Survey says: Students enjoy experience at Pitt State

  Friday, December 20, 2013 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

With fall Commencement in the books and the spring ceremonies just months away, many seniors at Pittsburg State University are embarking on their final days as college students.

But if they had it to do all over again?

“There is no doubt that I’d choose to attend Pittsburg State,” said Charity Sterling, who graduated last Friday with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences. “I looked around at a lot of schools before choosing Pitt State four years ago. Having been here and experienced what this university has to offer, there is no way I’d ever consider going anywhere else.”

And she’s not alone.

According to the results of the 2013 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), 96 percent of Pitt State seniors would “definitely” or “probably” again choose to attend the university. The survey also reports that 93 percent of first-year students would make the same choice to attend Pittsburg State.

Results of NSSE, an annual survey of students at hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending their college or university.

It also gauges how satisfied the students are with their overall university experiences. At Pitt State, 96 percent of seniors and 94 percent of first-year students rated their experience as “excellent” or “good.”

Patricia Lindley, PSU’s director of assessment, said the report validates what the Pitt State community believes strongly: it’s good to be a Gorilla.

“The NSSE results are an affirmation that PSU is an excellent university where students thrive, excel and enjoy their experience,” Lindley said.

Along with their university experience, NSSE also tracks perceived academic gains among seniors. In the 2013 report, 93 percent of Pitt State seniors described their gains in thinking critically as “very much” or “quite a bit.” Eighty three percent reported substantial gains in working effectively with others and 82 percent reported gains in acquiring work-related knowledge and skills.

NSSE has been in operation since 2000 and has been used at more than 1,500 college and universities in the U.S. and Canada. More than 90 percent of participating institutions administer the survey on a periodic basis.

 

For more info, visit nsse.iub.edu.