Ron Brown Scholar Program: Impact Assessment€¦ · • There is evidence of a strong alumni...

Ron Brown Scholar Program 1

Ron Brown Scholar Program: Impact Assessment

Prepared by

Barry Nagle Senior Researcher

Evaluation and Action Research Associates Falls Church, VA September 2014


We change lives, We change minds,

We change the world,

One person at a time, Through the Ron Brown Scholar

Program

At a recent RBS Family Reunion, I caught up with scholars of my year and the year behind me. We all shared our plans for the upcoming year. I was overwhelmed by what we all had in store. Some scholars were starting internships in the White House, others were going abroad to study another language. Being around and speaking with the other scholars always gives me the energy to fearlessly juggle academics with advocacy and strong community engagement. Every time I communicate with a RBS or alumni, I am re-focused and I feel unstoppable. We have all agreed that we are going to change the world.

--2012 Scholar

Having fellow RBS here at Harvard has made my experience that much smoother. I feel comfortable here, and I know that a lot of the things I want to accomplish have already been accomplished by those ahead of me. I am very grateful for the opportunity.

--2013 Scholar

I don't think my undergraduate experience would have been the same without the influence of my fellow Scholars. They inspired me with their gifts and showed me new ways to explore my curiosities and interests. It felt wonderful to be part of a community such as this, and I brought that sense of pride with me to college that Fall.

--1999 Scholar

One of my fellow RBS Scholars connected me to a Professor at Harvard Business School with whom I could do research with. It was hard to navigate and find a professor that would take on an amateur researcher. Because of Jason's help, I was able to gain research experience and apply (and receive) a travel grant to live in India for a year after my graduation. Literally life-changing Jason's support was in that moment!

--2001 Scholar

Having positive peer role models who know my background and who are willing to help me was invaluable to my success in college. For instance, one RBS in particular helped me get through a few personal issues by meeting up with me for meals and just being someone who was there to remind me that I was known, heard, and valued.

--2006 Scholar

I distinctly remember having only 3 hours left before my senior sociology thesis was due and I had spent months focusing on the 120 pages I typed and I had not touched by bibliography. I hadn't slept nor done anything else but work on my thesis in weeks and I was at a real mental low point. There was an RBS friend that I reached out to who stopped what she was doing at the time and helped me complete my bibliography. And complete it well. Would not have completed my thesis in time if it had not been for her. That is a memory I will keep with me for the rest of my life.

--2004 Scholar

Throughout my undergraduate career, the Ron Brown Scholar Program allowed me to have a piece of home wherever I went… I met a scholar during my freshman year, who attended a university across the country from mine and just so happened to be studying a similar type of Engineering as I did. Despite attending a different institution than I, this scholar provided me with moral support as I dealt with the challenges of a rigorous Engineering curriculum. He also pointed me towards opportunities outside of my university to get involved in STEM research and amazing national black engineering organizations, namely the National Society of Black Engineers. Needless to say, this scholar was one of the main reasons I chose to stick with Engineering! Without his support, and that of other scholars & the RBS staff, there is a good chance that I would have fallen into an all too common trend for minorities and leave engineering.

--2006 Scholar


Executive Summary

The Ron Brown Scholar Program (RBSP) was established in 1997 that is designed, according to the program internet site, for “academically-talented, highly motivated African-American high school seniors who have demonstrated financial need, social commitment and leadership potential.” RBSP has five specific outcomes: Scholars pursue advanced degrees/gain employment in professional fields, Scholars dedicated to public service, Scholars that demonstrate leadership in their fields and through service, Scholars have decreased loan burden, Scholars develop active alumni network to support current Scholars. Multiple strategies are employed to achieve these outcomes. A base strategy is a $40,000 college scholarship distributed at $10,000 a year. Leadership focused strategies include a Triennial Leadership Conference, other leadership development activities, and regional/national Scholar events. Internships with a community service or research intent are a program strategy. Last, academic support and counseling are included in the program through mentors and staff. The program logic model represents the inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes

An evaluation was conducted to determine the program success at achieving its intended outcomes and further determine its impact. The questions guided the assessment.

1. Personal Impact: To what extent are Scholars realizing or have realized their educational and career goals?

Inputs Program Activities Outputs Outcomes

Scholars with decreased loan

burden

Triennial Leadership Conferences and other

Leadership Development Activities

Program Administration:

• Cultivation Events

• Conference Planning

• Scholar Alumni Network

Scholarship FundDistribution

Indirect/Direct Scholar Academic Support

One or more events per year designed to maintain/

strengthen alumni program connection

95% or more Scholars that maintain enrollment prior to

graduation per cohort

95% or more Scholar undergraduate graduation

rate per cohort

Scholars that participate in public service events

Increased alumni network to support

Scholars

Scholars that pursue advanced degrees or gain employment in professional fields

Scholars with public service dedication

Partner organizations/

FORBS Mentors

Scholar Selection Process: 20 Annually

Number of Scholars that receive annual funding/Total

funds distributed

Internships: Community Service or Independent

Research

Scholars with Research Experience

Regional/National Scholar Events

Number of Scholars that receive Leadership training

Scholars that demonstrate

leadership in field and through service

Scholar counseling and intervention activities


2. Program Impact: To what level are Scholars achieving the program mission in terms of

leadership and service?

3. Societal Impact: What impacts are Scholars making at the professional and service levels?

Scholar surveys served as the primary data source for all evaluation questions. Program Scholars and a statistically equivalent control group completed the survey. Data collection occurred from January 22, 2014 to March 10, 2014. To better understand the longitudinal program impacts, the study population was divided into three groups. The first group was the Current Scholar level. This group represents students that started the program between 2010 and 2013. For the control group, individuals that graduated high school from 2010-2013 were included. The next group was Mid-Term Alumni which represents students that started the program between 2003 and 2009. For the control group, individuals that graduated high school between 2003-2009. The last group was Mature Alumni which represents students that started the program between 1997 and 2002. For the control group, individuals that graduated high school between1997-2002 were included. The inclusion of a statistically equivalent control group enabled a determination on whether there was evidence that RBSP was influential in Scholar development. There is evidence that the program is first attaining its outcomes. Comparisons with the control group provide compelling evidence that RBSP is an influential factor in four of its five outcome areas. • The program does decrease loan burden. Over 60% of the Scholars have no or expect no

student loan debt. • Scholars graduate at a nearly 100% rate. Scholars participate in experiences that support

educational and career growth such as internships and undergraduate research experiences. At the time of data collection, 85 scholars have earned at least one advanced degree. Regarding professional employment, 90% of Scholars report that their first professional position is related to their career goals.

• There is evidence of a strong alumni network. Scholars report strong peer support in social and personal ways. This type of support is associated minority student academic achievement. Scholars also report they use the Scholar network to seek or provide guidance/advice, networking, and problems they may be having at work.

• Over three-quarters of the Scholars perceive that they embody the RBSP mission of dedication to leadership and public service. When discussing what leadership means to them and how they demonstrate leadership, Scholars stressed that leadership means being an example for others, empowering others to meet goals, and serving as a change agent.

There is partial evidence that RBSP is the influential factor in the public service area. Nearly 70% of the Scholars report being involved in volunteer activities. This is dramatically higher than the 18.5% rate for all black or African American adults in the US. Scholars most participate in youth mentorship and tutoring. Nearly 30% of the Scholars donate 5% or more of their income to charitable causes. It was determined that RBSP was partially impactful as the control group


also participated in public service at high levels. Scholars, however, donate at higher levels when compared to the control group. Evidence of outcome attainment supports a more thorough investigation of program impact in the personal, program, and societal levels. Related to personal impact, the evidence suggests that the personal impact of the RBSP increases over time. For current students, the only impactful area is student loan debt but only at a marginally significant level. For the mid-term alumni, the impact area is student load with trends towards higher employment levels. The greatest personal impacts are observed with mature alumni. In this case, there is statistically significant evidence that the mature alumni have achieved higher employment levels when compared to the control group. Current Scholars, mid-term alumni, and mature alumni perceive that the program has impacted them in terms of helping to shape their career goals and having a more extensive professional network. These perceptions may be a factor in why the personal impacts from RBSP participation increase over time. Related to program impact, at all levels, RBS are demonstrating a commitment to public service. While overall this commitment is not statistically significantly more than the control group, Scholars do have high levels of participation in public service. This dedication is greater than the general population. An additional note is that the mid-term alumni demonstrated a greater commitment to public service than their control group. In terms of leadership and public service, all program levels perceive that they embody the program mission of “a strong dedication to leadership and public service.” Societal impact focuses on the areas Scholars chose to dedicate themselves to. The evidence suggests that Scholars dedicate their public service in education related areas. Mentoring youth is an important public service for all RBS program levels. Tutoring or teaching is important at the current Scholar and mid-term alumni levels. The tutoring or teaching service evolves for mature alumni and likely matches the advancement in their careers. Mature alumni engage more in professional or management assistance rather than tutoring or teaching. The important factor, however, is that the societal impact is still education related. Several recommendations were forwarded for RBSP representatives to consider. The recommendations directly related to program improvement were as follows: • Increase Operationalization of Program Outputs/Outcomes: Program stakeholders can work

to make more clear the program outputs and outcomes to ensure that they are measureable. This would first enable program stakeholders to more specifically communicate the intended program outcomes. It would also enable program stakeholders to ensure that all program resources are being allocated towards the accomplishment of intended outcomes. Lastly, it would better enable the program to benchmark performance.

• Consider Adjustments to Leadership Training: There is a dichotomy in the feedback from the Scholars and their perceptions on what has developed their leadership. There is evidence that the Scholars embody what the program is trying to develop related to leaders with a focus on service. Open-ended question responses sometimes directly relate to what was learned at events such as the Triennial Leadership Conference. When asked, however, to identify influential sources on the development of their leadership styles, Scholars most often cite


former supervisors rather than RBSP representatives. This may not be an issue for program stakeholders as there is evidence that the Scholars embody what the program is trying to develop in its leaders. This may, however, represent a possible improvement area so that the training the program does provide is more impactful and becomes more relevant in the minds of the Scholars when they are forming their identities as leaders.

• Consider Mentorship Improvements: Scholars have positive views on their mentors but do not utilize them at high levels for internship site identifications, graduate school references, employment references or other areas where a mentor may serve as a positive resource. This may represent a program component that can be strengthened so that mentors are more consistently used as resources.

• Public Service Emphasis: The evidence suggests that RBSP maintains the dedication the Scholars have to public service. There is not, however, strong evidence that it increases public service dedication beyond what Scholars had when entering the program. If program stakeholders perceive that maintaining this dedication fulfills the program mission, no changes would be necessary. It is an area, however, where improvements may be possible.

