Thank you to the 263 Fisk Alumni who responded to D-Day Media’s online opinion survey. Thank you also to the one respondent from Houston, Texas, who sent a hard copy of his responses and pointed out, as others did also, that the graduation decade 1951 – 1960 was inadvertently omitted. We apologize for that error. The report suggests that a number of respondents from that era graciously did complete the survey.
Compilation of these survey results coincide with the August publication of the , which lists Fisk as the “hottest historically Black College,” citing its high six-year graduation rate and the visionary leadership initiatives of President Hazel O’Leary, including the Ethical Leadership Institute, new internships with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a music-business major.
D-Day Media Group is proud to offer these survey results in anticipation of Fisk’s burgeoning growth and bright future. We hope that this information will be of use to administrators, alumni chapters, and loyal supporters of Fisk.
Below is a brief summary of the 263 online responses to each question. To view the whole report, :
Gender:
Of the 263 Fisk Alumni who responded to this survey, roughly two-thirds were female and one-third were male.
Age:
While the 263 survey respondents varied in age from the 16-24-year-old range to those over 65, nearly one-third were between the ages of 46 and 55.
During which decade did you graduate from, or last attend, Fisk University?
The majority of respondents graduated from Fisk after 1961, with the largest proportion representing graduates of the classes of 1971 - 80, followed by graduates of the classes of 1961 - 70 and 2001 - 05 respectively.
In what region of the country did you attend High School?
Over one-quarter of the respondents attended high school in the Midwest, and the majority of the rest attended high school in the South, Southeast, or Northeast.
If you were an international student, what is your place of origin?
Of the 10 international respondents, nine were from the Caribbean and one was from Canada.
How would you classify your family's economic status at the time you entered Fisk?
Over half of the respondents characterized their family as middle class at the time they entered Fisk, while another quarter of the respondents reported lower middle-class status upon entering Fisk.
What is your current household economic bracket?
Over half of the respondents characterize their current income bracket as above $60,000 per year.
Since leaving Fisk, approximately how much monetary support have you given?
Approximately one quarter of the respondents have contributed $2,500 or more to Fisk since they graduated, while another quarter have given less than $100. The remaining half of the respondents are fairly evenly distributed in giving between $100 and $2,500.
Would you be willing to increase your annual charitable giving to ensure Fisk's survival?
Over three quarters of the respondents would be willing to increase their annual charitable giving to ensure Fisk's survival, while the majority of the rest are undecided.
What are the greatest challenges to Fisk's progress in the next decade? Rank the following from 1 -7, with 1 posing the least challenge and 7 posing the greatest.
From these responses, it appears that respondents do not consider expanding/enriching curriculum or attracting top faculty to be significant challenges for Fisk. Rather, the greater challenges are seen to be in the realms of raising capital funds and financial management. Apathetic alumni and global competition for students are seen as challenges by some respondents and not so by others.
Please rank the following randomly listed HBCUs in order of reputation of academic excellence, with 1 being the best.
Respondents ranked Spelman, Morehouse, Howard, and Fisk, in that order, as having the best academic reputations.
How would you rank Fisk's national reputation as a private liberal arts college in comparison with all national liberal arts colleges
One-third of the respondents ranked Fisk's reputation as "good," with roughly another quarter ranking it as "very good" and another quarter ranking it as "fair." A tenth of the respondents ranked Fisk's reputation as "excellent."
What role, if any, should religion play in campus life at Fisk?
About half of the respondents feel that the Fisk experience should be broad and ecumenical, while the next largest proportion feel that Fisk should emphasize its religious heritage.
How would you rate the quality of the liberal arts education you received at Fisk?
The majority of the respondents rated the quality of their education from "good" to "outstanding."
To what extent has a baccalaureate degree from Fisk contributed to your success?
Half of the respondents feel that their Fisk degree has contributed significantly to their success, and the majority of the others feel that their Fisk degree has contributed somewhat to their success.
Should Fisk seek to recruit excellent non-African-American students?
Fewer than half of the respondents feel that Fisk should seek to recruit excellent non-African-American students, while about one-third feel that Fisk should not seek to recruit excellent non-African-American students and the rest are undecided.
Would you personally encourage a student pursuing a liberal arts education to attend Fisk today?
The majority of respondents would personally encourage a student to attend Fisk today, while about one-fifth are undecided.
Do you believe that a merger between Fisk University and Meharry Medical College would be beneficial to both institutions?
Almost half of the respondents believe that a merger between Fisk and Meharry would be beneficial, while the other half are split between "no," "maybe," and "undecided."
Would you participate in an alumni gathering to discuss ways to support Fisk?
Three quarters of the respondents would participate in an alumni discussion about ways to support Fisk and another one-fifth responded "maybe" or "undecided."
In your opinion, what is most needed to strengthen Fisk's programs and secure its future as a world-class institution of higher education?
The narrative responses to this question, which appear unedited above, were varied. Some significant themes arose, including the need for stability and continuity of administrative leadership; accountable financial management;
innovative fundraising strategies; competitive curriculum and academic programs; recruitment and retention of top-tier faculty; improved alumni and community relations; and the need to address the implications of increased global competition for students, faculty, and resources.
Several ideological strains emerge that tend to suggest divergent views regarding whether Fisk should be marketed on the basis of its rich historical heritage or positioned as the academy of the future, appealing to diverse global populations. |
