences in order of programs. Of the University of Michigan graduates 40.2 percent suggested TABLE 23 ^^Uumni Perceptions Program Areas Medicine Vet. Med. Hosp. Admin. Bus. Admin. Music Arch. Dentistry Public Health Education Social Work Liberal Arts Engineering Agriculture Pub. Admin. Pharmacy Law Lib. Science Nat. Resources Nursing Home Econ. Creative Arts Econ. Educa. Comm. Devel. Human Relations Local,State,Nat. Trade fi Tech.Ed. Rec. Educa. Science Educa. CEW Aging 0) 01 C •o 8 0 Z O 3.1 0.8 2.3 7.7 8.6 0.8 1.6 3.9 10.1 10.9 10.9 3.1 2.4 5.4 1.6 2.4 6.3 5.4 2.3 3.9 9.3 6.2 6.2 5.4 4.7 3.1 3.9 3.2 2.3 0.8 8.5 7.8 3.9 3.9 2.3 3.9 8.5 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 4.7 5.4 1.6 5.4 4.7 3.0 1.6 4.7 4.7 0.8 0.8 1.6 2.3 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.3 1.6 3.1 Is 66.7 66.7 70.5 65.9 66.7 69.8 65.9 69.0 64.3 64.3 63.6 68.2 67.4 69.8 68.2 68.2 66.7 68.2 68.2 66.7 66.7 69.0 68.2 67.4 68.2 69.8 69.8 69.8 72.1 72.3 a ta 21.7 24.8 23.3 22.5 22.5 25.6 24.0 24.8 23.3 22.5 23.3 24.0 24.8 23.3 24.8 24.8 24.0 24.8 24.8 24.8 23.3 24.0 24.0 24.8 24.0 24.0 23.3 24.8 24.0 24.8 01 <0 « 0 X u 3.1 0.8 2.3 5.4 4.7 0.0 1.6 3.1 7.8 9.3 7.8 2.3 1.6 3.1 1.6 1.6 4.7 2.3 2.3 1.6 6.2 3.1 3.1 2.3 3.1 0.0 2.3 1.6 0.0 0.8 ■H 10 b 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 3.9 0.0 0.0 0.8 2.3 1.6 3.1 0.8 0.8 2.3 0.0 0.8 0.8 2.3 0.0 2.3 3.1 3.1 2.3 3.1 1.6 3.1 1.6 1.6 2.3 0.0 M 8 O. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 h 2 0 X W « +j u JO3' O ft § (0 (0 I M (D O ft n n (0 I g I 89 * ft < s 9 8 w 8? & o in / £ ssr ft ft H* (D *o & < a (5 C H'3 I ft H» H»C (D in £ o I I ft H8 £ ft (ft •I •si • o CD • cn H* w . M U *l VO H* O . VO M •si . VO I-1 O a CD K1 Oi • CJ (-* H* • Oi o • to cj Offered Ut • * cn • 4k to « LJ Ol • ISJ Ul * b K> • LJ * • •si o • CD to a LJ o • CD Not Offered M • to Oi O • i/1 o> o * Ul OI Ul « M Ul VO • sj Ul U al 00 Ol M • to U-l» h * to O' O t Ul b VO « Ol Don't Knov to Ci * b VO U •l o> K» b * O N> b • 00 M b f O to * e o tO LJ * LJ to M S *0 to Ul « O' VO • b No Response b •j CO LJ LJ fj o to -4 Ov cn * *► 00 LJ b LJ i0 O 00 A to O ■' to b sj -j CD K> O • lj 00 LJ * ■ o o o o o _S2_ ■S2_ 9 ■b "Si " 5 “ “ E"' ■b to U ■ * al •vo M Ol oi o » LJ CJ VO o ?> b H* • 00 o o » r 1 Ul 1—* • • b 00 • Excellent Fair to to Poor OI lj * Ul a Jh 00 a Obi CD Should/ Might Be Offered O a CD to • LJ o a 00 L ■J iO H* • Ol O • 00 LJ • H* O * CD o * CD * a-• Oi Should Not Be Offeree Ul O' • O' Ul to • *4 lb V aO O' Ul to • o Ul lb • LJ ■b Sj • LJ Ul Ul • Ul * M Ul LJ * Ul ■b V aO Ol No Response CJ lb • NJ LJ A a v£> LJ M • b CJ CJ a CJ CJ M • 4* to * 01 L MJ a 1—1 to 00 a o M LJ a ■b to 00 a sj Would/ Might Part. IU CD # oi LJ O a to CJ Oi • CD CJ .b . H* LJ LJ a to to Sj a to LJ LJ a to LJ 0 a0 *4 b i—> a 'O CJ VO a Ul Would Not Part. C sJ j • to LJ • 10 CJ 1 aCD CJ to « 01 LJ Ul • LJ O a VO LJ Ul • *•4 LJ LJ a LJ LJ a V0 CJ H a* CD No Response SZT TABLE 32 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI PERCEPTIONS OF RELATED ACTIVITIES umiu Perceptions Related Activities i •o v L e O v 41 U 41 U 44 0 ** z o V c a 4) W c a +> c 4> 41 4) 14 Z$ U X w <0 Cm O8i to ■P •o O o z u 4) \ « V 44 0) v 44 H 4J U 3 J3 4_1 3 O O 0 J3 -H 4m JS 4) W S O Ul QQ 4) 0) c 4J U <0 Cm z 2 \ TJ 4J H £ 3 Co 0 ■H S £ a to 4-1 0 z TJ • H P 3 14 0 * 4) (0 C a to S a Admissions & Counseling 34.8 0.0 43.9 21.3 12.9 18.7 3.2 52.3 1.3 46.4 38.0 22.9 37.4 Consultive Servs* 12.3 1.3 61.3 25.2 1.3 9.7 1.3 49.0 1.3 49.7 34.2 23.3 41.3 Information Servs. 27.7 0.0 46.5 25.8 12.9 12.9 1.9 47.7 1.3 51.0 34.8 21.9 42.6 T.V. & Radio 6.8 7.1 60.0 24.5 3.2 3.2 1.9 43.9 3.2 52.9 28.3 26.4 45.2 Conferences 24.5 0.6 51.6 23.2 12.9 11.6 0.0 57.4 1.3 41.3 48.4 14.9 34.8 Independent Study 7.7 1.9 63.2 27.1 3.2 3.9 0.6 52.2 2.6 45.2 36.1 23.9 38.7 Tele-lectures 5.1 3.9 65.2 25.8 0.6 3.9 0.6 46.5 3.2 50.3 30.9 23.8 44.5 Lectures 12.9 1.3 59.4 26.5 3.2 9.7 0.0 47.8 1.9 50.3 36.7 16.8 44.5 Concerts 5.7 7.1 60.6 26.5 1.9 3.2 0.6 43.8 2.6 53.6 32.9 19.4 47.1 Films 4.5 4.5 63.9 27.1 3.2 1.3 0.0 55.2 1.3 43.5 32.8 18.7 47.7 127 Related activities as indicated by Western Michigan alumni are shown in Table 33. Again admissions and counseling, information services, and conferences, were the activities most often selected. The same three areas were most often selected in terms of success, should be offered and participation. Independent study and lectures were also frequently mentioned. Tables 34 - 37 are presented to show response differences by in­ stitution of alumni perceptions for selected related activities. Table 34 shows selected activities alumni perceive "to be offered" by the Center. Admissions and counseling, followed by conferences were the activities most frequently mentioned by Michigan State, Western Michigan and the University of M'chigan alumni. The proportional differences between the three universities are quite similar. The Uni­ versity of Michigan graduates mentioned independent study more often than the other alumni, while Michigan State alumni indicated lectures more frequently than Western Michigan or the University of Michigan grad­ uates. The success of related activities as perceived by alumni is re­ ported in Table 35. Some interesting differences emerge in several of the activities; for example, more of the University of Michigan alumni perceived information services as "poor" than any of the other activities rated. Michigan State graduates divided their rating of the same category equally between "fair" and "excellent." Western Michigan alumni, on the other hand, had a greater number of persons indicating informa­ tion services were "fair," rather than "excellent." The University of Michigan graduates gave an "excellent" rating more frequently to lectures than the alumni from Michigan State and TABLE 33 i Poor i ■ - — ■ Should/ Might Be Offered !Should Not Be Offered No Response Would/ Might Part. Would Not Part. No Response 13.6 14.9 4.J 51.3 0.0 48.7 32.4 17.4 42.9 Consultive Servs. 