Further recommendations were made on continuing studies on the survey results and strengthening program documentation.


Table of Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................3

Introduction...............................................................................................................................8

Program Description .................................................................................................................8

Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 10

Evaluation Questions ............................................................................................................. 10 Study Population ................................................................................................................... 11

Scholar Description ............................................................................................................ 12

Control Group .................................................................................................................... 14

Scholar-Control Group Equivalence ................................................................................... 15

Report Structure ................................................................................................................. 18

Overall RBSP Outcomes ......................................................................................................... 18

Decreased Loan Burden ......................................................................................................... 19 Advanced Degrees/Professional Employment ........................................................................ 21 Alumni Network to Support Scholars .................................................................................... 30 Public Service Dedication ...................................................................................................... 33 Leadership Demonstration ..................................................................................................... 36 Overall Results Summary ...................................................................................................... 39

Evaluation Question Review ................................................................................................... 45

Evaluation Question One: Personal Impact ............................................................................ 45 Evaluation Question Two: Program Impact ........................................................................... 50 Evaluation Question Three: Societal Impact .......................................................................... 53

Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 55

Summary ................................................................................................................................. 58

References................................................................................................................................ 62

Appendix A: Evaluation Crosswalk ....................................................................................... 64

Appendix B: Ron Brown Scholar Survey Results .................................................................. 65

Appendix C: Control Group Survey Results ......................................................................... 98


Introduction

The Ron Brown Scholar Program helped to give me perspective in what I wanted to do in life. Although, I studied chemical engineering, I will be going to medical school next year and some of that certainly has to do with the fact that attending Ron Brown events made me question what I wanted to do in my life and how I felt like I could best help my community.

--Ron Brown Scholar

The importance of service is a consistent Ron Brown Scholar Program message. In the

opening quote, the Scholar noted how program participation changed a career choice to one that

is more dedicated to community service. On the program Internet site, the President and

Executive Director, Michael Mallory, states on being of program participants, “… so proud of

these young adults who exemplify the dedication to excellence and public service that late

Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown embodied.” In tribute to Ron Brown, Congresswomen

Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas stated “All of us in public service owe a great debt to Ron Brown.

He inspired us to always remain optimistic, to be committed to achieving our objectives and

work to ensure that no American is left behind. This is his great legacy” (Congressional Record

Volume 142, number 48). The Ron Brown Scholar Program (RBSP) represents a part of that

legacy that has endured since the program inception in 1997. This analysis examines the program

impacts that have been achieved through its history.

Program Description

Broadly, RBSP notes its focus by stating “We change lives, We change minds, We

change the world, One person at a time, Through the Ron Brown Scholar Program.” Program

representatives articulated the specific outcomes that it strives to achieve:

• Scholars pursue advanced degrees/gain employment in professional fields

• Scholars dedicated to public service

• Scholars that demonstrate leadership in their fields and through service


• Scholars have decreased loan burden

• Scholars develop active alumni network to support current Scholars.

The program seeks to achieve these outcomes through a variety of efforts. One is the scholarship

fund distribution which is a $40,000 college scholarship. The Triennial Leadership Conference,

other leadership development activities, regional/national Scholar events are a program focus.

Internships with a community service or research intent are a program component. Last,

academic support and counseling are included in the program through mentors and staff. The

provided logic model graphically represents the program inputs, activities, outputs, and

outcomes.

Figure 1: Ron Brown Scholar Program Logic Model

Inputs Program Activities Outputs Outcomes


burden

Triennial Leadership Conferences and other

Leadership Development Activities

Program Administration:

• Cultivation Events

• Conference Planning

• Scholar Alumni Network








rate per cohort



Scholars



Partner organizations/

FORBS Mentors

Scholar Selection Process: 20 Annually


funds distributed


Research

Scholars with Research Experience







Methodology

Evaluation and Action Research Associates (EARA), based in Falls Church, VA, was

asked to complete an impact assessment of the program. In consultation with RBSP personnel, it

was decided that impact would be considered in three areas. These were 1) Personal Impact, 2)

Program Impact, and 3) Societal Impact.

Evaluation Questions

To frame the evaluation, specific evaluation questions related to the impact areas were

formed.

4. Personal Impact: To what extent are Scholars realizing or have realized their educational and career goals?

a. Have Scholars exceeded, met, made progress, or have not met their educational and career goals at each student and alumni level?

i. Current Student: Engagement in an educational program that will lead to professional goal attainment.

ii. Mature and Mid-Term Alumni: Career attainment in their chosen field when starting the program or in a career interest that developed during their educational experience

b. To what level are Scholars achieving their goals when in relation to the comparison group at each student and alumni level?

5. Program Impact: To what level are Scholars achieving the program mission in terms of

leadership and service?

a. Have Scholars exceeded, met, made progress, or have not met the vision program administrations have for them at the following levels: Current Student, Mid-Term Alumni, and Mature Alumni?

b. To what extent are the Scholars achieving the program mission in relation to the comparison group?

6. Societal Impact: What impacts are Scholars making at the professional and service levels?

a. At the individual level, what types of community service do Scholars participate in


Appendix A provides an evaluation crosswalk. This crosswalk details the evaluation questions

and the data sources associated with each question. The primary data source for all evaluation

questions is a survey. The survey was developed by EARA in consultation with RBSP staff.

Upon completion, the survey was published on SurveyMonkey™. The survey was sent to the

Scholar population on January 22, 2014. Data collection closed for this group on February 28,

2014 though Scholars were permitted to continue entering responses up to March 10, 2014. For

the control group, data collection began on January 31, 2014 and closed on February 15, 2014

when survey response did not sufficiently increase. As will be described in the study population

section, a paid group was generated by SurveyMonkey. Data collection for the paid group started

on February 16, 2014 and ended on February 17, 2014.

Study Population

Two groups make up the study population. These are the program Scholars and the

comparison group. The Scholars themselves represent the evaluation object. The comparison

group was developed in order to determine whether the RBSP was an impactful change agent in

the Scholar development. Scholars and the control group were organized into three groups. The

inset describes the groupings.

Group Levels

Group level is an important report organizer that creates a context for the evaluation object. Scholars and the control group were divided into three levels. The three groups were the Mature Alumni, Mid-Term Alumni, and Current Scholars. Mature Alumni: For Scholars, this group represents students that started the program between 1997 and 2002. For the control group, individuals that graduated high school between1997-2002 were included. Scholars and control group members that align with these time designations are more likely to have completed their education and be advanced in their careers. Mid-Term Alumni: For Scholars, this group represents students that started the program between 2003 and 2009. For the control group, individuals that graduated high school between 2003-2009 were included. Scholars and control group members that align with these time


designations were likely to have completed their education and have started their careers or to be engaged in graduate school. Current Scholars: For Scholars, this group represents students that started the program between 2010 and 2013. For the control group, individuals that graduated high school from 2010-2013 were included. Scholars and control group members that align with these time designations were likely to be currently engaged in their undergraduate education.

Scholar Description

The RBS program provided contact information for all Scholars. This was a total of 314

Scholars. All 314 Scholars received a request to complete the survey. Overall, 246 of 314

Scholars completed the survey yielding a response rate of 78.3%. For the Current Scholar level

group, 51 of 60 (85.0%) responded. For the Mid-Term Alumni group, 110 of 132 (83.3%)

responded. For the Mature Alumni group, 86 of 121 (71.1%) responded. By gender, 124 of 164

(75.6%) females participated in the survey. For males, 122 of 150 (81.3%) participated in the

study. Tables 1 and 2 delineate these characteristics.

Table 1: Respondents by level and group type Level Sample Population Absolute Difference

Current Scholar Level 50 61 11 20.3% 19.4% 0.9%

Mid-Term Alumni Level 110 132 22 44.7% 42.0% 2.7%

Mature Alumni 86 121 35 35.0% 38.5% 3.5%

Total 246 314 68 -- -- --

Table 2: Respondents by level and group type Level Female Male Total

Sample 124 122 246 50.4% 49.6% --

Population 164 150 314 52.2% 47.8% --

Absolute Difference 40 28 68 1.8% 1.8% --


When the specific cohorts are considered, the greatest response rate was from the 2001

cohort (20 of 21 respondents, 95.2%). The lowest response rate was from the 1998 cohort (11 of

20 respondents, 55.0%). The response for each cohort is detailed in Table 3.

Table 3 displays the responses by RBS program year. Year Sample Population Response Rate 1997 14 20 70.0% 1998 11 20 55.0% 1999 13 20 65.0% 2000 13 20 65.0% 2001 20 21 95.2% 2002 15 20 75.0% 2003 13 20 65.0% 2004 18 20 90.0% 2005 17 20 85.0% 2006 17 20 85.0% 2007 17 20 85.0% 2008 17 20 85.0% 2009 11 12 91.7% 2010 9 12 75.0% 2011 11 16 68.8% 2012 12 14 85.7% 2013 18 19 94.7% Overall 246 314 78.3%

Representative Sample

There is evidence that the Scholar survey sample is representative of the overall population. The differences between the sample and population distribution of current, mid-term alumni, and mature alumni is 3.5% or less by level. The gender difference in the sample and overall population is 1.8% for females and males. While the cohort response rate range is 39.8% (high of 95.2% to a low of 55.0%), the combination of cohorts into the current, mid-term alumni, and mature alumni groups indicates that all stages of program participation and supports sample representativeness.

20.3%

19.4%

44.7%

42.0%

35.0%

38.5%

Sample

Population

Current Scholars Mid-Term Alumni Mature Alumni


Control Group

The control group was developed through two methods. The RBS program provided the

names of applicants that did not become Scholars. A sufficient number of respondents for the

Current Scholar group was generated through the RBS provided listing. The Mid-Term and

Mature Alumni groups were supplemented through a paid audience available through

SurveyMonkey. There were three specified parameters for the paid group that SurveyMonkey

utilized to select possible respondents. These were race (Black or African-American), age (23-35

to match the Mid-Term and Mature Alumni ages), and education (some college, two-year college

degree, college degree, and graduate degree). The paid group survey further answered

characteristic questions to ensure that the control group was comparable to the treatment group

and to match the respondent with the Mid-Term or Mature Alumni groups. These questions

included gender, high school graduation year, and letter grade representative of high school

GPA. Paid group respondents that had a letter grade of less than a “B” were rejected. Tables 4

and 5 provide control group respondent characteristics:

Table 4: Respondents by level and group type Level Applicant Group Paid Group Total

Current Student Level 36 0 36 100% 0% --

Mid-Term Alumni Level 11 28 39 28.2% 71.8% --

Mature Alumni 20 19 39 51.3% 48.7% --

Total 67 47 114

50.4%

52.2%

49.6%

47.8%

Sample

Population

Female Male


Level Applicant Group Paid Group Total 58.8% 41.2% --

Table 5 displays the number and percentage of respondents by the group level and gender. Table 5: Respondents by level and group type Level Female Male Total

Current Student Level 22 14 36 61.1% 38.9% --

Mid-Term Alumni Level 25 14 39 64.1% 35.9% --

Mature Alumni 24 15 39 61.5% 38.5% --

Total 71 43 114 62.3% 37.3% --

Additional characteristics are included in the direct survey questions. Control group responses

are presented overall and then by level.

