Taking the Pulse: Insights from the Launch of an Alumni Panel

Session Abstract: SNAAP Pulse is a new panel survey effort capturing real-time perspectives from arts and design alumni across diverse institutions. Pulse provides timely insights into how postsecondary graduates navigate employment, career satisfaction, skill development, and workplace belonging. The first round of data collection engaged more than 5,300 alumni and reveals both the enduring value of higher education and the urgent need for alumni to adapt to shifting professional landscapes, particularly through technology skills and work practices. This presentation will share some lessons regarding the design processes and logistics of launching an alumni panel survey. Selected findings from SNAAP Pulse will also be shared, demonstrating how panel survey data collection can inform institutional strategy, alumni engagement, and national discourse on alumni experiences with the workforce and society.

Keywords: Survey research, panel research, technology and work, alumni engagement