11.0 1.3 59.1 28.6 3.9 7.1 O.C 48.8 0.6 50.6 28.5 18.7 44.8 Information Servs. 28.5 0.6 45.5 25.5 9.7 16.2 2.( 51.3 0.6 48.1 31.8 17.5 42.9 T.V. & Radio 7.7 4.5 59.9 27.9 2.6 3.2 l.< 42.9 2.6 54.5 22.0 21.3 48.7 Conferences 18.9 0.6 53.9 26.6 6.5 11.7 0.( 58.5 0.0 41.5 47.3 10.9 37.0 Independent Study 5.8 3.3 61.7 29.2 2.6 1.9 i.: 52.0 0.6 47.4 34.4 16.7 42.9 Tele-lectures 3.3 2.6 63.6 30.5 0.6 1.3 i.: 40.3 2.6 57.1 23.9 21.4 50.6 Lectures 9.7 1.3 59.1 29.9 2.6 6.5 O.f 48.0 0.0 52.0 33.0 14.3 46.8 Concerts 7.2 2.6 61.0 29.2 2.6 3.2 i.: 44.1 1.3 54.6 27.2 16.9 48.1 Films 3.9 1.3 62.3 30.5 1.3 3.9 o.e 47.4 1.3 51.3 31.7 16.2 45.5 l 24.7 Excellent 41.2 No Response 0.0 D o n 11 Know 34.1 Related Activities^V Not Offered Admissions & Counseling ^^Alumni Perceptions Offered Fair WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY ALUMNI PERCEPTIONS OF RELATED ACTIVITIES TABLE 34 COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTION OF SELECTEE RELATED ACTIVITIES ALUMNI PERCEIVE "AS BEING OFFEREE" Number Of Alumni U-M MSU WMU CONFERENCES U-M MSU ADMISSIONS WMU U-M MSU WMU INDEP. STUDY U-M MSU LECTURES WMU TABLE 35 COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTIONS OF SELECTED RELATED ACTIVITIES ALUMNI PERCEIVE AS BEING "SUCCESSFUL" Number Of Alumni 80 60 sn e m 40 20 U-M MSU WMU INFOR? SERVS. U-M MSU LECTURES WMU U-M MSU WMU CONFERENCES U-M MSU WMU ADMISSIONS Excellent Fair Poor 130 KEY 131 Western Michigan. A "fair" rating is more often suggested for lectures by the alumni from these two institutions. Michigan State graduates divided their responses for conferences evenly between "excellent and fair;" the University of Michigan alumni had more "excellent" responses for this same category than "fair" responses, whereas Western Michigan graduates responses were reversed. Admissions and counseling had the largest number of "poor" ratings, mainly from .Michigan State and Western Michigan graduates. All three alumni groups rated admissions and counseling as "excellent" and "fair" in approximately the same proportions. Table 36 presents a comparative analysis of alumni perceptions, by institution, of selected related activities "that should be offered" by the Center. The findings show an interesting response pattern for all three universities. The alumni from Michigan State and Western Michigan had almost identical response frequencies for all of the four activities illustrated. Also, the University of Michigan graduates responses were proportionally fewer in number than Michigan State and Western Michigan responses for each activity. Conferences were mentioned most often by all three alumni groups as an activity that "should be offered," followed by admissions and counseling, independent study and lectures. Comparative alumni responses by institution of selected related activities in reference to participation are illustrated in Table 37. Conferences were the activity most alumni indicated they would be likely to participate in. Michigan State graduates had the highest frequency in this category, followed closely by Western Michigan alumni TABLE 3b COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTION OF SELECTED RELATED ACTIVITIES ALUMNI PERCEIVE AS "SHOULD BE OFFERED Number Of Alumni 100 80 132 60 40 20 U-M MSU WMU CONFERENCES U-M MSU WMU INDEP. STUDY U-M MSU FILMS WMU U-M MSU WMU ADMISSIONS TABLE 37 COMPARATIVE RESPONSES BY INSTITUTION OF SELECTED RELATED ACTIVITIES ALUMNI PERCEIVE "THEY WOULD PARTICIPATE IN" Number Of Alumni U-M MSU WMU U-M CONSULTIVE SERVS. MSU WMU T.V. & RADIO U-M MSU WMU CONFERENCES U-M MSU WMU TELE-LECTURES 134 J-ie University of Michigan graduates. The University of Michigan _A indicated they would participate in T.V. and radio activities and -Aectures more than they would participate in consultative services e : community. However, Michigan State and Western Michigan alumni fc.ed consultative services more frequently than T.V. and radio a.ties and tele-lectures. The Michigan State alumni gave a greater tion of their participation in Center activities than Western Micrrk an graduates, who in turn responded with greater frequency than iversity of Michigan alumni. Statistical Analysis of Data Based on the assumption that factors exist which relate to how c o l l ^ ■ i e alumni perceive the continuing education activities ofa regional cent& ,sixteen questions were formulated forinvestigationand tested terms. of the descriptive data obtained from each respondent. facto in The general s studied were experience and need. A chi-square test of significance was used for the questions con­ cern A- -sc— alumni perceptions of what the Center is doing in relation to colle experience, Center participation, educational needs and demographic fact.c» s . Tables 38 - 41, referring to the first four questions, show the res u A- s signi. for the total alumni only. None of the factors tested were A cant when measured by institution. Questions five through sixteen were tested using a step-wise re­ gress __ -on analysis to determine which predictors, if any, were significant f a c t o j m - r - .s in alumni perceptions of the regional center. a re A In each discussion, 'ted variable is one which adds .5 percent to the predicted variance. 