Scholar-Control Group Equivalence

The control group purpose is to garner evidence on whether the program serves as a

change agent for the Scholars. Probabilistic equivalence between the two groups prior to

program participation is important. If pre-program participation equivalence is established,

differences between the Scholars and control group after program participation will provide

evidence that RBSP is impactful.

Motivation to attain funding to attend college and academic performance are two

equivalence areas that can be evaluated. Table 6 considers scholarships applied for, earned and

High School GPA. Unpaired, two-tail t-tests were conducted to identify if there were a

statistically significant difference between the two groups in the areas noted. The selected alpha

was .05 meaning if the probability of the observed difference was less than .05, this would be a

result outside of what would be expected from normal variance and would be statistically

significant. Observed probability levels more than .05 would not be outside of what would be

expected from normal variance and would not be statistically significant.


Table 6: Scholar-Control Group Comparison RBS Mean Control Group Mean t p Scholarships Applied For 8.3 11.6 1.78172 0.0774 Scholarships Earned 4.1 4.3 0.24172 0.8057 High School GPA 3.88 3.91 1.06172 0.2918

For each of the three areas considered, no statistically significant evidence of a difference was

found between the Scholar and control groups. It is noted, however, that the p-value of

scholarships applied for was marginally significant at 0.0774. While this is not statistically

significant at the study selected alpha level of .05, the results suggest the control group may have

had a greater propensity to apply for scholarships when compared to the Scholar group. There is

no evidence of a difference with scholarships earned and high school GPA.

Another area to determine equivalence is in attitudes towards education. Figure 2

displays the percentage that deemed each area as very important using an importance scale of

very important, somewhat important, somewhat unimportant, and not important. These areas

were selected from The Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual almanac.

Figure 2: Attitudes towards college attendance

71.2%

63.6%

68.2%

53.0%

83.3%

83.3%

61.0%

62.6%

73.2%

39.8%

77.6%

85.0%

Prepare for grad/professional school

Make more money

Gain general education/appreciation of ideas

Train for a specific career

Learn more about things of interest

Get a better job

RBS Control


Program Scholars and the control group had similar college education importance attitudes in

four of six areas. The difference between the percentage that perceived an area was very

important was 6% or less with Learn more about things of interest (5.7% difference), Gain a

general education and appreciation of ideas (5.0% difference), Get a better job (1.7%

difference), and Make more money (1.0% difference).

The percentage that perceived an area was very important was ten percent or more in two

areas. These were Prepare for graduate or professional school (10.2% difference) and Train for

a specific career (13.2% difference). In both cases, the control group percentage was higher than

the Scholars. When the “Somewhat Important” likert scale choice is included, the difference

lessens to 0% for the prepare for graduate/professional school attitude area and 2.8% for the

specific career training category.

Scholar-Control Group Equivalence

There is evidence that the Scholar and control groups are equivalent. There is no statistically significant difference in scholarships applied for, scholarships earned or high school GPA between the two groups. It was noted, however, that the control group was trending towards being more active in applying for scholarships but not at a statistically significant level. The two groups are also similar when attitudes towards a college education are considered. The Scholar and control groups similarly thought a college education was very important in order to get a better job, learn more about things of interest, gain a general education and appreciation of ideas, and to make more money. The control group importance magnitude was greater related to attitudes towards a college education preparing one for graduate or professional school and to train for a specific career but both groups considered these areas to be at least somewhat important. Overall, there is evidence that the Scholar and control groups are equivalent. This supports comparisons in other areas of the study.


Report Structure

Program outcomes are the first report focus. The logic model displays the five intended

program outcomes. Evidence on whether these outcomes have been achieved is discussed. The

specific evaluation questions related to personal, program, and societal impact are then

discussed. The report closes with major findings and recommendations for program

improvement. The report includes appendices on survey results for all Scholars and the control

group. Results are available by program level in the companion document to this report which is

the evaluation databook. The development of two documents was done to maintain reasonable

evaluation report length.

Overall RBSP Outcomes

There are tangible outcome areas that the program was designed to impact. The logic

model displayed in Figure 1 displays the intended program outcomes. As a reminder, the

intended outcomes are 1) decreased loan burden, 2) advanced degrees or employment in

professional fields, 3) alumni network to support Scholars, 4) Scholars with public service

dedication, and 5) Scholars that demonstrate leadership in field and through service. These

outcomes are not listed in order of importance. These are the outcomes that were identified

through consultation with RBS leadership and the list order is based on the logic model

appearance. Each outcome will be individually reviewed. The summary will collectively

consider all outcomes. To facilitate an understanding of the methods the program utilizes to meet

each outcome, a section of the logic model, displayed in Figure 1, will begin each section.


Decreased Loan Burden

Decreased Loan Burden Path

Student loan debt has been an increasing burden on students. According to a PEW Research

Center analysis, the percentage of US households that have student loan debt doubled from 9%

in 1989 to 19% in 2010 (Fry, 2012). This study shed further light on this burden as it notes that

approximately 40% of all households headed by an individual younger than 35 have student loan

debt (Fry, 2012). Since 2007, the average student loan debt has increased from $23,349 in 2007

to $26,682 in 2010 (Fry, 2012). This represents a 12.5% increase in average student loan debt

over a four-year period.

As the logic model segment illustrates, RBSP seeks to provide funding to relive this

student debt with the $40,000 scholarship program component. At the time of this report, 314

Scholars had received the award. This puts the program on track to distribute $12,560,000 in

scholarships which is a figure that will continue to grow on an annual basis as more students

receive the award.

There are indications that RBSP is having a positive impact in the student loan debt area.

Survey respondents were asked to select the amount of student debt they had or expect to have

upon graduation. Nearly two-thirds (n=148, 61.2%) of the Scholars expect to have no student

loan debt. Nearly three-quarters (n=178, 73.6%) expect debt less than $5000. Less than five

percent (n=10, 4.1%) expect to have student loan debt of $30,000 or more. A Scholar discussed

the importance of this decreased debt burden:

Program Activities Outputs Outcomes


burden



funds distributed


Besides the phenomenal personal support structures freely given by the RBS staff and community, the RBS scholarship has allowed me to graduate from a top tier university without any debt. The importance of this fact is no less than life altering. The lack of debt has allowed me freedom in my adult life to pursue career interests that I'm passionate about and, in my personal opinion, will unequivocally set me on a track for both happiness and success that otherwise would've been unavailable to me.

As is noted in this Scholar comment, lower student debt benefits students post-graduation in

impactful ways. When asked to state the main impact the program had on the pursuit of their

degree, 69.0% in some way referred to the funding.

Control Group Comparison

Control group respondents were also asked to provide information on their actual or

expected student loan debt upon graduation. Less than half (n=49, 43.0%) of the Scholars expect

to have no student loan debt. More than half (n=65, 57.0%) expect debt less than $5000. Over

ten percent (n=17, 13.9%) expect to have student loan debt of $30,000 or more. Figure 3

compares student loan debt by category.

Figure 3: Comparison of actual and expected student loan debt.

A X2 analysis was performed to determine if there is association between actual/expected student

loan debt and category. In order to complete the analysis, the $40K-$50K and Greater than $50K

categories were combined to fulfill the X2assumptions. Results indicate that there is evidence of

61.2%

12.4% 11.2%7.9%

3.3% 4.0%

43.0%

14.0%9.6% 11.4%

7.0%

15.0%

No Debt $1-$5K $5K-$10K $10K-$20K $20K-$30K Over $30K

RBS Control


an association between student loan debt burden and program participation (X2=21.727, df=6,

p<.00).

Key Finding: There is statistically significant evidence that RBSP is successfully lowering student debt for its Scholars. When compared to the control group, 19.4% more of the Scholars did not have or do not expect to have any student loan debt.

Perhaps the most effective way to close the discussion on reducing student loan debt comes from

a Scholar who emphasized, “THEY SAVED ME FINANCIALLY! I would be drowning in debt

right now ($55,000 as opposed to $15,000) from NYU. Thank you!!!” This Scholar starkly

states the impact of reduced student loan debt.

Advanced Degrees/Professional Employment

Advanced Degrees/Professional Employment Path

Advanced degrees are associated with higher earnings. According to the US Census Bureau

(n.d.), income progressively increases with degree attainment. According to the 2000 census for

adults working full-time, the median income for non-high school graduates was $21,332. For

bachelor degree earners, the median income was $42,877. For advanced degree earners, the

median income was $55,242.






rate per cohort



ResearchScholars with Research

Experience



The program employs multiple activities to support student attainment of advanced

degrees and employment in professional fields. These include indirect and direct Scholar

academic support and internships related to community service or independent research.

There are several outputs expected from these activities including a 95% graduation rate

and Scholars with research experience. Graduation rate will be discussed first. Of the Scholar

survey respondents that are not currently

attending school, 98.4% (193 of 196) have

earned their undergraduate degree. Of the

graduating students that attended an

institution that had academic degree

distinctions, 59.3% were recognized for

their performance. These recognitions

included Cum Laude (n=43, 31.9%), Magna

Cum Laude (n=17, 12.6%), Summa Cum

Laude (n=8, 5.9%), or other honors (n=12,

8.9%).

Scholar internship participation was high. Nearly three-quarters (n=180, 73.8%) of the

Scholars note participating in an internship as part of their undergraduate experience. RBSP was

impactful in finding an internship for the

Scholars. Of the 180 students that had an

internship, a RB mentor (described in the

inset on the following page), alumni, peer, or

professional staff, was a source to identify

Actual and expected time to degree

Scholars were asked to define the impact RBSP had on accelerating their time to degree. 107 (44.2%) Scholars noted the program had or is having a high or high to moderate impact.

Internship Support: I was back home over winter break and hadn't gotten the memo that that was the time freshmen used to find things to do over the summer. One of my Ron Brown friends who spent her break at school helped me create a resume, and went to the Office of Career Services to look for internships for me that were located in my home town. She had my back.

