The alums themselves are the best source of information about those outcomes. The study is a reflection of Notre Dame's commitment to continuous improvement of its educational mission. Results of the survey are reported to officers, deans, and chairs, and trustees to help inform policy making. The surveys are mailed in early fall to every member of the class ten years out for whom the university has current address information. Follow-up mailings in late October encourage everyone to return their questionnaires.
Participation is strictly voluntary and is, as mentioned earlier, very high.
Completed surveys are received from around the country and overseas. Confidentiality Both HEDS and Notre Dame abide by a strict policy of not releasing individually identifiable information. Because a social security number is an important link to other information, we follow strict procedures controlling its use. Individual-level survey data reside in the Office of Institutional Research alone and are not released for any reason. Even in the office, no one looks at an individual's responses.