135 This relationship is considered significant at the .05 level in the re­ gression equation when the value of the F test applied is greater than J.84 (DF = 1,438). Tables 42 - 53 are presented to show the independent variables that were significant factors in alumni perceptions of Center program areas. Question 1 . is there a statistically significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and college experience? College experience was measured by institution attended, educational level, education major and recency of degree. An analysis of the data in Table 38 indicates the only significant relationship was recency of degree as related to the total alumni per­ ceptions of non-credit programs. Question 2 . Is there a statistically significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and Center participation? Factors used as measures to test the question were Center partici­ pation, number of experiences, recency of experiences, and types of experiences including credit programs, non-credit programs, conferences, lectures, counseling and information services. As shown in Table 39, there appears to be a significant relation­ ship between Center participation across all respondents for all program.areas. In addition, conferences as a specific type of experience was significantly related to credit programs and related activities. Question 3. Is there a statistically significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and educational needs as perceived by alumni? TABLE 38 WHAT THE CENTER IS DOING - COLLEGE EXPERIENCE ‘actors Progr MSU U-M WMU Recency of Major Degree Degree Degree Field Credit Total Non-Credit 35.33 DF = 15 Alumni Related Activities Total Program 136 TABLE 39 WHAT THE CENTER IS DOING - CENTER PARTICIPATION Program^^. Center No. Part. Exp's. *types of Experiences Of Credit NonCredit Confs. 11.00 DF=4 Non-Credit 39.38 DF * 8 59.66 DF * 10 Related Activities 12.5 DF*6 9.48 DF=3 Total Program 20.41 DF»10 Credit Total Lectures Recency of Counseling Info. Servs. Experience Alumni 137 138 Educational needs tested for significance were further credit, counseling, home and family living, professional growth, liberal educa­ tion, cultural experiences and social, political and economic issues. Table 40 shows that counseling emerged as a significant factor in relation to credit programs for the total alumni. This is the only significant factor related to the question. question 4 . Is there a statistically significant relationship between what alumni think the Center is doing and general demographic factor Demographic factors used in testing for significance were age, sex , marital status, income level, and occupation or profession. As shown in Table 41, only marital status was a significant factor and only in reference to related activities. Question 5 . Is there a statistically significant relationship between how w< the alumni think the Center is doina and colleoe exoerience? The question was tested against the following factors: institution attended, educational level, educational major, and recency of degree. Table 42 shows the factors tested for the total alumni and by institution, with alumni perceptions of success for all program areas of the Center. Significant factors that appeared in the total alumni responses were a degree from Western Michigan in perceiving non-credit programs, and a degree from Michigan State in perceiving related activities. When the University of Michigan alumni perceptions are analyzed separately, a degree from the University of Michigan is the only significant factor. Recency of degree was a significant factor for Michigan State alumni in relation to credit programs. Both non-credit programs and the sum of all activities were influenced by a degree from Michigan State at a TABLE 40 WHAT THE CENTER IS DOING - EDUCATIONAL NEEDS s, ^^actors Programs Credit Credit Counseling Home & Family Living Prof. Growth Liberal Educa. Cultural Exp's. Social, Political Economic Issues 10.16 DF=4 Total Non-Credit Alumni Related Activities 139 Total Program TABLE 41 WHAT THE CENTER IS DOING - DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS actors Programs Age Sex Marital Status Credit Total Non-Credit Alumni Related Activities Total Program 24.0 DF=9 Income Level Occupation or Profession TABLE 42 PROGRAM SUCCESS - COLLEGE EXPERIENCE f Factors MSU Progratos^^ Degree TOTAL ALLIMNI MSU ALUMNI U-M WMU Degree Degree Recency Major of Degree Field * Credit X Non-Credit Related Activities Sum of all Programs Factors Programs Credit * Non-Credit X Related Activities Sum of all Programs X * Non-Credit * Related Activities * * * X WMU * X * * * * * * Credit * Non-Credit * * Related * Sum of all Programs NOTE: U-M WMU ALUMNI U-M ALU*INI Credit Recency Major of Degree Degree Degree Degree Field MSU X-indicates F ‘-related factor X 3.84 Activities Sum of all Programs * * 142 significant level. The findings show several factors related to Western Michigan alumni perceptions, but none were significant. question 6 . Is there a statistically significant relationship between how well alumni think the Center is doing and Center participation? Factors used to test the question were: Center participation, number of experiences, recency of experiences, and types of eaqperience including