--Current Scholar

4 years22091%

5 years177%

6 years3

1%> 6 years

21%


the internship for 58 students (32.2%).

Undergraduate research experience participation was also high for the Scholar

population. Two-thirds (n=163, 66.8%) indicate participating in an undergraduate research

experience. RBSP was less impactful identifying these opportunities when compared to

internship participation. Of the 163 students that had an undergraduate research experience, 26

(16.0%) utilized an RBSP source to identify the experience.

Mentors

I am most proud of the mentorship that I have been able to deliver via my current role. In fact, next year I will be succeeded by a younger Ron Brown Scholar who I have been coaching and mentoring for 3 years.—2007 Scholar

Mentors are an RBSP focus and one of the methods employed to support graduation and persistence. Of the survey respondents, 93 (38.0%) state they have a mentor. These mentors provide the Scholars with career advice (n=62, 66.7%), personal advice (n=51, 54.8%), and academic advice (n=50, 53.8%). Respondents discussed the main benefit of their relationship with their mentors. The following themes were identified through a content analysis of results. A sample quote is included. All coded comments are available in the evaluation databook. Career Advice (n=21, 29.2%): The career path I had planned was one that was full of unknowns. I didn't know anyone with an MD or a PhD other than professors at school. I had never met an MD/PhD before. So talking to my RBS mentor who was actively pursuing this degree made it real.—2005 Scholar Personal Support (n=13, 18.1%): The main benefit from my relationship with my mentor is that I know that there is always someone close by to whom I can express my concerns about academics, extracurriculars, or more general issues. I know my mentor is always willing to have a meal with me and always has great advice and insight to offer. —2005 Scholar Academic Support (n=12, 18.1%): I performed some high-impact research with this business school professor and learned more about being an academic.—2002 Scholar Motivation (n=9, 12.5%): It just showed me that I COULD make it and get through studies.—2011 Scholar General Advice/Support (n=5, 6.9%): Having a structure to contact someone on my campus made it easy to have a mentor relationship.—2008 Scholar


Eleven Scholars (15.3%) noted that they did not receive support or they still need to develop a relationship with their mentor.

Advanced Degree Pursuit

The evidence suggests that Scholars perceive advanced degrees are important. Of the

survey respondents, 83.8% intend to pursue, are pursuing or have completed an advanced degree.

Nearly two-thirds (n=131, 62.4%) intend to pursue, are pursuing, or have completed a master’s

degree. One-quarter intend to pursue, are pursuing, or have earned a doctorate (n=59, 28.1%) or

JD (n=54, 25.7%).

Scholars have experienced great

success in their pursuit of advanced degrees.

On average, students have applied to 6.36

graduate programs while being accepted in

4.40 programs yielding an application success rate of 69.2%. Of the survey respondents, 121

Scholars are currently pursuing or have earned an advanced degree with 64 (52.9%) beginning

their programs less than one year after completing their undergraduate degree. It is noteworthy

that 56 (46.3%) Scholars consulted with RB program staff, peer Scholars, or their RB mentor to

select their first graduate program. This is similar to the percentage that consulted with their

college advisor (n=49, 40.5%) or a college faculty member (n=60, 49.6%). Further,

approximately one-quarter of the Scholars had a RB program staff member (n=30, 24.8%)

complete a reference for their first graduate program.

At the time of data collection, 85 Scholars (72.6%) have earned one advanced degree, 30

(25.6%) have earned two advanced degrees, and two (1.7%) have earned three advanced degrees.

Figure 4 displays the number of Scholars that have earned each degree type.

Advanced Degree Support: Tristan Ivory and Michael Anderson helped me brainstorm papers and research ideas, and both of them encouraged me to apply to graduate school. I love those guys! They've always been there for me personally and professionally.

--Mature Scholar


Figure 4: Number of Scholars that have earned each degree type.

Key Finding: When seeking advice on graduate programs, Scholars are just as likely to consult with RB representatives as they are with their institution staff and faculty. When references are required, Scholars are more likely to have a college faculty member (81%) complete their reference. It is noteworthy, however, that RB representatives are viewed as a source of advice that is just as valuable as college faculty members.

Professional Field Employment

Professional employment represents the ultimate outcome of educational pursuits. Of the

survey respondents, 164 Scholars indicated that they have completed their undergraduate

education and have begun their professional careers. There is evidence that these program

participants are cognizant of the impact related to becoming a Ron Brown Scholar. The vast

majority of Scholars (n=134, 84.3%) included the award on their resume or curriculum vitae. Of

the Scholars that can recall, 57 (43.5%) directly or indirectly referred to their RBSP experiences

during their interview for their first professional job.

Overall, Scholars have a high interview and job offer rate. On average, Scholars applied

for 10.56 positions and had 4.65 interviews (counting each company organization once) yielding

Greatest Career Accomplishment: For now, completing residency in the hardest internal medicine program in the country and pursuing my top choice fellowship in critical care next year. Most difficult and rewarding accomplishment so far in my career in medicine.

--Mature Alumni

70

2720

30

4

Master's Doctoral MD, DO, DDS, DVM JD Professional Certification


a 44.0% interview rate. The average interview rate for targeted applications nationally is 3%-5%

(Claman, 2011; Doyle, n.d.). While the survey did not specify targeted applications, the success

rate of Scholars compared to the general population is high. The average job offer rate is 1.68 per

4.65 interviews. This yields a job offer rate of 36.1%. As a note, targeted applications are ones

where the applicant identifies a match between the position requirements and qualifications

(Claman, 2011).

A relevant question is whether the first professional job Scholars attained related to their

career goals. Two-thirds (n=108, 67.9%) stated their first professional position directly related to

their career goals. One-quarter (n=39, 24.5%) stated their first professional position indirectly

related to their career goals. Collectively, 92.4% (n=147) noted their first professional position

directly or indirectly related to their career goals.

Key Finding: There is evidence that RBSP is impactful in the employment process for the Scholars. The interview rate of 44% is significantly higher than the reported 5% interview rate for online applications. The Scholars are also successful at attaining positions that directly or indirectly relate to their career goals.

Career level was provided by the Scholars. Eleven (6.9%) Scholars report that they are at

the CEO level and 17 (10.7%) report that they are at the upper management level. Just over 20%

(n=35, 22.0%) report being at the middle management level and the remaining 96 (60.4%) report

being a workforce member.


There are several comparisons that can be made between the Scholars and control group.

It was noted that Scholars have a graduation rate of 98.5%. When data collection occurred, 63

control group respondents indicated they had earned their degree while five stated they are no

longer attending school and do not intend to complete their degree. This represents a graduation


rate of 92.6%. An X2YATES was conducted to determine if there was an association between program

participation and graduation rate. There is statistically significant evidence that there is an

association (X2YATES = 4.011, df=1, Yates’ p-value=.04520). As a note, a Yates continuity

correction was required as expected frequencies were less than five in some table cells.

Regarding graduation honors, 59.3% of Scholars had earned graduation honors while 50.0%

(n=31) of the control group had earned honors. In this case, there is no statistically significant

evidence of an association between graduation honors and program participation (X2= 1.481,

df=1, p-value=.2236). There is evidence that program participation has a significant impact on

time to degree. A vast majority of the control group earned or expects to earn their undergraduate

degree in four years or less (n=92, 80.7%). Though high, this is less than the 90.1% rate reported

by the Scholars. There is evidence of an association between time to degree and program

participation (X2= 7.454, df=1, p-value=.0063).

Undergraduate research experience and internships also reveal differences between the

Scholars and control group. For the control group, 48.7% (n=55) participated in an

undergraduate research experience compared to 66.8% of the Ron Brown Scholars. There is

evidence of a statistically significant association in this area (X2= 10.68, df=1, p-value=.001).

With internships, 56.6% (n=64) of the control group has had this experience while 73.8% of the

Scholars have had this experience. There is also evidence of a statistically significant association

in the internship area (X2= 10.48, df=1, p-value=.001). Figure 5 compares the percentages of the

study population that have had these experiences.


Figure 5: Comparison of participation in research and internship experiences

Key Finding: Undegraduate research is associated with increased understanding on how to conduct research projects, increased research skill confidence, and increased awareness of graduate school (Russell, Hancock & McCullough, 2007). Program Scholars benefit from this experience at higher rates than the control group.

Educational aspirations are similar between the control group and the Scholars. Over half

of the control group (n=64, 56.1%) intends to pursue or has earned a master’s compared to

62.4% of the Scholars. Approximately one-quarter (n=26, 22.8%) intends to pursue or has earned

a doctorate compared to 28.1% of the Scholars. A much lower percentage, however, of the

control group will pursue a JD (n=14, 12.8%) compared to 25.7% of the Scholars. At the time of

data collection, 57.1% of the Scholars that responded to the survey have completed or are

currently pursuing a graduate degree compared to 39.5% (n=34) of the control group.

The control group has experienced similar success in graduate school application rates.

Control group respondents applied to an average of 5.6 graduate programs and were accepted to

an average of 3.3 programs. This is an acceptance rate of 58.9% compared to 69.2% for the

Scholars.

66.8%73.8%

48.7%56.6%

Undergraduate researchexperience

Internship experience

RBS Control


Career level indicates an additional difference between the Scholars and control group.

Four percent (n=2) of the control group is at the CEO level compared to 6.9% of the Scholars.

Similarly, 4% (n=2) of the control group is at the upper management level compared to 10.7% of

the Scholars. Figure 6 compares the percentage of individuals that are at each career level.

Figure 6: Comparison of career levels.

Scholars have also been more successful in gaining employment in their first professional

position that is directly (67.9%) or indirectly (24.5%) related to their career goals. For the control

group 58.0% (n=29) gained their first professional position in an area directly related to their

career goals. One-in-five (n=10. 20.0%) gained a position indirectly related to their career goals.

There is evidence of a statistically significant association between first professional position and

program participation (X2= 8.14, df=1, p-value=.017).

