A Returnability Study of BYUH Alumni (1993-2007 Graduates) Return Migration A Returnability Study of BYUH Alumni (1993-2007 Graduates) Elaine Walton Wendel Walton Samantha Palefau Thomas Dearden

Four-Phase Project Pilot study Online alumni survey Follow-up telephone interviews In-country interviews

Online Alumni Survey (n = 675)

Demographics 95.2% LDS 56.2% female 68.9% married (21% married to an American) 72.1% employed full time 32.8% enrolled in or completed graduate school 46.2% currently residing in the U.S. 63 countries represented * Is that 21% of the married ones are married to an American or 21% of the total?

Major Countries Represented Hong Kong (11.7%) New Zealand (7.1%) Japan (6.7%) Samoa (5.5%) Fiji (4.7%) Taiwan (4.7%) Philippines (4.1%) Tonga (4.1%) Korea (3.9%) French Polynesia (3.3%) Canada (3.3%) *

Primary Questions for Investigation Satisfaction with BYUH? Post-BYUH success? Returnability Current and planned residence? Correlates for return home? (opinions and motivations) *

Foci for Data Analysis Home country (four economic regions) Current residence Graduation year (1993-2007)

Current Residence by Graduation Year * This is interesting… 

Current Residence by Home Region *

Current Residence by Spouse’s Home Country * n = 413 (X2 = 96.35; df = 2; p < .001)

Current Residence by Academic Major *

Satisfaction with BYUH Preparation for . . . I would probably put “Strongly agree” at the top, and “Slightly agree” at the bottom. Not necessary though, just an idea. n = 644

Most Important Aspect of BYUH Experience

Most Important Aspect by Home Region Testimony versus Career (X2 = 11.946; df = 3; p = .008) (X2 = 7.323; df = 3; p = .062)

In Retrospect, Would Choose Again

Relevance of Academic Majors (Majors most frequently cited) Would choose again Wouldn’t choose again Major not relevant Accounting (17.1%) Information systems (20.4%) Information systems (17.1%) Information systems (15.1%) Hosp. and tour mgmt. (11.8%) Psychology (9.6%) Intern. Bus. Mgmt. (11.1%) Intern. Bus. Mgmt. (9.0%) Social Work (9.6%) TESOL (6.0%) Accounting (7.7%) Accounting (7.5%) Psychology (5.7%) TESOL (7.2%) Hosp. and Tour. Mgmt. (7.5%) Intern. Cult. Studies (5.4%) Social Work (6.8%) Intern. Bus. Mgmt. (6.2%) Social Work (4.9%) Psychology (5.4%) Intern. Cult. Studies (4.8%) Do these percentages only include the “Definitely” choices? So the other 75.2% of Accounting majors for example were in the “maybe” answers? (Percent of total)

Relevance of Academic Majors (Percent within major) Would choose again Wouldn’t choose again Major not relevant Computer science (78%) Hawaiian Studies (100%) Accounting (77%) History (80%) Int. Cultural Studies (76%) Hospitality & Tour Mgmt (65%) Special Ed. (75%) Art (71%) Pacific Island Studies (62.5%) Pacific Island Studies (50%) Political science (71%) Elementary Ed. (50%) Math (45%) Biology (68%) Special Ed. (50%) Psychology (44%) Exercise & Sports Science (67%) English (46%) Social Work (42%) Do these percentages only include the “Definitely” choices? So the other 75.2% of Accounting majors for example were in the “maybe” answers?

