Appendix E: Survey Mailing Materials to Graduates

Appendix E

Survey Mailing Materials to Graduates

[Advance Mailing Letter]

N ATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

An Independent Agency of U.S. Government

4201 WILSON BOULEVARD
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22230

<DATE>

<GRADUATE’S NAME>

<ADDRESS>

<CITY, STATE, ZIP>

Dear <NAME>:

We will be contacting you in a few weeks to take part in the 2010 National Survey of Recent College Graduates (NSRCG), sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This survey focuses on recent graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in natural and social sciences, engineering, and health.

You are one of a small group of graduates from your college or university chosen to participate in this important national study, which has been conducted since 1974. As such, we cannot substitute another person for you. Results from previous study are available on the NSF’s website at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/recentgrads.

The purpose of the study is to collect data on the education and employment experiences of recent bachelor’s and master’s graduates in the United States. The study provides important information to academia, business, government, parents, and students. It also provides information on issues, such as how many graduates find jobs in their field of major; whether graduates obtain "career-path" jobs; and how many graduates are pursuing an advanced degree. The NSRCG is the only source of national data on this important population.

To help us contact you, please complete the enclosed Telephone and Address Verification Form and return it within the next two weeks using the postage-paid envelope. You may receive this form at more than one address. This information will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only to contact you for the survey. This study is conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, a nationally recognized survey research firm, under contract to the NSF.

If you have any questions about the survey, please call the NSRCG help desk at 1-866-504-9640 between the hours of 9 A.M. and 9 P.M. (EST) any day of the week, or send an e-mail message to [email protected].

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Lynda T. Carlson, PhD

Director

Division of Science Resources Statistics

Enclosures

T ELEPHONE AND ADDRESS VERIFICATION FORM

2010 National Survey of Recent College Graduates

INSTRUCTIONS: Please complete and return this form within two weeks so we will know how to contact you. All information you provide will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only to contact you for the survey. When the form is complete, please return it using the enclosed business-reply envelope.

STEP 1 Is the name and address provided above current? Yes ( ) No ( ) If No, please print your current information below.
Name
Street Address
City	State/Province		Zip/Postal Code		Country
STEP 2 Interviews can be also completed by Internet or telephone. Please provide your current telephone number(s) and email below. Please print.
Evening Telephone Number		Daytime Telephone Number		Cell Telephone Number
( )		( )		( )
Email Address
STEP 3 In case we are unable to reach you at the above address, please provide the contact information of another person who does not live with you but will know how to reach you. This person will be contacted only if we cannot reach you. Please print.
Name
Street Address
City	State/Province		Zip/Postal Code		Country
Telephone Number		Daytime Telephone Number		Cell Telephone Number
( )		( )		( )

[First Contact Letter]

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

An Independent Agency of U.S. Government

4 201 WILSON BOULEVARD
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22230

<DATE>

<GRADUATE’S NAME>

<ADDRESS>

<CITY, STATE, ZIP>

Dear <NAME>:

We are asking for your help in completing the 2008 National Survey of Recent College Graduates (NSRCG). The NSRCG is being conducted on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR). This important national study is the only source of data on the post graduation employment characteristics of recent graduates with bachelor’s and master’s degree in natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, and health fields.

The validity and accuracy of this study depend on your participation. You are one of a small group of graduates from your institution selected to participate in this national study. Since you were scientifically selected for the NSRCG, we cannot substitute any other person for you.

Please take a few minutes to complete this important questionnaire on the Web using the access information below. You will receive $20 as a token of our appreciation for your time once you complete the survey on the Web.

URL to access the NSRCG questionnaire is:

Your unique PIN and Password are:

The data you provide will be kept strictly confidential and safeguarded in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002. Results from earlier studies are available from the NSF website: www.nsf.gov/statistics/recentgrads.

If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact the NSRCG toll-free helpdesk at 1-877-840-4770 or e-mail [email protected]. Staff are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern Time) to assist you.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important research effort.

Sincerely,

Lynda T. Carlson, PhD

Director

Division of Science Resources Statistics

Enclosures

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NATIONAL SURVEY OF RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES (NSRCG)

Q. What is the purpose of the National Survey of Recent College Graduates?

A. The purpose of the survey is to collect information on the educational and employment experiences of recent bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients in natural and social sciences, engineering, and health sciences. No other source of information in the U.S. provides the same comprehensive profile of these graduates. Along with two other NSF workforce surveys, the NSRCG is a part of SESTAT, the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System, which provides information on the characteristics of scientists and engineers nationwide. More information about SESTAT is available at http://sestat.nsf.gov.

