There is a 92 percent overall job placement rate within nine months of graduation  for St. Edward’s University students according to a report that came out last week. This report, created by the Office of Career Services, studied the post-graduation placement of traditional undergraduates who received bachelor’s degrees in December 2011, May 2012 and August 2012. The report is based on data from 591 out of 828 bachelor’s degree recipients, representing 71 percent of the three graduating classes. 

Barbara Henderson, director of Career Services, worked with her student employee Scott Hammel, sophomore, to collect, compile and analyze the raw data. Henderson says they used Southwestern University’s post-graduation placement report as their model, and she is confident that this is the best post-graduation report Career Services has produced to date.

According to Henderson, the process started by collecting the graduates’ contact information at Grad Fest in March. Next, Henderson send out a congratulatory e-mail immediately after graduation. After three months , she e-mails the graduates and asks what their current placement is. Three months later, she tries again to contact those who have not responded yet. Then, she sends out an e-mail to the faculty and staff in each remaining graduate’s school and asks if they know his or her current placement. At nine months out, Henderson makes one last attempt to contact graduates that have not responded.

Once the collection process is complete, she organizes and analyzes the raw data. When the numbers are finalized, the information is sent off to the Marketing Office to be arranged into neat graphs with an aesthetically appealing design.

The final  report excludes non-responders because it would skew the results, according to Henderson.

“We do statistics  including them and then not including them. We note them, but the report you see does not include them,” Henderson said.

The collected data  includes where the graduate works, interns or studies. But this information is not reported or open to the public unless the graduate gives exclusive permission.

The report informs  both potential incoming students as well as current exiting students about the product of a St. Edward’s education. A report with high numbers like this one helps offices like Admissions, Career Services and Academic Planning & Support. It provides a compact and clean way to show off the success of St. Edward’s students.

 “If we can’t brag about  what you’ve accomplished, how can we encourage students to come to St. Ed’s?” Henderson said.

Josh Phillips, a senior business administration major, believes these numbers are going to raise confidence and give an outlook to overall numbers.

 “These numbers really do make me feel more confident.  Most of my friends that graduated have found placement, and I know I will as well,” Phillips said.

The first attempt to collect post-graduation data was at the 2008 Grad Fest. Henderson said she discovered a lot of seniors who were still seeking employment with less than 6 weeks left in their undergraduate career. Because of this, Career Services realized they need to get to students sooner. The outcome was the Map Your Future 4-year Career Action plan that launched this summer at the new student orientation.

The plan is designed to start the incoming freshmen’s career planning early. The plan details what the student should be thinking about or doing each year of their undergraduate education. Advisors from the Office of Academic Planning & Support will help keep track of each freshman’s progress.

After 2009, Career Services also added workshops and “Meet The Employer” nights to help students with networking and internship opportunities.

Mallory Ashwander, a senior graphic design major, thinks the numbers are impressive for St. Edward’s, but says they did not have much of an effect on her.

“After my internship this summer, I had a lot more confidence in getting a job after graduation,” Ashwander said.

Ashwander interned for The Trust for The National Mall in Washington, D.C. this summer and has continued her work with them into this semester. She hopes to secure a job with The Trust after graduation, but if she does not, then she will apply to other design firms in the D.C. or Austin area. Ashwander does not currently have plans to attend graduate school, but says this could change a few years down the road.

Ashwander and Phillips said that they would like to see this report broken down further into different majors.