Thank you for making the GSD Alumni Research Initiative a success
Over 3,000 GSD alumni participated in the first-ever Alumni Research Initiative. We would like to sincerely thank each and every GSD alumnus/a who responded to the questionnaire for taking the time to share their thoughts about the GSD. The feedback we learned from alumni will shape our efforts to build a stronger, more inclusive alumni community. We are pleased to share a sneak peek at some of the initial findings and recommendations that we have developed based on your feedback. Please keep in mind that the GSD will continue to generate insights, and take actions, based on your feedback for many months going forward!
We heard from GSD alumni all over the world
The GSD alumni who participated in the research represented all 8 GSD programs, 48 states, and 72 countries. Overall, just over one out of every four GSD alumni participated in the research.
GSD alumni are among the school’s biggest supporters, but it’s clear we need to do more to reach out
GSD alumni generally feel positively about the school, but they don’t feel very connected. While nearly two-thirds of alumni strongly agreed that they feel positively about the GSD, only 14% strongly agreed that they feel connected to the school.
Many GSD alumni feel open to reconnecting, despite not feeling included in the GSD community
Just 18% of alumni say they feel part of the GSD community. Our goal will be to change this over the coming years and create a more welcoming GSD community for alumni. GSD alumni want to be a part of this change, too: in the questionnaire half of alumni told us it is never too late to reconnect to the GSD.
Alumni told us they want intellectually engaging content and events from the school
The number one topic GSD alumni want to hear about from the school is cutting-edge research. The most popular type of local GSD event is faculty giving lectures and sharing their work. Keep an eye on your in-box in the coming months—we will be developing more communications, online resources, and local events to keep alumni in the loop about the latest research happening here at the GSD.
Where are they now? GSD alumni work in all sectors, at small firms, big firms and everything in between
We learned about the many career paths GSD alumni have taken. GSD alumni work across a variety of sectors and fields, and just over one in ten alumni say they are using their GSD degree to pursue a non-traditional career path. Overall, about two-thirds of GSD alumni work in the private sector and of these, nearly half (46%) work in a small firm of 1-10 employees.
What’s next for the GSD Alumni Research Initiative?
This is just the very beginning of our work to turn our research findings into plans to grow a welcoming GSD alumni community. We’ll keep you updated as we roll out new communications, events, and resources based on your feedback. Thank you again to everyone participated in the success of the first-ever GSD Alumni Research Initiative.