A survey conducted last fall to determine NIU’s image among the business world found undergraduates are seen as well educated and students are considered well prepared for jobs.

NIU’s Public Opinion Lab surveyed 200 corporate and civic leaders from businesses located between NIU and Chicago, William McCready, public opinion laboratories associate director, said.

The survey conductors wanted to determine the business community’s perception of NIU’s leadership abilities, McCready said.

The survey stated 86 percent of the respondents gave high marks for undergraduate education. NIU is seen as an undergraduate university by 40 percent of the respondents, the survey reported.

High marks were given to NIU’s ability to prepare students for jobs by 76 percent, the survey stated. It added NIU students earned above-average grades.

Sixty-eight percent said graduate students were prepared well, and 61 percent highly viewed community service, the survey reported.

“The image of the university is pretty positive, especially on the practical side—undergraduate education and job preparation,” McCready said.

After the survey results were reviewed, McCready suggested NIU work to improve cultural development and NIU’s image as a research institute.

The survey reported 39 pecent of the respondents gave high marks to the NIU’s cultural developments, 37 percent gave high marks to research efforts and 33 percent gave high marks to athletics.

McCready said he “was surprised at all the cultural offerings here (NIU). Clearly, that wasn’t part of the impression of the respondents.”

The respondents did not perceive NIU as a research institution, McCready said. “There are two or three world class research institutions in this region and we’re (NIU) clearly not in that league. My sense is that this particular audience is interested in applied research.”

Eighteen percent said they were aware NIU had a nationally ranked program, the survey stated.

“You (NIU) can’t sell what you don’t have,” McCready said. “What concerned me most were the very small percentages of people who thought there was anything out here that was nationally ranked.”

The survey stated 40 percent of the respondents said their rating of NIU has increased, and more than 40 percent said they expect their perception will increase further in the future.

However, half of the respondents said they were not well informed about NIU, but 90 percent were interested in the university, the survey stated.

McCready said, “Maybe we (NIU) could make better use of our time when they (corporations) come to visit us. They know where we are and they come here, but they don’t know a lot about us.”

Information about NIU comes from newspaper articles, 40 percent of the respondents said. Word-of-mouth information is received by 15 percent.

Few respondents receive information about NIU from NIU, TV-8 or radio stations, the survey reported.

In addition, McCready said 5 percent of the respondents said NIU has a medical school, and 40 percent gave the school high marks. NIU does not have a medical school.