You Speak, We Listen

Behind every great university is a network of successful and active alumni.

More than 170,000 strong, your alumni community is larger than many cities in the United States. You’re a virtual metropolis spread around the globe, sharing in a common desire to succeed and bound together by one common place: Your alma mater.

Even more impressive; your peers include world renowned scientists, athletic powerhouses, famous artists, tech innovators, civic heroes and so many more. You’re living proof in the value of a Stony Brook degree, and to say we’re proud of you and your fellow alumni is an understatement.

The pride you have for Stony Brook is reflective of the time, talent and resources you give back to the University, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by current students. You’re true role models, and your continued engagement is critical to their success, and ours.

To make sure you continue to receive the first-class alumni experience you deserve, we partnered with Graham-Pelton Consulting to conduct an alumni insights survey in 2016.

Alumni Survey Findings

More than half of all University alumni received the survey and a record number of you responded — about double the response from a similar survey we conducted in 2014.

Key findings of the alumni survey revealed:

• Eighty-five percent have positive feelings toward Stony Brook and 43 percent reported an increased positivity toward the University in recent years. Per Graham-Pelton, this increase is significantly higher than the national benchmark.
• A majority of all alumni report they would recommend the University to others.
• Alumni feel most connected to their academic department, major, school, college and their alumni.
• Alumni are most interested in campus events that help them connect with fellow alumni.
• Digital communications have surpassed other channels as preferred method of hearing from their alma mater, with email being the most popular for all age groups.
• Seventy-two percent of alumni feel the frequency of communications is “just right.”
• Topics of highest interest are: Stony Brook rankings, faculty research and accomplishments and the University’s global impact.
• Thirty-one percent shared that Stony Brook was in their top three philanthropic priorities, while 40 percent cited other organizations as more important, or that shifting priorities presented barriers to giving back to Stony Brook.

The return on your investment is visible every day in the faces of our students, which you can see in content-rich communications like Stony Brook Matters, indicated as a go-to among older alumni. You also noted that the newly revived Stony Brook Magazine was a welcome addition for campus news and excitement.

Because of your valued feedback, the way ahead is clear. Alumni Relations Executive Director Matthew Colson explained that just as we used information gleaned from the 2014 survey to implement new alumni programs, such as Career Services for Alumni and more networking and lifelong learning events, the Stony Brook University Alumni Association will use your most recent feedback as they begin to draft the next five-year strategic plan.

“Continued alumni participation will help inform the programs we continue, the new ones we develop, the communications we send and the events we produce to help our alumni remain connected to friends, faculty and the everlasting memories we all forge and cherish during our time at Stony Brook,” Colson said.

For complete survey results, click here.

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions that will help improve your Stony Brook alumni experience. Please email us at alumni@stonybrook.edu.

—Jordan Chapman