Prof, students put our reputation to the test

Full Survey (pdf)

FYI Sacramento State: The local community really likes you, and your students can prove it.

According to the latest annual survey by sociology professor Amy Liu and her students, area residents see Sacramento State as a vibrant university that offers strong academic programs, and most would recommend it to someone who was planning to go to college,

The students found that 57 percent of residents of the four-county surrounding region considered the university vibrant, while 68 percent said we are strong academically. Only 3 percent held a negative view of our academic programs.

And in general, those who were well-acquainted with Sacramento State had even stronger positive feelings than those who didn't know the University well. While 85 percent of all respondents said they would recommend Sacramento State to prospective students, that number jumped to 92 percent among those who felt well-informed about the campus.

This year, 37 percent said they are well-informed about events on campus, up just slightly from 35 percent in the 2004 survey. The analysis found that respondents who felt well-informed were also much more likely to have positive feelings about us, to recommend us to prospective students and to consider making a gift.

The students also found that, overall, residents of Sacramento County were more positive about the University than residents of other counties.

The findings are from the fourth annual “Survey of Public Opinion and Life Quality in the Region.”

The survey was conducted in the spring by Professor Liu and more than 20 students as a service-learning project. Students conducted phone interviews with 1,002 randomly selected individuals in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. The survey had a margin of error of approximately 3 percent.

In addition to the questions about the University, students participating in the project asked questions and analyzed results about a variety of other topics including the Iraq War, President Bush, regional planning issues such as housing and traffic, and a possible new Kings arena. Their findings generated significant media coverage and interest by local officials.

Among other findings about Sacramento State:

• One of four respondents had attended Sacramento State, and more than three of four had visited the campus at least once.
• Fully 83 percent of respondents agreed that the University improves the quality of life in the region, and 85 percent agreed that we provide the future workforce for the region.
  
• Among those who have attended Sacramento State, 87 percent say we have strong academic programs (compared to 68 percent overall).
• Ninety-two percent say it is valuable that Sacramento State provides students with work and research opportunities in state government. Seventy-two percent say it is “extremely” or “very” valuable.

The report on the full 2005 survey is at www.csus.edu/ssis.