credit, non-credit, conferences, lectures, and counseling. The data as revealed in Table 43 shows that Center participation was a significant factor in total alumni perceptions as well as on an institutional basis for all program areas with one exception. The ex­ ception occured in Western Michigan alumni perceptions of non-credit programs where Center participation was a related factor, but not signi­ ficant . The number of experiences alumni had with the Center was significant for Western Michigan alumni perceptions of non-credit programs and the sum of all program areas. When recency of experience is considered, several interesting differences among respondents appear. For example, when all alumni are grouped, recency of esq^erience is a significant factor in their per­ ceptions of all program areas; however, when the same variable is measured for the University of Michigan alumni only, it does not appear as a significant factor. For Michigan State graduates, recency of experience emerges as a factor in the perception of credit programs and the sum of all programs. However, for Western Michigan alumni, the recency of their experiences is TABLE 43 PROGRAM SUCCESS - CENTER PARTICIPATION TOTAL ALUMNI Types of Experiences 'actors U Programs MSU ALUMNI 04 C X 4> W Factors -H l> CU 0 *H Programs Credit Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities Related Activities Sum of all Programs Sum of all Programs U-M ALUMNI Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities Related Activities Sum of all Programs Sum of all Programs X - indicates F s 3.84 * - related factor z w ■H z u WMU ALUMNI Credit NOTE: Types of Experiences O 4) •H z o u Q 0 -H 144 significant for all programs. of experiences reveal An analysis of the data regarding types considerable differences between institutions. For the total alumni, only information services was a significant factor in perceiving the success of related activities. Significant factors emerging in the University of Michigan responses were experience in credit courses which influenced their perception of credit programs. Experiences in both credit and non-credit programs were significant in perceiving non-credit programs. credit courses and counseling were significant. For related activities, When all programs were considered, only credit courses were significant. Michigan State alumni had a different pattern of factors influencing their perceptions. When perceiving non-credit programs, conferences, lectures and counseling emerged as significant. Also, credit program experience affected their perceptions of related activities. For Western Michigan alumni, conferences were a significant factor in perceiving non-credit programs. Lectures emerged as significant in viewing related activities and conferences appeared again in Western Michigan graduates perceptions of all program areas. Question 7. Is there a statistically significant relationship between how well the alumni think the Center is doing and educational needs as perceived by alumni? Educational needs tested for significance were further credit, counseling, home and family living, professional growth, liberal educa­ tion, cultural experiences, social, political, and economic issues. Table 44 shows perceptions of all alumni of related activities were influenced by a need for further credit, home and family living programs, and cultural eigperiences. Considering the sum of all programs. TABLE 44 PROGRAM SUCCESS - EDUCATIONAL NEEDS X X X X * Non-Credit * Related Activities * * Sum of all Programs * NOTE: * X - indicates F \ 3.84 * - related factor Social Political Econ. Issues ft X Related Activities * X Sum of all Programs X X U-M ALLMil Credit i X * Cultural !Exp's. Non-Credit Liberal Educa. X Prof. Growth Credit Home & Family Livina Programs Counsel­ ing Factors Credit * * Related Activities X Social Political Econ. Issues 1 - Cultural Exp* s. X Liberal Educa. Non-Credit Prof. Growth X Home & Family Living Credit Counsel­ ing Programs^L Credit ^WFactors Sum of all Programs MSU ALUMNI -- IrOTAL ALUMNI * ft * ft * WMU A LUMNI * * * Non-Credit Related Activities * * * Credit * Sum of all Programs * ★ * X * * * * X ft * 146 ncud for further credit and social, political and economic issues were significant factors for total alumni perceptions. This latter factor appears to reflect current increased awareness and concern for societal None of the educational need factors were significant in terms issues. of University of Michigan alumni perceptions of program success. Michigan State alumni were perceiving the success of credit, influenced by need for further credit in non-credit and the sum of all programs. Home and family living was a significant factor related activities and the sum of all programs. in their perceptions of Social, political and economic issues emerged as significant in reference to non-credit programs. Professional growth and liberal education were significant factors for Western Michigan alumni perceptions of non-credit program success. Question 8 . is there a statistically significant relationship between how well alumni think the Center is doing and general demographic factors? Demographic factors tested were a g e , sex, marital status, income level, and occupation or profession. Results of alumni perceptions of credit program success are shown in Table 45. grouped. Age and sex were significant factors when all alumni are Sex appears as the only significant factor in reference to related activities. For the perceptions