In December, the Alumni Association partnered with research firm ORC Macro to survey alumni who had graduated within the past two years. We’re already putting the results of the survey to good use. And while much of the feedback didn’t surprise us, there were a couple of items that did.

In this age of technology, it’s a standard assumption that today’s youth—including our young alums—prefer electronic communications. E-mail and instant messenger, rather than “snail mail” and phone calls. Survey says: that’s not quite accurate. Young alumni are divided fairly evenly between e-mail and mail when asked of their preference for future contact from the Association, with only a very small percentage wanting telephone contact. Don’t stop using e-mail—especially because it’s cost effective and time efficient. But remember that young alums still like receiving “snail mail,” too.

It’s also sometimes assumed that loss of contact with recent graduates, while busy with relocation and new careers, is the norm. And that those graduates will reconnect once life’s pace slows. Survey says: wrong. Contact with the University in the year after graduation is key to their continued membership in the Alumni Association. Penn State publications—such as The Penn Stater, this e-newsletter, or Association and chapter Web sites—are the major vehicles for maintaining loyalty among recent graduates.