Helpful Resources * Is this from the question that asks if they WERE helpful to them, or if they WOULD be helpful in general? n = 608

Helpful Resources over Time BYUH Career Services * (X2 = 11.481; df = 6; p = .075)

Satisfaction with Employment and BYUH Preparation for Employment * n = 517

Difficulty Finding Employment at Home by Region Mean rating on 6-point scale * (F = 2.514; df = 3; p = .058)

Graduate School Attendance by Home Region * (X2 = 20.728; df = 3; p < .001)

Church Activity by Home Region Mean score on a 4-pont scale (4-8) * (F = 4.658; df = 3; p = .003)

Church Activity by Current Residence Mean score on 4-pont scale (4-8) * (F = 7.981; df = 2; p < .001)

Church Leadership by Current Residence (Male) * (X2 = 6.629; df = 2; p = .036)

Church Leadership by Current Residence (Female) * (X2 = 15.244; df = 2; p = .002)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Remaining (U.S. Residents Only) * (n = 259)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Returning (U.S. Residents Only) * I switched this slide with the next one so it’s Returning then Remaining, like the previous pair (n = 259)

Trends Over Time (1993-2007) Increasing Decreasing emphasis on career (contrasted with strengthened testimony) access to BYUH career services and LDS Employment Services difficulty finding employment at home Decreasing satisfaction with employment satisfaction with BYUH experience and preparation for employment positive attitude about returning home attendance in graduate school Church activity and Church leadership experience community service *

Follow-up Telephone Interviews with Alumni (n = 50)

Common Themes Gratitude for BYUH experience Returnability Multicultural environment Strengthened testimony Returnability Sacrifice to return, but worthwhile Exception Risks associated with remaining in the U.S. Difficulty finding a job in home country Wish for more help in preparation for job search More hands-on experiences and Internships Career services General suggestions Importance of English skills Identify appropriate major early

In-Country Interviews Church leaders LDS Business Executives Seminary & Institute Coordinators Alumni (N = 72)

Sample of Nine Countries Japan Korea Hong Kong Taiwan Singapore Philippines Indonesia New Zealand Australia

Focus of Interviews Returnability Career preparation (relevance of BYUH major) History of successful employment Preparation for leadership Support for returning graduates Recruitment

Returnability Graduates needed at home Graduates who remained in U.S. are worse off Dissenting opinions

Career Preparation Appropriate majors Business (especially accounting) in all countries Computer science (IT and IS) in all countries Science and engineering (New Zealand) Social sciences (NZ, AU, Singapore) In Asia majors selected by test scores Students unprepared to choose a major Enhanced curriculum, individual guidance, & assertiveness training needed Academic performance more important than choice of major

Successful Employment Success in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore (mostly business and computer-related jobs) Koreans struggle (mostly teaching English and employed by the Church) Developing countries Record poor for obtaining good jobs Many entrepreneurial opportunities Pacific Underemployment Most jobs unrelated to BYUH education

Preparation for Leadership Gratitude for BYUH Church experience Many graduates in leadership positions

Support for Returning Graduates Networking difficult from a distance Alumni chapters not well organized LDS Employment Resource Centers helpful in a few countries

Recruitment Recruit only those who have made a commitment to return (Japan and Korea) Focus on middle class – poor students less likely to return (Philippines and Indonesia) Resistance to BYUH recruitment (New Zealand and Australia)

Academic Standing of BYUH (Common Theme) BYUH unknown or known for lack of rigor Standing not important in developing countries Desire to raise academic standard Problematic for those who need BYUH most Need to clarify BYUH’s mission

Alignment of Universities (Common Theme) British educational system No G.E. courses More lengthy focus on specialization BYUH graduates’ qualifications not recognized BYUH admission standards Problem accepting “O Levels” Problem requiring “A Levels” Compensating Factors Innovation and creative thinking Ethical foundation

Ideas for Volunteering Mentoring database in Australia Participation in BYUH entrepreneurial efforts Japanese workshop for BYUH students BYUH International Service Center in Hong Kong Entrepreneurial internships in Indonesia and Philippines

Recommendations Define returnability more broadly. Increase the international flavor of BYUH. Develop strong connections to key countries. Enhance BYUH Career Services Strengthen BYUH’s relationship to BYU Enhance marketing efforts. Address alignment issues. Revisit the mission of BYUH. Periodic evaluation