What predicts alumni satisfaction? The impact of investment, involvement, and post -college outcomes

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of financial investment, involvement, and post-college outcomes on perceived alumni satisfaction. Based on a conceptual framework guided by Alexander Astin\u27s I-E-O model, the researcher developed the displacement model, which illustrated the possibility that one variable could displace the effect of another. This framework also aided in understanding the joint and separate effects of the independent variables of financial investment, involvement, and post-college outcomes on the dependent variable, alumni satisfaction. The analyses also explored the effect of gender and class year on the variables. The researcher surveyed alumni from the graduating classes of 1994, 1999, and 2002 from a selective, public institution on the east coast. The results of this exploratory research indicated a significant relationship between post-college outcomes (combined measure of satisfaction with career and with salary following graduation) and alumni satisfaction as it both correlated with the dependent variable (p\u3c.001) and was the only predictor in the stepwise regression analysis (p\u3c.001). The variables of investment and involvement did not correlate significantly with alumni satisfaction and were not predictors in the regression analysis. However, involvement was significantly correlated with post-college outcomes (p\u3c.05) indicating a possible indirect link between involvement and alumni satisfaction through post-college outcomes. Given prior research indicating a strong relationship between involvement and student satisfaction (Astin, 1993) and considering the skills gained through involvement for career success (Zekeri, 2004), further research should explore this connection