NACM Up

Graduates from the Class of 2009 and 2014 were invited to participate in the National Alumni Career Mobility Survey (NACM) through fall 2019. The effort was in partnership with the Career Leadership Collective, a higher education solutions group seeking insights and career satisfaction from colleges and universities across the country.

The NACM survey gathered data in five core areas: career satisfaction, career pathways, economic mobility, educational satisfaction, and community engagement.

Dr. Julia Overton-Healy, director of career services in Fisher’s Center for Career and Academic Planning, engaged with the Career Leadership Collective survey in an effort to help the institution better understand the professional pathways of its graduates and prepare future alumni for continued and improved career success.

“The NACM survey presented us with a unique opportunity to explore the ways Fisher alumni live purposeful and meaningful lives in their professions and their communities,” she said Overton-Healy. “The survey gives us data-based insight and shows that a Fisher education positions our graduates for success, from commencement day and beyond.”

An additional benefit was the ability to compare the College’s data with results from a peer group as well as the overall national data.

Fisher outpaced both the peer group and national scores in each of the core areas, with the largest breakaway at educational satisfaction.

NACM also tracked answers on six engagement themes including career advice, career experiences, engagement with employers, engagement with alumni, competency development, and high-impact education practices. While Fisher once again outpaced others, specific areas in which alumni felt Fisher excelled were career investment, social and economic mobility, career preparation, career pathway, and career advice.

One of the highest marks for Fisher in the competencies metric should come as no surprise to a campus known for holding doors for one another and being a community of collaborators. While overall competencies outpaced peers and national numbers, teamwork/collaboration and customer service were much higher at Fisher as compared to others.