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Results of Alumni Survey – 1000 Applauds for the East-West Center

Results of Alumni Survey – 1000 Applauds for the East-West Center
September 21, 2010

In conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the East-West Center, a current Graduate Degree Fellow, Chiara Logli (USA/Italy), has conducted an evaluation on the lasting impact of the EWC on former participants. Throughout the summer, an on-line questionnaire garnered 1005 responses (about 10 % response rate) across 57 countries, from alumni between 20 and 80 years of age, who reflected on the impact of the EWC on their lives.

Highlights of the findings include:

  • 98% of respondents would encourage others to participate at the EWC if given the opportunity
  • 86% of alumni rated their overall experience at the EWC as very positive
  • 100% of former residents participated in at least one activity during their EWC program
  • The most popular activities were: lectures (82%), orientation (69%), field trips (68%), EWC Participant/Grantee Association (45%), dances/concerts (42%), and film series (40%)

A number of results provided compelling evidence of the EWC impact:

  • 94% of former residents learned about cultures that were different from their own
  • 94% of survey participants gained a deeper awareness of the views and perspectives of people from other cultures
  • 89% of alumni developed meaningful friendships with people whose cultures were different from their own
  • 86% of respondents increased their knowledge of foreign expressions, terms, and/or languages
  • 84% of former residents improved their critical thinking skills
  • 83% of survey participants became more aware of global issues and how to respond to them
  • 88% of alumni developed skills at the EWC which have benefited their career
  • 94% of alumni remain interested in learning about different cultures.
  • 51% of former residents have since been involved with organizations or causes that support peace and/or tolerance – a statistic that is likely much higher than that of the general population
  • Despite the many accolades, only 31% of respondents indicated they were donors to the EWC

Mahalo to the 1005 alumni who participated in the survey and shared many memorable anecdotes about the fifty years of history of the EWC!

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2 thoughts on “Results of Alumni Survey – 1000 Applauds for the East-West Center”

  1. Any plans to share a few interesting comments with us?

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