Q. What authority does the National Science Foundation have to collect this information?

A. The NSF has a mandate from Congress to collect, maintain, and disseminate information on the resources devoted to science and technology in the United States. The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as subsequently amended, includes a provision to “. . . provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources, and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal Government.” NSF’s authorizing legislation also states: “The Congress declares that the science and engineering education responsibilities of the National Science Foundation are: (1) To improve the quality of instruction in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering, and, (2) To improve the quality of education at all levels in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering.” The NSRCG is designed to satisfy this mandate by providing information on the supply, education, and employment of newly qualified scientists and engineers. NSF has sponsored this national survey for each graduating class since 1974.

Q. Do postsecondary institutions need prior consent of the graduates to release student information for the survey?

A. NSRCG has been exempted from the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1976 (FERPA) by the U.S. Department of Education Family Policy Compliance Office. The postsecondary institutions can provide the requested information without violating the FERPA. They stated: “We believe that Congress intended to vest the Foundation with the responsibility to conduct surveys and other studies on behalf of postsecondary institutions in order to improve instruction at colleges and universities, especially those institutions that educate future science and engineering teachers. As a result, postsecondary educational institutions may release personally identifiable information—including race, gender, and Social Security numbers—to the Foundation without a student’s prior consent in response to the New Entrants Survey [now called NSRCG].”

1

Q. Why are students' addresses, telephone numbers and emails requested?

A. To build an understanding of the nation’s recent science and engineering graduates in the labor force, the students from one to two years after graduation need to be contacted in order to collect information on their early career and educational status and plans. Because recent graduates are highly mobile, the most up to date contact information that institutions may have for the graduates helps us to follow up with them after they graduate. When contacted, sampled graduates will be informed that the survey is entirely voluntary.

Q. Will the information we supply be kept confidential?

A. Yes. All data provided by the graduates will be treated as confidential under the Confidentiality Information and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002. Any survey information released to the public (such as statistical summaries) will be in a form that cannot be used to identify individual graduates. NSF has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR), an independent research firm, to collect graduate lists and to sample graduates for the survey. Both MPR and NSF have strict confidentiality requirements. NSF and its contractors under penalty of law must keep records on individuals confidential. All staff working on the survey sign affidavits of confidentiality and receive annual training on confidentiality procedures.

Q. Will the results of the survey be available to our institution?

A. Yes. Final results from the last survey cycle in 2010 will be available at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/recentgrads. Your individual answers will not be available. All responses are reported in aggregate. Results from the 2010 survey cycle will be available some time in 2011.

Q. Whom can I contact if I have more questions about the survey?

A. Please contact Dr. Gail Baxter, the Survey Director, by email at [email protected] or MPR’s toll-free number, (866) 504-9640. You can also contact Kelly Kang, NSF Project Officer by email at [email protected].

[Thank-You/Reminder Postcard]

Last week we sent you a questionnaire for an important national study. If you have already returned the completed questionnaire, we thank you very much for your assistance.

If you have not yet had time to complete the questionnaire, please do so as soon as possible. Your participation is important for the success of this study.

If you need another copy of the questionnaire or need assistance, please call the toll-free number 1-866-504-9640 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST or send an email message to [email protected].

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Lynda T. Carlson, PhD

Director

Division of Science Resources Statistics

[Follow-up Mailing Cover Letter]

N ATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

An Independent Agency of U.S. Government

4201 WILSON BOULEVARD
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22230

<DATE>

<GRADUATE’S NAME>

<ADDRESS>

<CITY, STATE, ZIP>

Dear <NAME>:

About four weeks ago, we asked for your help completing the 2010 National Survey of Recent College Graduates (NSRCG), being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) on behalf of the National Science Foundation. I understand your busy schedule, but hope you will find time to participate. This is your opportunity to voice whether your college degree made a difference.

You were chosen for this study as part of a scientifically selected sample of people who have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a U.S. academic institution. Because you were specifically selected, we cannot substitute another college graduate for you, so the success of the survey rests upon your participation.

Please take a few minutes to complete this important questionnaire on the Web using the access information below. You will receive $30 as a token of appreciation once you complete the survey on the Web.

URL address to access the NSRCG questionnaire is:

Your unique PIN and Password are:

If you prefer to respond by mail, please complete the enclosed paper questionnaire and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. You will receive $20 if you choose to complete the survey by paper questionnaire or telephone (please call the toll free number listed below).

Please be assured that the data you provide will be kept strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Results from earlier studies are available from the NSF website: www.nsf.gov/statistics/recentgrads.

If you have any questions regarding the survey or if you would like to complete the survey by telephone, please contact the NSRCG toll-free helpdesk at 1-877-840-4770 or e-mail [email protected]. Staff are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern Time) to assist you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Lynda T. Carlson, PhD

Director

Division of Science Resources Statistics

Enclosure