Mining Minds

I went mining recently. Pulled out my pick-ax. Flicked on a helmet light. Descended into an abyss. Only my trek wasn't through caves, but datasets.

We survey ONU students almost every year, then compare what they say about their experience against other schools. All the questions are the same, school to school.

ONU freshman rate their Olivet experience higher than our competitors in many ways. For example:

--a higher rate of quality instruction
--a higher belief that ONU faculty are interested in their personal life
--a higher belief that faculty are interested in their academic problems

ONU seniors also rate their Olivet experience higher than others in categories like:

--participation in a practicum or internship
--performing community service projects
--courses and faculty helping students clarify how Christian values work in their future profession.

Good news. Sometimes you find a little treasure when mining.