NIU grads are getting good grades in the workplace, according to a study done by the provost’s office.

Data was gathered by telephone from 484 employers who have hired NIU students, but the results were based on only 300 of those completed calls.

Participants were drawn from three areas.

First, principals from northern Illinois schools were called.

Second, the provost’s office contacted recruiters from a list provided by the Career Planning and Placement Center.

Finally, employers who, according to alumni records, hired NIU graduates were called.

Assessment Coordinator Ruth Gold said results from the survey were “positive in comparison with other Illinois schools.”

Survey questions focused on three categories—general qualities, work habits and specific skills.

The highest rating from all three categories was “willingness to learn.” Employers gave NIU grads an 8.6 on a 10-point scale.

Gold said that statistic is very encouraging for NIU. A total of 97 percent of employers said NIU grads have a “good or excellent” attitude toward learning.

“One of the major missions of the university is to create lifelong learners,” Gold said.

In addition, all responses relating to work habits were rated above eight.

NIU graduates also ranked at least a seven in every area of the survey.

The study also showed that 96 percent of employers rated an NIU education as “the same or better” than other universities, while only about 28 percent said they believed an NIU education was better than others.

In a section entitled “general qualities,” employers were asked to rate NIU grads on qualities that they often look for, Gold said.

“Ability to relate to others” and “ability to work independently” were the highest rated, while written communication and managerial ability were the lowest rated.

Gold said that although the scores weren’t low enough to be overly concerned about, she wasn’t surprised.

She said managerial and administrative abilities are generally learned more in the workplace than the classroom.

Regarding the 7.27 rate for written communication ability, Gold said, “It has been understood for quite some time that written communication skills could stand improvement.”

The survey results were sent to most NIU administrators in various departments, Gold said.

One general question asked of the employers was “How well does the education at NIU prepare graduates to fulfill their job requirements?” They rated NIU at 7.71 out of ten, based on the performance of their employees.