of all program areas, both age and sex again appear as significant factors. None of the general demographic factors studied were significant in the University of Michigan alumni perceptions of program success. Michigan State alumni perceptions were influenced only by sex in reference to related activities. However, Western Michigan graduates followed the pattern of the total alumni responses except that age was TABLE 45 PROGRAM SUCCESS - DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS MSU ALUMNI TOTAL ALUMNI actors Age Program Sex Marital Status Income Level Occupa or Prof. Factors Program Credit Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities Related Activities Sum of all Programs Sum of all Programs U-M ALUMNI Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities Related Activities Sum of all Programs Sum of all Programs X - indicates F 3.84 * - related factor Sex WMU ALUMNI Credit NOTE: Age Marital Status Income Level Occupa or Prof. 148 substituted for sex as a significant factor in perceiving related activitiei Question 9 . is there a statistically significant relationship between what alumni think th*» Center should he doing and college experience? Factors used to measure college experience were institution attended, educational level, educational major and recency of degree. shows that for the total of all alumni, none of significant or appear to be related. Table 46 the factors tested were When considered on am institutional basis, none of the factors measured were significant, however, many factors did emerge as related. It would appear that the random manner in which the factors studied entered into the total alumni perceptions caused them to counteract one another. Question 10. Is there a statistically significant relationship between what the alumni think the Center "should be doing" and Center related experience? Factors considered were Center participation, number of ex­ periences, recency of experience and types of experiences, including credit courses, non-credit courses, conferences, lectures, counseling and information services. Table 47 shows that for all alumni, Center participation was a significant factor in perceiving credit programs, non-credit programs, and total programs. Lectures and information services were significant factors in perceiving non-credit programs only, and recency of degree influenced the total alumni group's perception of related activities. Only conferences emerged as a significant factor in the University of Michigan alumni perceptions, occurring for both non-credit programs and in perceiving total programs. TABLE 46 WHAT THE CENTER SHOULD BE DOING - COLLEGE EXPERIENCE TOTAL ALUMMI MSU ALUMNI ^^Factors MSU U-M WMU Recency Major Programs^V^ Degree Degree Degree Degree Field Factors Programs MSU U-M WMU Recency Major Degree Degree Degree Degree Field * * * Credit Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit * * Related Activities Related Activities * * Sun of all Programs Sum of all Programs * * WMU ALUMNI U-M ALUMNI * Credit Non-Credit * Related Activities * Sum of all Programs NOTE: X - indicates F 3.84 * - related factor Credit * * * * Non-Credit * Related Activities * Sum of all Programs * * * * * * * TABLE 47 WHAT THE CENTER SHOULD BE DOING - CENTER PARTICIPATION rOTAL ALUMNI X Related Activities * Sum of all Programs X * X Related Activities * Sum of all Programs X U-M ALUMNI Credit Non-Credit * Related Activities * Sum of all Programs * NOTE: * * X X - indicates F < 3.84 * - related factor * * * * * WMU ALUMNI * * I 1 * Recency of Experience * Counsel­ ing [ Informa­ tion Non-Credit Lecture * Confs. * NonCredit Credit Programs^w Credit Informa­ tion Lecture Confs. Counsel­ ing X X Types of Ejerience in credit courses was also significant in perceiving credit programs. In addition, recency of degree was TABLE 50 PARTICIPATION - COLLEGE EXPERIENCE TOTAL ALUMNI actors Programs MSU ALUMNI MSU U-M WMU Recency Major Degree Degree Degree Degree Field Factors Progr Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities Related Activities Sum of all Programs Sum of all Programs Credit Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities Related Activities Sum of all Programs Sum of all Programs X - indicates F 3.84 * - related factor WMU Recency Major Degree Degree Degree Degree WMU ALUMNI U-M ALUMNI NOTE: U-M Field 156 Credit MSU TABLE 51 PARTICIPATION - CENTER PARTICIPATION MS J ALUMNI TOTAL ALUMNI X Credit * Credit Non-Credit Non-Credit Related Activities * X Related Activities Sum of all Programs X X Sum of all Programs * Non-Credit * * Related Activities Sun of all Programs NOTE: X - indicates F '' 3.84 * - related factor Recency of Experience Counsel­ ing Informa­ tion Confs. * X * * * * * * WMU AL1JMNI * Credit * * * hasis should be placed on professional growth programs. Also consideration should be given to providing programs in home and family living for Western Michigan alumni and cultural experiences for the University of Michigan graduates. 7. in view of the popularity of conferences as a function of the regional center, it is suggested this type of short-term learning experience be expanded. Seminars, workshops and other informal types of non­ credit instruction should be increased to meet the demand for advanced education not directed to the goal of a higher degree. 171 8. it is recommended that lectures, independent study, concerts and films be increased for the alumni of all three universities. 