In a student satisfaction inventory (SSI) during spring 2014 coordinated by higher education consultant Noel-Levitz, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville scored significantly higher as compared to comparison groups and is performing well for its students.
“SIUE undergraduate students are happy in statistically significant terms against our peer set,” said Narbeth Emmanuel, vice chancellor for student affairs. “The information is highly valuable to us as we annually seek to improve our student services.
“It also speaks highly to the effectiveness of our institutional commitment to student success, and all the faculty and staff dedicated to providing an exceptional academic experience.”
SIUE held a statistically significant edge over its comparison groups in the following areas:
- Institutional effectiveness– assesses the students’ academic experience, the curriculum and the campus’ overriding commitment to academic excellence
- Safety and security– assesses SIUE’s responsiveness to students’ personal safety and security
- Recruitment and financial aid– assesses SIUEs ability to enroll students in an effective manner
- Registration effectiveness– assesses issues associated with registration and billing
- Concern for the individual– assesses SIUE’s commitment to treating each student as an individual
- Student centeredness– assesses SIUE’s efforts to convey to students that they are important to the institution
- Campus climate– assesses the extent to which SIUE provides experiences that promote a sense of campus pride and feelings of belonging
- Service excellence– assesses the perceived attitude of staff, especially front line staff toward students
- Campus support services– assesses the quality of support programs and services which students utilize to make their educational experiences more meaningful and productive
- Campus life– assesses the effectiveness of student life programs covering issues ranging from athletics to residence life
- Responsiveness to diverse populations– assesses commitment to specific groups of students
Noel-Levitz surveyed more than 1,700 SIUE undergrads last spring. Each student answered approximately 100 questions.
In its summary, Noel-Levitz reported that the survey was “overwhelmingly positive,” and that SIUE “out-performed all comparison groups.”
Noel-Levitz stated, “SIUE has out-performed on nearly all measures to a statistically significant extent in comparison to other groups. Overall, SIUE students have a more positive perception of SIUE than other university’s students have of their own university. There is definitely room for improvement, but in terms of comparison, SIUE is performing well in the eyes of its students.”