In February 2021, Wellesley launched the largest comprehensive alumnae survey it has ever conducted, asking alums to evaluate the impact of their education and share their thoughts on their connection to the College. Thirty-one percent of alumnae who received the survey responded, almost twice the response rate of the last major alumnae survey, in 2016.

“We’re always thinking about how to reach our diverse alum population and engage them in meaningful ways with Wellesley today. We saw strong consistency across demographic groups in the high overall satisfaction and the impact of the College—92% are ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their Wellesley education. It’s important for us to pay attention to the differences in how alums want to connect with Wellesley and what connection points are most important to them,” says WCAA Executive Director Kathryn Harvey Mackintosh ’03. “The differences we see will inform how WCAA differentiates its engagement and communication strategies.”

Mackintosh also says that the fact that the survey took place during a pandemic, and returned a skewed response rate by decade, will shape how the WCAA interprets the data. She is grateful for the time alums spent on their responses. “Nearly 40% shared additional qualitative input—some positive, some negative, many reflective about their experience at Wellesley and after,” she says.

“The WCAA staff and board are using the survey results to inform our thinking about how to best harness the overall pride of our alums and their commitment to Non Ministrari sed Ministrare,” Mackintosh says.

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