9. It would appear that increased cooperation and coordination between the alumni associations of the three universities and the regional center could result in increased alumni participation in Center programs. 10. Frequent communication to the alumni of the three universities involved in this study is recommended to increase alumni awareness and know­ ledge of the Center, its functions, and the continuing education opportunities it provides. 11. In reference to recommendation number ten, since time elasped since last degree relates to alumni perceptions of non-credit programs, it is suggested recent graduates particularly be informed of non-credit programs conducted by the Center. 12. since recency of Center experience was significant in alumni per­ ceptions of intent to participate in Center programs this suggests frequent communication between the Center and recent participants is desirable. 13. For an inter-university regional center such as the one analyzed in this study, it is suggested the regional directors of the sponsoring institutions make a determination in conjunction with their re­ spective faculty departments, which of the three universities could best provide the program areas that have been recommended for ex­ pansion. 172 Implications For Further Research This study suggested a number of questions and areas in which addi­ tional research is warranted. 1. This study needs to be replicated In relation to another inter-universit; regional center and geographic areas. 2. A more definitive study needs to be carried out regarding relationship between universities or colleges attended, level of degrees obtained from each school and perceptions of Center-related activities. 3. This study deliberately avoided the question of perceptions. accuracy of alumni This issue should be investigated to give a more com­ plete picture of alumni perceptions. 4. The proximity of college alumni to the regional tested in this study. center was not Since proximity to a college has been investi­ gated by others and found to be a factor in adult education par­ ticipation, this suggests perceptions formulated by college alumni of a continuing education center are possibly influenced by proximity to that center. This question should be analyzed to measure relative influence on alumni perceptions. 5. This study attempted to determine the intensity alumni have for educational programs. in such programs was measured. of need college Also, intent to participate However, the investigation did not include a correlation between these two factors. A study correlating intensity of need as expressed by respondents with degree of in­ tended participation should be analyzed. 173 6. Reliable instruments to determine the perceptions of college alumni are very difficult to design. The instrument used in this study was not completely adequate for the task. There is a need for a con­ tinuing effort to develop valid and reliable instruments to measure alumni perceptions of a continuing education center. 7. Finally, further research should take into consideration the limita­ tions of this study. These included the limited nature of the sample, the limited number of the sample, the use of a questionnaire for gathering data, and the limited number of factors related to per­ ception used in this study. Concluding Statement It is important to the success of an inter-university continuing education center that the college alumni of the sponsoring institutions know what is available to them. The regional center directors and the alumni directors should be concerned with expanding information to, and participation by, those college alumni not now being reached by the Center. The continuation of alumni education is necessary for the graduates of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan to achieve successful living and professional growth. Therefore, it is hoped that this study will be of value to the continuing education administrators who are responsible for developing and implementing programs for alumni, and for the researcher who has a desire to pursue this area of alumni perceptions further. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anastasi, Anne. 1954. Psychological Test i n g . New York: The MacMillan Company, Ahrens, Robert J. Continuing Education for A l u m n i . The American Alumni Council, 1958. Washington, D . C . : Allport, Floyd. Theories of Perception and the Concept of Structure. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1955. Babcock, F. Lawrence. The U.S. College Grad u a t e . MacMillan C o mpany , 1942. Bartley, Howard S. Principles of Perception. Brothers, 1958. New York: The New York: Harper and Beals, Ralph. 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Educa­ New York: New York: George New York: The MacMillan Company, Diekhoff, John S. "The Alumni University," The Journal of Higher Educa­ tion, Volume 28, October, 1957. Dobbs, Ralph C. "Self-Perceived Educational Need of Adults," Adult Education, Volume XVI, No. 2, Winter, 1966. Douglah, Mohammad and Moss, Gwenna. "Differential Participation Patterns of Adults of Low and High Educational Attainment,” Adult Educa­ tion, Summer, 1968. ________ . "Some Perspectives on the Phenomenon of Participation,” Adult Education Journal, Volume XX, No. 2, 1970. Dressel, Paul L. Evaluation in Higher Education. Mifflin Company, 1961. Boston: Houghton- Drucker, Peter F. "The University in an Educated Society," Oakland Papers. Edited by James B. Whipple and Gary A. Woditsch. Boston: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1966. Ecklund, Lowell R. "The Alumni University— Education's New Frontier,” Adult Education, Spring 1961. 