Recently, the Montana State University Alumni Association conducted an online survey to gain greater understanding of the needs of all alumni to help us plan events and programs based upon your survey responses. Thank you to all who participated for helping us develop our strategic plan that will guide us for the next few years. The entire survey results are available at: http://www.montana.edu/alumni/survey/msu_alumni_survey.htm Some information about the survey: 5,000 alumni for whom we had e-mail addresses were randomly selected from our database. We received a 20 percent response rate. Responses were from both men and women who live in Montana, as well as those who live out of state and out of country. There was a broad distribution of age groups that corresponds to the age distribution of our alumni. The demographic distribution of the respondents corresponds accurately to the demographic distribution of the alumni body at large, giving us confidence in the data and will, therefore, guide our decisions in the future regarding alumni programming. We were pleased to learn that the clear majority of respondents rated their overall experience with Montana State University as a great decision. Ninety-six percent rated their overall current opinion of the university as good or excellent. Many opinions expressed in the survey are being shared with other campus constituencies, including: Career Services, as we begin to develop a program to identify internship oppor-tunities with alumni for current students and job opportunities for graduates Admissions/New Student Services, as we begin to develop a program to encourage alumni to assist MSU in identifying and recruiting students Communications and Public Affairs, as we begin discussions on providing oppor-tunities for alumni to serve as ambassadors for the university; providing feedback regarding community perceptions and leadership roles on boards and committees Student Affairs, regarding the importance of involvement as undergraduates and its connection to alumni loyalty Academic Affairs, as we affirm alumni interest and commitment to academics and classes and the preparation our alumni receive for professional careers and graduate school We have carefully reviewed the generational representation among our alumni. As Montana State University has grown in recent years, our alumni population has become more diverse. The attitudes of different generations vary greatly. The Alumni Association will be studying and refining alumni programs, keeping each age group in mind. The overwhelming number of younger alumni in our total population suggests that specific activities and outreach efforts be targeted towards young professionals. This is a challenge which we embrace and encourage alumni input in the development of our programs. Comments regarding the overall opinion of the university included an interest in providing scholarships to incoming students. The university is committed to this effort and has embarked on an $18 million dollar scholarship campaign. We realize that quality students are attracted to campuses that recognize their academic abilities. This is an area where Montana State University needs to become more aggressive in order to attract and retain Montana's best, as well as the children of our alumni outside of Montana. Excellent feedback was provided regarding the barriers to participating in alumni activities. The majority of participants expressed that geographic distance was a barrier. Because of that, the Alumni Association keeps alumni informed and up to date by providing the Collegian newspaper, Montana State-ments electronic newsletter, the online alumni directory for alumni use in contacting friends and associates around the country, and the informative and interactive Alumni Association Web site. While we realize that distance may keep many from an actual alumni event, we will continue to provide means to stay connected to MSU. To address the geographic distance issue, we are committed to providing more Montana State University opportunities in out-of-state locations. Recently, events were held in Baltimore Md., Washington D.C., and Jackson Hole, Wyo. Many universities have alumni chapters or clubs in out-of-state locations. This is a concept that the Alumni Association is considering as we think through comments regarding the biggest barrier to participation. Respondents also commented that time was a barrier to participation.We are aware of the demands on schedules with work, family and community involvement. Our commitment is to provide alumni events and activities that are quality in nature, worth your time, convenient and priced for value. Feedback for our efforts is always appreciated. Respondents gave positive responses about the Collegian newspaper, Montana State-ments electronic newsletter, and event announcements. We will continue to commit resources to these communication efforts, providing quality and interesting information targeted to keeping you informed about Montana State University. Alumni opinion of the university is critically important. Our pledge to current and future students, alumni and to the citizens of Montana is that Montana State University is committed to provide an excellent educational experience with an end result of a valued and respected academic degree. Your opinion on this matter parallels the university's mission and goal. Participants expressed that campus aesthetics are important to their overall opinion of the university. These comments have been shared with the Facility Services department, encouraging them to continue to create and maintain a beautiful campus. The Bridger Mountains and the scenic Gallatin Valley will always be a treasured memory for our alumni. Your strongest affiliation to Montana State University is to the university in general. While former student's activities and organizations, your undergraduate academic college, a specific faculty member or the Bobcats play a role in your life, the university, as a whole, has your interest. We will keep that in mind as we plan and develop programs for alumni. We learned from those of you who responded that you prefer to be contacted by e-mail. Our efforts to do so increase daily. We encourage you to stay current with MSU by providing your e-mail address and that of your MSU classmates, roommates and contemporaries. We respect your time and appreciate you telling us how you prefer to be contacted. Your Alumni Association staff and Board of Directors were extremely pleased with the enthusiastic response to this survey. Your responses will be carefully considered as we continue to refine our long-range plan and goals. MSU's vision for the next five years includes increased alumni participation in all aspects of the university. Your participation in this survey has helped all of us to get the ball rolling towards that goal.