Sample Career Accomplishments Scholars are Most Proud of… • I'm most proud having taken the time to be a serial entrepreneur. Taking the risk to

unreservedly address the issues I’m most concerned has been a most fulfilling experience. I have learned a lot about myself, how the world works and met phenomenal people along the way. –Mid-Term Alumni Scholar

• To date the accomplishment that I am most proud of is the creation of an Excel-based, MATLAB powered application for my company. This application significantly reduces the time and effort needed to design a particular component for a machine in manufacturing. –Mid-Term Alumni Scholar

• Founded and directed a non-profit leadership development, mentoring, and college access program for inner-city youth in Cincinnati and grew it to serving 300 students per year. This makes me proud because it was a tremendous amount of hard work, but I persevered for 5 years and built a program that was recognized as being one of the best and is still going strong. –Mature Alumni Scholar

• I earned a position as a law clerk to a Supreme Court justice. It's my proudest achievement

4.0%

6.9%

4.0%

10.7%

20.0%

22.0%

72.0%

60.4%

Control

RBS

CEO Upper Management Middle Management Workforce


because serving at the Supreme Court is the highest honor for a young lawyer. Not only are there only 36 slots every year, but earning a position means you can help shape the law for generations to come. –Mature Alumni Scholar

• With the ink still wet on this “impossible” contract, my supervisor informed me, as Lead Engineer on “the solar team,” that it was up to me to energize, design, and successfully implement a streamlined process that would define CES’ future in the solar industry. If it failed, leadership was considering the possibility of exiting the industry altogether. As Lead Engineer on “the solar team” I designed, and successfully implemented a streamlined process that would define Chevron Energy Solutions’ future in the solar industry. I began by focusing on augmenting my knowledge of the solar sector, with understanding my client’s, as well as my internal staff’s, definitions of success. Grateful for my background in Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) emphasis on utilizing dynamic thinking to “tunnel through the cost barrier,” I optimized each step, incorporating industry best practices to create a streamlined design, procurement, and construction process that facilitated an improved product installation. To match the abrupt cost reduction for photovoltaics and to increase gross margin, I led my team in simplifying the solar structure, pioneering primary assembly in an offsite controlled environment and identifying vendors for direct procurement of key structural components to remove “middlemen” associated costs. From logistical management to process implementation and verification, I proved CES could prosper with our improved system. In the end, these efforts realized a 30% reduction in costs, significantly increased our product quality, and most importantly, resulted in a delighted customer who returned for repeat business. –Mature Alumni Scholar

Alumni Network to Support Scholars

Alumni Network to Support Scholars Path

There are multiple examples on the importance of student support as it relates to student

outcomes. Campbell and Campbell (2007), for example found multiple benefits related to








rate per cohort


Scholars




student-faculty mentoring including increased GPAs, higher retention rates, and graduate school

completion. Conversely, a lack of peer support is a negative predictor of college adjustment and

predicts lower first-year GPA (Dennis, Phinney & Chuateco, 2005). In this study, college

adjustment refers to a sense of belonging in the college environment (Dennis, Phinney &

Chuateco, 2005). RBS alumni represent peers for the Scholar network.

The path towards an increased alumni network, as demonstrated in the logic model

segment, is to support student persistence and graduation, and provide regional and national

events. The academic outputs associated with the outcome of an increased alumni network to

support Scholars were discussed in a previous section. To gauge program engagement related to

events, Scholars were asked to identify what they have participated in while in the program. This

information is displayed in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Scholar program engagement by activity

Available data allows the study to delve more deeply into how peers support each other

and how alumni support the Scholars. Scholars were specifically asked how their peers supported

their undergraduate education. The primary ways were sources of social support (n=163, 83.2%)

and personal support (n=134, 68.4%). While this may seem less impactful than academic

support, there is evidence that peer support is important for the academic adjustment of students

(Astin, 1993; Tinto, 1993). The RBSP, therefore, provides a source of support that is associated

69.1%58.5% 57.7%

47.2%

28.5% 24.8%

Triennial LeadershipConference

Formal socialactivities

Informal campussocial activities

Formal meetings Professionaldevelopment

activities

RBSP serviceactivities


with academic success. This relates to an alumni

network as persistence influenced by the social and

personal support allows the alumni network to

grow and supports the creation to the overall RBSP

network.

Peers have also been impactful in Scholars

securing internships. Just over one-quarter of the Scholars (n=47, 26.1%) report that their RBSP

peers were a source to identify internships. When deciding on their first graduate program, nearly

one-third (n=36, 29.8%) sought consultation with their RBSP peers. Finally, a survey question

asked the Scholars to identify how RBSP has impacted their career. This information is

presented in Table 7.

Table 7: Number and percentage that noted that noted how RBSP advanced their career N Percentage I seek or provide advice/guidance to fellow RB Scholars 91 57.2% RB Scholars have connected me with other professionals that can support my career growth 82 51.6%

Ron Brown Scholar Program staff provide opportunities that help advance my career 77 48.4%

RB Scholars are a source for me to talk to when I need someone to talk to about work problems 67 42.1%

RB Scholars have identified professional development opportunities I can participate in 51 32.1%

RB Scholars have helped me to identify resources for work I am doing at my organization 35 22.0%

My mentor supports my career development 26 16.4% I have completed or am working on professional publications/presentations with fellow RB Scholars 11 6.9%

Table 7 displays the support the Scholars derive from each other which is an intended outcome

of the RBSP. This section will not include a control group comparison as this outcome is

associated specifically to the program.

Alumni support network story: I attend Duke University and Ade Sawyer, who graduated from Duke, has been a great support system for me. I texted him one time and told him that I was stressed and needed a pep talk. He called me and we talked for an hour and he really calmed me down and gave me some great tips for success. Ade has always been available to help me get through my Duke experience.

--Current Scholar


Public Service Dedication

Public Service Dedication Path

A dedication to public service has obvious, tangible benefits for the community where the

volunteer work occurs. There are also benefits, however, for the individual engaged in public

service. These benefits include happiness, life-satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life,

physical health, and lower rates of depression (Musick & Wilson, 2003; Thoits & Hewitt, 2001).

Public service also improves access to social and psychological resources (Musick & Wilson,

2003). Dedication to public service positively impacts the beneficiary and the person

volunteering.

RBSP articulates that an intended program goal is Scholars with a dedication to public

service. As a current Scholar noted, “RBS values academic achievement as much as service, so I

made sure to do my best to do both.” The path to accomplish this dedication is through

internships but is also emphasized through other program activities. Of the survey respondents,

67.9% (n=161) participate in volunteer activities

one hour or more per week.

Over 20 percent participate

in volunteer activities four

or more hours per week

(n=51, 21.6%). Over half of

the Scholars mentor youth





Research

Public Service Dedication: I started my own company with friends, family, and a fellow RBS scholar building affordable housing around the world. I was able to forgo the usual professional career largely because the RBS program provided me with assistance in the form of mentors, job opportunities, networks, and moral support to pursue my startup dreams. Now, we are fully funded, our factory is being setup and will be finished in the next 6-8 weeks, and will house 100 people this year alone. I'm super proud of this because without RBS I doubt I'd have had the courage to keep going, to keep sacrificing to build what has finally come to fruition.

--Mid-Term Alumni


(n=85, 52.8%) while over one-third tutor or teach (n=60, 37.3%). This is an indication that

Scholars greatest interest in volunteer service is to advance young people as they have been

supported by RBSP.

Charitable donations also indicate a dedication to public service. Over one-quarter donate

5% or more of their income to charitable causes (n=51, 29.5%). Figure 8 displays why Scholars

elect to donate to charitable organizations.

Figure 8: Why Scholars donate to charitable organizations

Scholars were asked to define how RBSP impacted their participation in community

service. All comments (94) were content analyzed to identify the main theme expressed in the

statement. Three main themes were identified. The primary theme was Motivation/Inspiration/

Encouragement. Forty-nine Scholars noted this theme (52.1%). Scholars expressed the program

either explicitly stressed the service importance or they were inspired by their participation in the

program. One Scholar stated, for example, that “The main way has been by encouraging me to

keep giving back to my community, which is why I still tutor on weekends.” Another, a mid-

term alumni, stated, “Through the application process, RBS made me realize as a senior in high

school that service was something I should always be involved in. It was the first time service

was a core part of an evaluation for me, and it intensified my desire and drive for service to my

community.”

77.5%67.1% 63.6%

18.5%

Believe in cause Want to contribute tocommunity

Compassion for those in need Income tax credit


A desire to Give Back (n=23, 24.5%) was the second theme identified. One comment

that exemplified this theme was, “Having the Ron Brown Scholarship lets me know that I have

an obligation/purpose to help others. I always strive to give more of myself in hopes of bettering

those around me.” Another referred to the program namesake by stating:

Ron Brown once said, "when you reach that level of success, keep the door open and the ladder down for others to follow." The Ron Brown Scholarship Program was built upon this belief and other similar ones. In order to make a sustainable contribution to society, I believe that I have to give back to my community in order to inspire the next generation of individuals that will carry on the legacy of this program.

The last theme identified was Resources/Facilitation (n=12, 10.6%). This refers to the

program supporting service in tangible ways. A Scholar described this by stating, “Ron Brown

helped to fund a service project that I worked on as an undergrad. It allowed me to delve into

social enterprises for the first time in a hands-on way and I would not be where I am today, or

have the interests that I do, without that experience.” The final 12 Scholars (12.8%) stated the

program did not impact their service participation because they already had this outlook or that

their schedules did not allow for greater service participation.


The control group individuals have a similar dedication to public service. Just over 60%

(n=68, 60.2%) volunteer one hour or more per week. As was noted, 67.9% of Scholars

participate in volunteer activities one or more hours per week. In this case, there is no evidence

of a statistically significant association between volunteerism and program participation (X2=

2.035, df=1, p-value=.1537). It is noteworthy that the Scholars and control group volunteer at

rates dramatically higher than the general population. According to the 2013 Current Population

Survey, 18.5% of black or African Americans volunteered for unpaid work through an

organization (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014).


The control group and Scholars are also similar in amount of income that is donated to

charitable causes. For the control group, 27.3% (n=18) donate 5% of their income or more while

29.5% of the Scholars donate this amount. The difference here, however, is in the percentages

that donate 1% or less of their income. In the control group, nearly half (n=30, 45.5%) donate

1% or less of their income. Just over one-quarter of the Scholars donate 1% or less (n=49,

28.3%) of their income to charitable causes. There is evidence of a statistical association between

those who do not donate significant amounts and program participation (X2= 6.336, df=1, p-

value=.0118).

Scholars also appear to have more varied reasons on why they elect to contribute to

charitable causes than the control group. A greater percentage of Scholars noted they contribute

to a cause because of compassion to those in need (7.3% difference), belief in the cause (8.6%

difference), and wanting to contribute to a community (17.1% difference). Scholars, however,

are also more motivated to contribute to a charitable cause because of the income tax credit

(12.2% more Scholars contribute for this reason).

Key Finding: There is mixed evidence on the program impact related to dedication to public service. There is no evidence that Scholars volunteer more time than the control group. There is evidence, however, that a greater percentage of Scholars donate more of their income to charitable cause and can articulate more reasons on why they contribute.