176 Enarson, Harold L. 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New York: Henry Holt and Johnstone, John W.C. "Adult Uses of Education: Fact or Forecast," Sociological Background of Adult Education. Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1964. ________ and Rivera, Raymond J. Volunteers for Learning. Aldine Publishing Company, 1965. Kelley, Earl C. 1947. Education For What is Real. Chicago: The New York: Harper and Row, Ker linger, Fred N. Foundations of Behavorial Research. Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1966. New York: Holt Kreitlow, Burton W. Relating Adult Education to Other Disciplines. Cooperative Research Project No. E-012. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1964. Love, Robert. "The Use of Motivation Research to Determine Interest in Adult College-Level Training,” Educational Record, July, 1953. MacCarthy, Alan. "Call to Cooperation," National University Extension Association Proceedings, 1967. McClusky, Howard Y. "Community Influences and Adult Learning," Adult Education, Winter, 1958. 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Allen, Jr., State Budget Director by the Grand Rapids Board of Education. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1969. (Mimeographed.) Robinson, John P. and Shaver, Phillip. Measures of Social Psychological Attitudes. Institute of Social Research, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, August, 1969. Russell, John Dale. Higher Education in Michigan. the Survey of Higher Education in Michigan. September, 1958. The Final Report of Lansing, Michigan, Rutgers College, The Celebration of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniver­ sary of its Founding as Queens College. New Brunswick: Rutgers College, 1917. Sammartino, Peter. Multiple Campuses. New York: Van Rees Press, 1964. Scott, william A. and Wertheimer, Michael. Introduction to Psychological Research. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1962. Seaman, Don F. and Schroeder, Wayne L. "The Relationship Between Extent of Educative Behavior by Adults and Their Attitude Toward Con­ tinuing Education,” Adult Education Journal, Volume XX, No. 2, 1970. Seashore, Carl. Introduction to Psychology. Company, K924. New York: The MacMillan Seltiz, Claire. Research Methods in Social Relations. Rinehart and Winston, 1965. Shaw, Wilfred B. Alumni and Adult Education. tion for Adult Education, 1929. New York: Holt, New York: American Associa­ Sheffield, Sherman B. "The Orientations of Adult Continuing Learners," The Continuing Learner. Edited by Daniel Lokman. Chicago: Center for the Study of Liberal Education of Adults, 1964. Siegel, Sidney. Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956. Smith, G. Milton. A Simplified Guide to Statistics. Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1962. New York: Holt, Smith, M.R. and McKinley, John. "An Institutional Approach to Adult Educa­ tion in the Community,” Adult Education, Autumn, 1955. 179 Sterling, Theodore D. and Pollack, Seymour V. Introduction to Statistical Data Processing. 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(Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Florida State University, 1966.) wientge. King M. "A Model for the Analysis of Continuing Education for Adults," Adult Education, Volume XVI, No. 4, Summer, 1966. Van Hise, Charles. "The University Extension Functions in the Modern University," NUEA Proceedings, 1915. Verner, Coolie and Mayberry, John S., Jr. "The Nature of Adult Partici­ pation," Adult Education. Washington: Adult Education Associa­ tion of the United States, 1965. APPENDIX A Questionnaire, Accompanying Letter and Follow-Up Post Card 180 UNIVERSITY CENTER 106 Division Avenue, North GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 4S60S 3/70 D ear Alum nus o r Alum na: The enclosed questionnaire Is concerned w ith the perceptions college alum ni have o f an In te r-U n iv e rs ity regio nal cen ter and la p a rt o f a study being c a rrie d on cooperatively by M ichigan State U n iv e rs ity , W estern M ichigan U n iv e rs ity and the U n iv e rs ity o f M ichigan. As you may know, the th re e u n iv e rs itie s cooperate In the operatio n o f a U n iv e rs ity C en ter in Grand R apids. The study Is s p e c ific a lly In terested In le a n in g what you thiwfc the U n iv e rs ity <■ doing In term s o f Its to ta l operation; how w ell y”*1 the U n iv e rs ity C en ter la doing: what you think the U n iv e rs ity C e n te r firOMlH R f ^ M f and I f you would p a rtic ip a te In the program s you think the U n iv e rs ity C enter should be nffu rtn n . We a re also In terested In obtaining some general in fo rm atio n about you as a graduate o f one o f the th re e u n iv e rs itie s . The results of die study should help to provide the regio nal d ire c to rs and alumni d ire c to rs o f the th ree u n iv e rs itie s w ith m ore Insight In to the perceptions college alum ni have of the regional cen ter. The success o f th is study Is to ta lly dependent on your cooperation. You have been selected to p articip a te in this study on the basis o f a random sam ple and y o u r response Is o f g re a t Im portance If we a re to advance the knowledge of how o u r alum ni fe e l about the U n iv e rs ity C enter. It w ill re q u ire only a few m inutes o f your tim e to f i l l out the questionnaire. We