A recent survey of Denver business leaders has revealed some key information about how this influential group views Metro State. The purpose of the survey, which was conducted this spring by the Noel-Levitz higher education consulting firm, was to glean the information necessary to better understand the leaders' perceptions of Metro and the value that higher education holds for them.

"Metro's received many accolades from the external community over the past few years, such as Kaplan Newsweek rankings, front-page newspaper stories on our many student successes and CCHE's Quality Indicator Survey (QIS)," explains Cathy Lucas, interim assistant vice president of college communications. "This survey was a way to gauge if these rankings and honors are resonating with Denver's top business leaders."

According to Marketing Director Jacque Williams, the survey is a natural progression of research that already has been conducted with prospective and current students. "The next step was to take the pulse of the business community," she said. "The data is a benchmark that provides a direction as the college goes forward with targeted communications and messages."

Slightly more than 1,000 business men and women from a list obtained from the Denver Business Journal were targeted. The list included a vast range of directors, CEOs and presidents of nonprofit and for-profit organizations and businesses. The survey results were presented at a July 14 Expanded Cabinet meeting that included leaders from all the college's main divisions.

Among the more significant data learned is that Metro is viewed as an affordable, value-centered education that has flexible schedules and a good relationship with employers. In another section of the survey, the respondents were asked to rank on a seven-point scale the contributions made by Metro and those contributions' importance to the community. Metro rated highest for educated workforce and opportunities for personal development, which also received the highest ratings for community importance—indicating a good synergy between the employers' needs and what Metro provides.

In other results, Metro (37.7%) came in third behind CU-Boulder (58.5%) and CSU (40.6%) when the leaders named the university where most of their employees were educated. Fifty-two percent rated a Metro degree from credible to extremely credible, however, 21 percent said they didn't know and 15 percent were non-committal. Another concern was that the college's reputation for the quality of its programs was not given high marks.

While the survey had an 11 percent response rate (6-9 percent is the standard), many of the respondents felt they were not familiar enough with Metro to answer some of the questions. This apparent unfamiliarity sparked a discussion among the Expanded Cabinet members about targeting communications to this group that not only increase their awareness of Metro, but also educate them about the quality of our programs and graduates.

Among the group's suggestions were working more with the local chambers of commerce, using successful alumni to help get the word out and bringing the business leaders on campus.

The next step in the process is for the Office of College Communications to put together a plan draft for the Cabinet to review.

"We'll be looking at this information as well as other primary and secondary research sources and moving forward with a communication strategy," Lucas said.