Leadership Demonstration

Leadership Demonstration in Field and Through Service Path

Program Activities Outputs OutcomesTriennial Leadership

Conferences and other Leadership Development

Activities





Leadership is a RBSP focus. The program focus is Scholars that demonstrate leadership

through service. A segment of the RBSP mission is to “instill a strong dedication to leadership

and public service.” Scholars were asked to note the level which they personally fulfill the

program mission. Over three-quarters (n=180, 76.3%) perceive they embody the program

mission to a high or high to moderate level. A current Scholar has already incorporated the

mission by stating, “The mission of the organization stresses helping others just the same as

others have helped you. It is a great message and I completely buy into it which translates to my

need to serve.”

What Leadership Means

Scholars were asked to define what leadership means to them and how they demonstrate leadership. There were 98 comments provided. These comments coalesced into four main themes. The themes are provided below along with a representative quote that signifies what the theme means. Being an Example/Demonstrating Purpose (n=34, 34.7%): Leadership is demonstrating excellence in your personal and professional lives for others to emulate and seizing opportunities to make something -- a project, an organization, etc. -- better through your vision, resourcefulness, and hard work. I believe I demonstrate leadership in my work projects, and more generally by giving back to the community while also striving towards excellence in my professional life. –2001 Scholar Empowering Others/Inspiring Others Towards a Cause (n=28, 28.6%): I am inspired by Ella Baker's model of leadership, which involves giving people tools to advocate for themselves. I believe in equipping marginalized people with the skills and connections they need to mobilize for change in their communities. Right now, I am an attorney in my community leading a project that trains law students, other attorneys, social service workers, and others to improve criminal justice policies. –2000 Scholar Change Agent/Leading Others to Accomplishments (n=25, 25.5%): To me, leadership indicates an ability to drive something - an initiative, a person, or a group of people - forward in some way, shape, or form that is net positive. I strive to demonstrate leadership in every aspect of my life and think that I do that successfully (although I am always trying to do better). As a CEO, as a coach, as a team member in other organizations, and as a friend to others, I demonstrate leadership by driving the things in which I am involved forward. –2007 Scholar Participating with Others (n=6, 6.1%): "Leaders must be close enough to relate to


others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." I try to exemplify leadership by participating in as many organizations and aiming for leadership roles within them. For example, I am a Resident Adviser, Finance Chair for a service organization and a fraternity, Co-Chair of another, and am part of the Undergraduate Advisory Council. –2011 Scholar The remaining five comments failed to coalesce into a theme. All coded comments are available in the evaluation databook.

Scholars were also asked to define how they developed their personal leadership style.

Primarily, Scholars note they did so through former supervisors (n=71, 34.0%). When RBSP

components are considered, less than 15% noted an RBSP mentor (n=28, 12.2%) and the

Triennial Leadership Conference (n=29, 12.7%).

Key Finding: There is evidence that program administrators can take steps to make their leadership training more impactful. Less than 15% of the Scholars highlight a RBSP program component as being impactful in the development of their personal leadership style.

Specific to leadership in the field, it was noted in an earlier section the percentages of

Scholars that are in CEO and upper management positions. Leadership is also demonstrated

through entrepreneurship. Just over ten percent (n=19, 11.9%) of the Scholars work for their own

business ventures.


Because of system limitations related to the number of questions that could be asked of a

paid group, the control group leadership questions were limited. Each survey audience, however,

was asked to define their leadership style. This information is displayed in Table 8.

Table 8: Percentage that perceive a specific leadership style RBS Control Group Difference Autocratic leadership. 2.1% 0.0% 2.1% Bureaucratic leadership. 1.3% 1.8% -0.5% Charismatic leadership. 8.5% 0.9% 7.6% Democratic/participative leadership. 21.6% 23.9% -2.3%


Table 8: Percentage that perceive a specific leadership style RBS Control Group Difference Laissez-faire leadership. 3.8% 3.5% 0.3% People/relations-oriented leadership. 15.7% 15.9% -0.2%

Servant leadership. 19.1% 11.5% 7.6% Task-oriented leadership. 6.4% 11.5% -5.1% Transactional leadership. 0.8% 2.7% -1.9% Transformational leadership. 11.4% 12.4% -1.0% Uncertain 6.4% 8.0% -1.6% I do not identify myself as a leader 3.0% 8.0% -5.0%

Related to a servant style of leadership, Table 8 has two noteworthy elements. The first is that

7.6% more Scholars see themselves more as servant leaders than the control group. Greenleaf

(1970) defined servant leadership as, in part, a leader that identifies and meets the needs of

colleagues, customers, and communities. The desire to serve is the primary characteristic of a

servant leader (Greenleaf, 1970). Additionally, 5% more control group individuals do not

identify themselves as a leader when compared to the Scholars.

Key Finding: A limited comparison between the Scholars and control group can be made. A higher percentage of Scholars view themselves as servant leaders (7.6% more than the control group)

Related to business ventures, the percentage of control group respondents that work for

their own business venture is 10% (n=5). This is similar to the 11.9% result for the Scholars.

Overall Results Summary

The results summary focuses on two areas. The first is whether the outcome has been

achieved. The second is whether the Ron Brown Scholar Program was a relevant factor in the

achievement of the goal. Table 9 displays the outcomes and an evaluative judgment on the level

to which the outcome has been achieved.


Table 9: Evaluative judgment on outcome achievement Achieved Partially

Achieved Not

Achieved Unable to

Judge Decreased loan burden Scholars pursue advanced degrees/professional employment

Alumni network to support Scholars Dedication to public service Leadership in field and through service

It is an evaluative judgment that the program is successfully attaining all of its intended

outcomes. Each will be briefly discussed.

Outcome Attainment

Decreased loan burden: The first outcome is decreased loan burden. Over 60% of the Scholars

have no or expect no student loan debt. Three-quarters expect debt of $5000 or less. The

scholarship component is successfully reducing the Scholars’ loan debt burden.

Scholars Pursue Advanced Degrees/Professional Employment: There is compelling evidence

this goal has been achieved. Scholars graduate at a nearly 100% rate which is a requirement for

further educational and career progress. Scholars participate in experiences that support

educational and career growth such as internships and undergraduate research experiences. At

the time of data collection, 85 scholars have earned at least one advanced degree. Regarding

professional employment, Scholars have a 44% interview rate for jobs applied for which is

higher than the 5% rate reported in the literature. In addition, over 90% of Scholars report that

their first professional position is related to their career goals. This information provides

evidence that this goal is being achieved.

Alumni Network to Support Scholars: The strength of the alumni network is indicated in two

ways. First is the peer support the Scholars received during their undergraduate education. Social


and personal support were the primary support areas. The literature indicates that this support is

for minority student academic achievement. How the Scholars utilize each other to advance their

careers is also informative. Scholars report they use the Scholar network to seek or provide

guidance/advice, networking, and problems they may be having at work. This type of

information gives evidence that this goal is being achieved.

Public Service Dedication: Nearly 70% of the Scholars report being involved in volunteer

activities. This is dramatically higher than the 18.5% rate for all black or African American

adults in the US. Scholars most participate in youth mentorship and tutoring. Nearly 30% of the

Scholars donate 5% or more of their income to charitable causes. There is evidence that this goal

has been achieved.

Demonstration of Leadership: Over three-quarters of the Scholars perceive that they embody

the RBSP mission of dedication to leadership and public service. When discussing what

leadership means to them and how they demonstrate leadership, Scholars stressed that leadership

means being an example for others, empowering others to meet goals, and serving as a change

agent. The servant leadership style was the one most noted by the Scholars as their style.

Program Impact

The next area to consider is whether there is evidence that RBSP is an important factor to

outcome attainment. Table 10 includes the outcomes and an evaluative judgment on whether the

program was impactful in helping the Scholars achieve the outcomes.

Table 10: Evaluative judgment on outcome achievement Impactful Partially

Impactful Not

Impactful Unable to

Judge Decreased loan burden Scholars pursue advanced degrees/professional employment

Alumni network to support Scholars Dedication to public service


Table 10: Evaluative judgment on outcome achievement Impactful Partially

Impactful Not

Impactful Unable to

Judge Leadership in field and through service

It is an evaluative judgment that the program has been impactful in four areas and partially

impactful in one area. Each will be briefly discussed.

Decreased loan burden: The program is impactful in this area. There is statistical evidence of

an association between student loan debt burden and program participation.

Scholars Pursue Advanced Degrees/Professional Employment: It was determined that the

program was impactful in this area. Scholars have a statistically significantly higher graduation

rate and participate at greater rates in activities that support career growth such as internships and

research experiences. A higher percentage of Scholars are in leadership positions in their

organizations and a higher percentage found a professional position that relates to their career

goals. RBSP is impactful in this area.

Alumni Network to Support Scholars: Although a control group comparison was not possible

in this area, attainment of this goal gives evidence that the program is impactful in this area.

Public Service Dedication: There is mixed evidence that the program is impactful in this area.

The control group also has high volunteerism rates similar to the Scholars. The amount of time

dedicated to volunteer service is also similar. The area where there is a difference is that a higher

percentage of Scholars donate at a statistically significant level. Scholars also more directly

identify the reasons why they donate to certain causes. While the evidence is not as compelling

as the other outcome areas, there is some partial evidence that RBSP is impactful in this area.

Demonstration of Leadership: Similar to the alumni network, an in-depth control group

comparison was not possible in this area. There were, however, a greater percentage of Scholars


that viewed themselves as servant leaders and a lower percentage that did not view themselves as

leaders. Overall, because this goal was deemed to be achieved, this gives evidence that the

program was impactful in this area.

Outcome Summary

There is evidence that the program has been highly successful in its goal achievement. In

addition, there is evidence that the program itself has been impactful in being a difference maker

in four of the five outcome areas. Public service dedication is the only area where the Scholars

did not significantly outperform the control group in terms of participation and time dedicated to

volunteerism. Both the Scholars and the control group, however, were outperforming the

volunteerism rates for blacks and African-Americans across the US. This information supports

the RBSP success in achieving its goals.

Impact on Degree Pursuit

The first three goals discussed all have some relationship to the completion of an undergraduate degree. Scholars were given the opportunity to provide comments on how RBSP impacted or is impacting them. 189 Scholars provided comments. The comments were content analyzed to provide important themes. All coded comments that are associated with each theme are available in the evaluation databook.

