There seems to be some evidence from the survey that the College may not be meeting the spiritual life expectations of an increasingly theologically diverse student body. And among those, the level of satisfaction in how well Messiah prepared them for graduate studies has increased from previous surveys. A window into current alumni affirmations and concerns is contained in those responses. Alumni are clear that they want the College to continue its commitment to a balance of academics and faith in its educational mission.
Alumni are keenly interested in the spiritual life on campus.
We must continue to feature first person stories in alumni publications. Perhaps some creative thinking needs to be done on how alumni could become more involved in the worship, spiritual, and service aspects of the College. It would also be helpful, if a way could be found to compare data with other Christian colleges. Generally, alumni of most institutions have a tendency to want to preserve the past and therefore may be resistant to visionary change. We need to work to insure alumni that the essence of Messiah's mission remains the same while looking for ways to stretch their collective vision for helping Messiah College adjust to meet contemporary and future challenges.