w ill appreciate yo u r com pleting the questionnaire and re tu rn in g It to us w ithin the next few days. A stam ped envelope la enclosed fo r you r convenience. We can assure you the re p lie s w ill be tre a te d c o n fid en tially. In appreciation o f yo u r p a rti­ cipation, a sum m ary o f re s u lts w ill be made ava ilab le to you upon request. Thank you fo r your cooperation. Sincerely, Regional D ire c to r QHG:dg Enclosure: Q uestionnaire Survey D ire c to r 181 We are Interested In learning about you as a college alumnus or alumna. The following questions are for general Information. Please check the appropriate responses. PART A 1. A0 a. 21 - 29____ b. 30 - 39 c. 40 - 49 d. 90 - 59 ___ e. 00 and over 2. Sex a. Male b. Female 3. Marital Status a. Slagle____ b. Married____ c. Widow or widower d. Divorced 4. 5. Occuoatloo or Pfofesfloo a. Professional b. Manager or Proprietor c. Clerical __ d. Sales person _____ I 0. Income Level a. S3.000 - $5,999 b. S6.000 - $9,999 c. $10,000 - $14,999 d. $15,000 - $19,999 e. $20,000 - $24,999 f. $25,000 and over e. Housewife f. Skilled worker or foreman__ _ £- Adminlstratlve h. Other (specify1 The following questions refer to your college experience. Please check the appropriate response. Degrees earned from the following institutions, i.e. , B. A. (or B.S. >, M.A. tor M.S. i, Ph. D. (or Ed. D. >. Michigan State University _______ __ ________________________ The University of Michigan ______________________________ Western Michigan University ________________________ - 1- 7. La»t ilejjm' earned: Within last five years ____ 5-10 years _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10 - 20 years____________ Over :’ .0 years _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ i. Please indicate vowr major field in college (undergraduate). The following questions refer to your Center participation experience. Please check the appropriate response. 9. Have you ever participated In programs offeredby the University Center? a. Yea Ko _____ | Ifyour response Is Wo or Xot Sure Not Sure * to quest*. • 13. 10. J I Please indicate all the types of experiences you have had at the University Cent* a. b. c. d. Credit courses Non-credit ctwrses Conferences Lectures e. Counse f. Obtained information only___ g. Other (specify) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___________________ 11. How recent were these experiences? a. Within last year b. Within last 5 years___ c. Within last 10 years___ e. Over 10 years ago___ 12. How many programs offered by the Center have you ever participated m? a. b. c. d. One ___ Two___ Three or more _____ Five or more___ -2- Tlw following q w itlo a n f e r i to tfea educational ooodo you hove (hot might poeelbly bo prorldod lo r by Uafvoralty Canter. Ploaoc chock the Item <•> which ore moot Indicative of your educational ooodo. I I 1 definitely need probably need definitely do not need Fhrther ocodomtc credit _ Couneellna Homo 1 Fam ily living • n n ia i Proloooloool growth m m m m ....... Liberal educative •mtrtM Cultural t i f t r ii o c t t tw o r tft I i g t r b t t t hi ooeul, politicoi ft ic a w a k loouoo re PART B 14. Academic Credit Cn dMH PrmniiM r Please check <|«x)the program irtu wkich, to the bnt of your knowlt I »rf offered for gradual* credit »v the University Center. and bow m e | A jLigiJfcyiLJtl-B £S g*eg-*g ; Offered Fair Excellent 1. UMicilit 2. VricriMnr Medicine 3 Hoapltal Administration 4. Buiinwi Admlnlitnitaa 5. Music 6. Architecture 7. Dentistrv S. Public Health 1. Education 10. Social Work 11. Liberal Arts * Sciences 12. CMfnMrtac 13. Aerlculture 14. Public Administration 18. Pharmacy 18. Law 17. Library Science 14. Natural Resources It. Nurslna 20. Home Economics . Poor Not Offered Do N Knd (IT B Academic C red it Graduate P rogram » 15. Please check <✓) the program areas which, to the bctt of your knowledge, you think should be offered for academic credit by the University Center. and Ifyou would participate were the programs to be offered. Should be offered Procram Program Program Definitely Might be Definitely Should be Offered Should not Offered He Offered Medicine Veterinary Medicine Hospital Administrate« Business AdmlnlstratlL Music Architecture Dentistry Public Health Education locial Work liberal Arts it Scienci!S Cosinesrlnc sericulture Siblic Administration 'harmacy aw d>rary Science atural Resources ursine ome Economics Participation tDefinitely 1 Possibly IDefinitely Would not Would Par­ Might ticipate Participate Participate PART C 16. N o n -C re d it P ro g ra m s Please check (^) the program areas which, to the best of your know are offered for non-credit by the University Center, and how succes think the programs are. Not Offered Excellent 1. Medicine Veterinary Medicine a. Hospital Administration 4, Poslneas AH ministration 5. Music 6. Architecture 7. Dentistry 8. Public Health d. Education 10. Social Work 11. Liberal Arts A Sciences 12. Engineering _, 13. Aerlculture 14. Public Administration IS. Pharmacy 16. Law17. Library Science la. Natural Resources 19. Nursing 20. Home Economics 21. Creative Arts 22. Economic Education 23. Community Development 24. hhiman Relations It Leader­ ship Training 25. Local, State. National ft International Affairs 26. Trade A Technical Education 27. Recreation Education 28. Science Education 29. Continuing Education for Wo me i 30. Education for Arina 31. Other Fair Poor Offered Do Kn T C X o B -C rx ttt P w i n u n i 7. Please check ft • <0 +J w H ■M •H n