Program Impacts on Degree Pursuit

To help illustrate the meaning of each theme, representative quotes will be provided. The first theme was Focus on Studies with a representative comment being, “Not having as many financial pressures. Many of my friends have to figure out food, room and board or any number of other expenses on the month to month basis. If I were to pair those financial concerns with the concerns I already face, I would not be able to focus on learning which is why I came to college in the first place.” Financial support was the second most noted theme. A comment that represents the meaning of this theme was, “The financial support was the primary impact of the program. It helped to cover the student contribution of my financial aid package. If not for the program I would have had to either take out loans or work more during my college experience in order to fulfill this obligation.” Personal Support was the third major theme. A sample comment that illustrates the


meaning of this theme was, “The Ron Brown Scholar program welcomed me into a large, close network of people that are genuinely interested in and willing to help me succeed. I really could not ask for anything more.” Academic Support was the fourth major theme. The concept map definition notes that academic support includes factors that help Scholars with career planning. A sample comment in this area is “The main impact that RBSP had was to connect me with an internship that set me on my career and graduate school path. As part of that experience I gained a mentor who has been my primary resource in professional matters for 5 years.” Extracurricular Activities was the fifth identified theme. A sample comment in this area was, “RBS funds made it possible for me to really experience college. It helped to pay for study abroad related expenses and learning trips that shaped the way that I viewed the world. Growing up in a sheltered neighborhood, I dreamed of seeing other communities and knowing how others thought. I am very grateful as the exposure opportunities have helped hone in on what I think I am good at and how I can best make an impact in the world I live in.” Motivation was the last identified theme. A representative comment in this area was, “RBS encouraged me to dream big and to invest in myself first.” The concept map below displays the themes. Line weight indicates the theme importance.

Impacts on undergraduate degree

pursuit

Focus on Studies(n=43, 22.8%)

Enabled a greater focus on degree pursuit

Financial Support(n=42, 22.2%)

Scholars noted financial freedom related to degree pursuit

Personal Support(N=41, 21.7%)

Scholars noted financial freedom related to degree pursuit

Academic Support(N=36, 19.1%)

Ability to attend elite institutions/ Educational and career goal

support

Extracurricular Activities(N=13, 6.9%)

Resources to participate in activities such as study abroad

Motivation(n=11, 5.8%)

Program inspired Scholars to succeed


All coded comments are available in the evaluation databook.

Evaluation Question Review

It was important to review the outcomes as program impacts are realized through the

achievement of the program goals. As the evaluative judgment was that the program goals were

attained, program impacts can be more confidently examined. The evaluation questions were in

the personal, program and societal impact areas. These impact areas will be considered, when

appropriate, at the current Scholar, mid-term alumni, and mature alumni levels. As a reminder,

Appendix A displays the evaluation crosswalk which associates the evaluation question with its

data sources.

Evaluation Question One: Personal Impact

The first evaluation question is related to personal impact and asks: To what extent are

Scholars realizing or have realized their educational and career goals? Current Scholars will

be considered first for this question

Current Scholars

At the time of data collection, the current Scholar distribution was 37.3% (n=19)

freshmen, 23.5% (n=12) sophomore, 19.6% (n=10) junior, 17.6% (n=9) senior, and 2.0% (n=1)

undergraduate degree earner. The college major most represented in the current Scholar

population is Social Sciences (n=18, 36.0%). The top three institutions the Scholars attend are

Harvard University (n=16, 32.0%), Stanford University (n=8, 16.0%), and Yale University (n=8,

12.0%). The characteristics of the current students can be more fully viewed in the evaluation

databook.

Nearly half of the current Scholars (n=23, 46.9%) have participated in an undergraduate

research experience. This is similar to the control group (n=15, 41.7%). There is no statistically


significant evidence of an association related to program participation in this area (X2=0.233,

df=1, p-value=.6293). When internships are considered, nearly half of the Scholars (n=24,

49.0%) have completed an internship. This is similar to the control group (n=19, 52.8%). There

is no statistically significant evidence of an association related to program participation in this

area (X2=0.120, df=1, p-value=.7290). Study abroad represents a greater difference area. One-

third of the Scholars (n=16, 32.7%) have had a study abroad experience while only 13.9% (n=5)

of the control has had this experience. There is still, however, no statistically significant evidence

of an association related to program participation in the study abroad area (X2=0.145, df=1, p-

value=.7034).

When work experience is considered, slightly less than half of the Scholars (n=22,

44.9%) work zero hours per week. Approximately one-third (n=13, 36.1%) of the control group

members work zero hours per week. There is no statistically significant evidence of an

association related to program participation in work hours per week (X2=0.662, df=1, p-

value=.4159). The purpose of discussing work experience is that students that maintain

employment have less study time which can impact academic outcomes.

Expected student loan debt is an area of larger differences. Nearly 80% of the current

Scholars (n=39, 79.6%) expect to have zero student loan debt upon graduation. Just over 60% of

the control group (n=22, 61.1%). There is marginally statistically significant evidence of an

association related to program participation and expected student loan debt (X2=3.498, df=1, p-

value=.0614).

Key Finding: There is no evidence of a statistically significant association for undergraduate research experiences, internships, study abroad, and work experience related to program participation. There is marginally statistically significant evidence of an association between expected student loan debt and program participation. Given the results noted in the outcome


review, this is an area that may manifest itself in outcomes such as graduation.

Currently, expected student debt is the only area of difference between the Scholars and

control group in the personal impact areas. This may indicate that the differences found in the

outcome summary become more evident over time. It should be stated, however, that the current

students perceive that the program is helping to shape their career goals (n=27, 55.1%) and that

their professional network is more extensive because of the RBSP (n=41, 83.7%).

Mid-Term Alumni

For mid-term alumni, student debt, graduate education, and professional employment will

be the impact focus areas. Community service is discussed in evaluation question three. Nearly

60% (n=62) of the mid-term alumni have no student debt. For the control group, 38.5% have no

student debt. There is statistically significant evidence of an association related to program

participation and student loan debt (X2=4.123, df=1, p-value=.0423).

Graduate education is an additional personal impact area. The control group has been

more active at the time of this study. For the control group, 63.3% (n=19) have completed or are

currently pursuing a degree. For the Scholars, 59.1% (n=55) have completed or are currently

pursuing a degree. There is no statistically significant evidence of an association related to

program participation and graduate study (X2=0.166, df=1, p-value=.6837).

Related to professional employment, the first professional position is the area of interest.

The control group has a greater percentage of individuals whose first professional position was

directly aligned with their career goals. Three-quarters (n=16, 72.7%) of the control group

attained a first professional position aligned with their career goals. For Scholars, 60.7% (n=51)

attained a first professional position aligned with their career goals. There is no, however,


statistically significant evidence of an association related to program participation and attaining

an employment position related to career goals (X2=1.082, df=1, p-value=.2983).

Scholars have attained higher career levels. Eleven (13.1%) mid-term alumni Scholars

are at the CEO/President or upper management level in their employment positions. For the

control group, 9.0% (n=2) are at these levels. There is no statistically significant evidence of an

association related to program participation and employment level (X2=0.26, df=1, p-

value=.6101).

Key Finding: For mid-term alumni, the primary personal impact area is related to low or no student loan debt. This is important as debt has been associated with stress and worse physical health and self-reported health (Drentea & Lavrakas, 2000) While the trend indicates mid-term alumni have achieved higher professional employment levels, no statistically significant evidence of this has been identified.

There are program impacts that the mid-term alumni perceive. Mid-term alumni have a

perception that the program helped shape their career goals (n=56, 53.4%) and that their

professional network is more extensive because of the RBSP (n=79, 75.2%).

Mature Alumni

Similar to mid-term alumni, the personal impact areas considered for mature alumni are

student debt, graduate education, and professional employment will be the impact focus areas.

Over half (n=55) of the mature alumni have no student debt. For the control group, 30.8% have

no student debt. There is statistically significant evidence of an association related to program

participation and student loan debt (X2=6.447, df=1, p-value=.0111).

Graduate education is an additional personal impact area. For the Scholars, 90.1% (n=64)

have completed or are currently pursuing a degree. For the control group, 60.0% (n=15) have

completed or are currently pursuing a degree. There is statistically significant evidence of an


association related to program participation and graduate study (X2=11.527, df=1, p-

value=.0007).

Related to professional employment, the first professional position is the area of interest.

The mature alumni group has a greater percentage of individuals whose first professional

position was directly aligned with their career goals. Three-quarters (n=57, 76.0%) of the mature

alumni attained a first professional position aligned with their career goals. For the control group,

48.1% (n=13) attained a first professional position directly aligned with their career goals. There

is statistically significant evidence of an association related to program participation and

attaining an employment position related to career goals (X2=7.153, df=1, p-value=.0075).

Scholars have attained higher career levels. Seventeen (22.7%) mature alumni Scholars

are at the CEO/President or upper management level in their employment positions. For the

control group, 7.4% (n=2) are at these levels. There is statistically significant evidence of an

association related to program participation and employment level (X2=3.05, df=1, p-

value=.0807).

Key Finding: For mature alumni, in addition to the lower student debt levels, mature alumni were more likely to find a first-professional position directly aligned with their career goals and have achieved higher employment levels. Personal impacts from RBSP increase over time from the current Scholars to the mature alumni.

There are other program impacts that the mid-term alumni perceive. Mature alumni

perceive that the program helped shape their career goals (n=43, 52.4%) and that their

professional network is more extensive because of the RBSP (n=55, 77.1%).

Personal Impact Summary

The evidence suggests that the personal impact of the RBSP increases over time. For current students, the only impactful area is student loan debt but only at a marginally


significant level. For the mid-term alumni, the impact area is student load with trends towards higher employment levels. The greatest personal impacts are observed with mature alumni. In this case, there is statistically significant evidence that the mature alumni have achieved higher employment levels when compared to the control group. Current Scholars, mid-term alumni, and mature alumni perceive that the program has impacted them in terms of helping to shape their career goals and having a more extensive professional network. These perceptions may be a factor in why the personal impacts from RBSP participation increase over time.

Evaluation Question Two: Program Impact

The second evaluation question asks: To what level are Scholars achieving the

program mission in terms of leadership and service? This is the program impact question as it

relates directly to the program mission. It was noted in the outcome summary that overall

differences in public service were not identified between the Scholars and control group.

Current Scholars

At this stage, the control group has greater community service participation when

compared to the Scholars. Nearly three-quarters of the control group (n=26, 72.2%) participates

in community service one or more hours per week. For the Scholars, 59.2% (n=29) participates

in community service one or more hours per week. There is, however, no statistically significant

evidence of an association related to program participation and volunteerism at this level

(X2=1.545, df=1, p-value=.2139).

