The College of the Holy Cross fares well in new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, titled “Beyond College Rankings, a Value-Added Approach to Assessing Two- and Four-Year Schools.”
According to Brookings, the report analyzes college “value-added,” the difference between actual alumni outcomes (like salaries) and the outcomes one would expect given a student’s characteristics and the type of institution. Value-added captures the benefits that accrue from aspects of college quality we can measure, such as graduation rates and the market value of the skills a college teaches, as well as aspects we can’t.”
Amy Murphy, director of career planning, recently spoke with the Telegram & Gazette about the new study. “Holy Cross educates its student body to be better thinkers, writers, speakers, readers and most importantly, better doers. Since the focus of the Holy Cross education centers on critical skills and values, graduates can enter a variety of occupational and educational fields with confidence and possess the professional agility to shift and adapt to today’s rapidly changing economy and the world’s needs.”
Brookings determined that graduating from Holy Cross added nearly 27 percent to an alum's average mid-career earnings, which Brooking puts at $99,600. Other Jesuit schools also fared well in this area including the University of Scranton, Santa Clara University, John Carroll University and Loyola University Maryland.
“From almost the moment they enroll at Holy Cross, students have access to resources to help them prepare for life after college,” says Murphy. “Career planning has developed a ‘Post-Graduate Preparation Program’ that provides timelines for career exploration and also acts as a focal point for Holy Cross students to navigate the extensive campus resources available to them.”
Brookings puts Holy Cross’ occupational earning power at 5 percent above market value and also determined that attending Holy Cross improved the repayment rate on federal student loans by 5.1 percent for alumni.
“Graduates of Holy Cross are among the most loyal and satisfied,” says Murphy.
Despite national trends indicating a decline in alumni participation rates at many institutions, Holy Cross once again surpassed 50 percent donor participation in alumni giving, which will likely place it among the top 10 colleges and universities nationwide. Alumni are also passionate about giving their time and advice to help, mentor, and even hire other graduates.
This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.
