Tribal College and University Alumni Community Engagement

Title: Alumni of Tribal Colleges and Universities Better Their Communities

Source: Gallup

Authors: American Indian College Fund

The American Indian College Fund, in partnership with Gallup, has published a study examining attitudes, experiences, and beliefs of alumni of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) when compared with their peers.

Specifically, the study focuses on metrics of workplace engagement, well-being, experiences as a student, and alumni attachment to the institution. The study compared TCU alumni response data with response data of college graduates nationally collected from Gallup Alumni Surveys.

Key findings of the study include:

• 59 percent of TCU alumni strongly agreed that their school was perfect for them, compared with 32 percent of college graduates nationally.
• TCU alumni remained involved in their communities, with 74 percent reported being primarily employed in areas related to American Indian communities or tribal lands.
• TCU alumni were two times more likely to report feeling emotionally supported when they were enrolled, when compared with American Indian students who did not attend a TCU.
• TCU alumni were significantly more likely than their peers to strongly agree that their institution well prepared them for life following college, with nearly 70 percent reporting their education was worth the financial cost.

For more findings and details on the study’s methodology, visit Gallup’s website.

—Charles Sanchez