When discussing leadership, the greatest number of current Scholars (n=8, 38.1%)

perceives that leadership involves empowering others towards a cause. A current Scholar when

defining leadership noted, “Leadership, to me, means devotion to a set goal and encouragement

of others in pursuing said goal.” Six (28.6%) perceive that being a leader is defined by being an

example to others. In this case, a current Scholar stated, “I consider leadership to be influencing

one's peers by providing an example of making a meaningful impact in one's given pursuits. I


think that my involvement in public service projects, especially tutoring, fundraising, and

managing non-profit programs does provide one example to my peers of how anyone, even a

very busy student, can use his or her time and talent to impact the community.”

Overall, a vast majority of the current Scholars perceive that they embody the program

mission at a high or high to moderate level (n=44, 89.8%)

Mid-Term Alumni

Mid-term alumni are demonstrating a greater commitment to public service when

compared to the control group. Nearly three-quarters of the mid-term alumni (n=76, 71.7%)

participates in community service one or more hours per week. For the control group, 46.2%

(n=18) participates in community service one or more hours per week. There is statistically

significant evidence of an association related to program participation and volunteerism for the

mid-term alumni (X2=8.159, df=1, p-value=.0043).

When discussing leadership, the greatest number of mid-term alumni (n=20, 44.4%)

perceives that leadership involves being an example to others. A Scholar defined this by stating,

“Leadership is living by example. It's not just doing what's right for yourself, but for others. You

have a vision and you guide others toward that vision.” Mid-term alumni also place importance

on empowering others (n=11, 24.4%). A representative comment in this area was, “The mark of

true leadership is how much one lets others be great, whether through motivation,

encouragement or simply giving others the belief and room to thrive.” The last leadership focus

for mid-term alumni was being a change agent (n=10, 22.2%) with a sample comment here being

“Leadership is about identifying solutions to problems and making sure those solutions are

implemented. I am demonstrating leadership in my professional life by being a visionary at

Palantir and helping the company implement solutions to problems.”


Overall, a vast majority of the mid-term alumni perceive that they embody the program

mission at a high or high to moderate level (n=82, 78.1%)

Mature Alumni

Similar to mid-term alumni, mature alumni are demonstrating a slightly greater

commitment to public service when compared to the control group. Nearly 70% of the mature

alumni (n=56, 68.3%) participates in community service one or more hours per week. For the

control group, 63.2% (n=24) participates in community service one or more hours per week. In

this case, there is no statistically significant evidence of an association related to program

participation and volunteerism for the mature alumni (X2=.308, df=1, p-value=.5789).

When discussing leadership, the greatest number of mature alumni (n=11, 34.4%)

perceives that leadership involves being a change agent. A Scholar defined this by stating,

“Leadership means being able to identify problems, whether in the office or in the community,

and devising and executing steps to solve those problems. To the extent the plan necessitates

organizing a team, leadership entails educating and motivating that team to carry out the plan

successfully.” Mature alumni also place importance on empowering others (n=9, 28.1%). A

representative comment in this area was defining leadership as, “The ability to serve and bring

out the best in others. Motivate, encourage, engage in constructive criticism.” The last

leadership focus for mature alumni was being an example for others (n=8, 25.0%) with a sample

comment here being “Leadership is setting an example and motivating others to accomplish a

common goal. In medicine strong leadership skills are essential in directing a team and health

care.”

Overall, a vast majority of the mature alumni perceive that they embody the program

mission at a high or high to moderate level (n=54, 65.9%).


Program Impact Summary

The program mission outlines an intent to instill “a strong dedication to leadership and public service.” At all levels, RBS are demonstrating a commitment to public service. While overall this commitment is not statistically significantly more than the control group, Scholars do have high levels of participation in public service. As was noted earlier, this dedication is greater than the general population. An additional note is that the mid-term alumni demonstrated a greater commitment to public service than their control group. In terms of leadership and public service, all program levels perceive that they embody the program mission and its intent.

Evaluation Question Three: Societal Impact

The third evaluation question was: What impacts are Scholars making at the

professional and service levels? This evaluation question is related to the societal impact the

program is making. The professional impact was referred to in the previous evaluation question

review in terms of career level attainment and how leadership is demonstrated (e.g. being an

example to others). This question review will therefore focus on the types of community service

the Scholars engage in. At the overall level, the primary engagements were in mentoring youth

and in teaching/tutoring others.

Current Scholars

There are two primary community service activities that the Scholars engage in. Similar

to the overall population, these are mentoring youth (n=18, 62.1%) and tutoring or teaching

(n=15, 51.7%). As a note, on the survey question related to this area, respondents selected all

community service areas that they are engaged in. While these two areas represent the greatest

service areas for the control group, the participation levels are lower: mentoring youth (n=12,

33.3%) and tutoring or teaching (n=8, 22.2%). Table 11 compares the community service areas

for the current Scholars and their control group.


Table 11: Community service participation for current Scholars and their control group RBS Control Group Difference Be an usher, greeter, or minister 6.9% 5.6% 1.3% Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams 3.4% 2.8% 0.6% Collect, make, or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods 6.9% 13.9% -7.0% Collect, prepare, distribute or serve food 13.8% 16.7% -2.9% Counseling, medical, fire/EMS, or protective services 10.3% 5.6% 4.7% Fundraise or sell items to raise money 13.8% 13.9% -0.1% General labor or transportation 0.0% 5.6% -5.6% General office services 10.3% 2.8% 7.5% Mentor youth 62.1% 33.3% 28.8% Music, performance, or other artistic activities 13.8% 11.1% 2.7% Professional or management assistance 10.3% 2.8% 7.5% Tutor or teach 51.7% 22.2% 29.5%

Table 11 illustrates that the current Scholars have a much higher dedication to education related

community service when compared to their control group.

Mid-Term Alumni

Continuing the trend demonstrated by current Scholars, there are two primary community

service activities that mid-term alumni engage in. These are mentoring youth (n=43, 56.6%) and

tutoring or teaching (n=35, 46.1%). As a note, on the survey question related to this area,

respondents selected all community service areas that they are engaged in. While these two areas

represent the greatest service areas for the control group, the participation levels are lower:

mentoring youth (n=9, 50.0%) and tutoring or teaching (n=5, 27.8%). Because of the low

number that responded to this question in the mid-term alumni control group, it was decided that

including this table would be misleading. The trend, however, is similar in that mid-term alumni

participate in education related community service at greater levels than their peers.

Mature Alumni

There is a diversification of community service activities among mature alumni. While

mentoring youth (n=24, 42.9%) was still a primary activity, the next most active community

service area was professional or management assistance (n=14, 25.0%). This may signify that as


Scholars advance in their career there is a desire to advance others. This is not tutoring or

teaching youth but still involves a form of tutoring or teaching. For the control group, the two top

service areas are mentoring youth (n=10, 41.7%) and distributing clothing or goods (n=9,

37.5%). Like the mid-term alumni control group, because of the low number that responded to

this question in the mature alumni control group, it was decided that including a table that

displays percentages would be misleading. The trend, however, is similar in that mature alumni

participate in education related community service at greater levels than their peers. The type of

education assistance, however, evolves for the mature alumni.

Societal Impact Summary

Consistent among the current Scholars, mid-term alumni, and mature alumni is a dedication to public service that is related to education. Mentoring youth is an important public service for all RBS program levels. Tutoring or teaching is important at the current Scholar and mid-term alumni levels. The tutoring or teaching service evolves for mature alumni and likely matches the advancement in their careers. Mature alumni engage more in professional or management assistance rather than tutoring or teaching. The important factor, however, is that the societal impact is still education related.

Recommendations

An implicit evaluation question that is essentially included in any program evaluation is

“What changes should be considered to improve the program.” The recommendations listed here

are ones the RBSP can consider to advance its efforts. The recommendations should be

considered within the context of the overall understanding the program personnel have of

available resources and intended goals. The most critical caveat related to these

recommendations is that they do not suggest significant program weaknesses. All feedback

indicates the RBSP is highly successful. These are, instead, areas to consider that may strengthen

the program.


Increase Operationalization of Program Outputs/Outcomes: Program stakeholders can work

to make more clear the program outputs and outcomes. For example, a program goal is Scholars

that have a dedication to public service. Stakeholders may be able to better define what this looks

like. The program could state as an objective such as, “90% or more of active Scholars will

complete one or more community service projects on an annual basis.” For alumni, an objective

might be, “On an annual basis, 75% or more of alumni Scholars will donate to the program or

serve as a RBSP mentor.” These specific statements are not recommendations on objectives the

program should have. They are, instead, examples of what the program can develop. This would

have multiple benefits. It would first enable program stakeholders to more specifically

communicate the intended program outcomes. It would also enable program stakeholders to

ensure that all program resources are being allocated towards the accomplishment of intended

outcomes. Lastly, it would better enable the program to benchmark performance. The logic

model included in this report in Figure 1 is a step towards completing this. It is likely, however,

that this can be improved with specific and measureable outputs and outcomes.

Consider Adjustments to Leadership Training: There is a dichotomy in the feedback from the

Scholars and their perceptions on what has developed their leadership. There is evidence that the

Scholars embody what the program is trying to develop related to leaders with a focus on

service. Open-ended question responses sometimes directly relate to what was learned at events

such as the Triennial Leadership Conference. When asked, however, to identify influential

sources on the development of their leadership styles, Scholars most often cite former

supervisors rather than RBSP representatives. This may not be an issue for program stakeholders

as there is evidence that the Scholars embody what the program is trying to develop in its

leaders. This may, however, represent a possible improvement area so that the training the


program does provide is more impactful and becomes more relevant in the minds of the Scholars

when they are forming their identities as leaders.

Consider Mentorship Improvements: Similar to the dichotomy related to leadership, there is a

similar issue related to mentors. While mentors are generally referred to positively in various

areas, more than 20% are uncertain on whether they actually have a mentor and 40% state they

do not have a mentor. Mentors also are not utilized as a resource at high levels for internship site

identifications, graduate school references, employment references or other areas where a mentor

may serve as a positive resource. This may represent a program component that can be

strengthened so that mentors are more consistently used as resources.

Public Service Emphasis: The Scholar dedication to public service is reflected in the data.

Scholars, for example, volunteer at rates approximately 40% higher than the rate for blacks and

African Americans in the US. The Scholar dedication to public service is not, however,

consistently greater than the control group. RBSP appears to maintain the dedication the Scholars

have to public service. There is not, however, strong evidence that it increases public service

dedication beyond what Scholars had when entering the program. If program stakeholders

perceive that maintaining this dedication fulfills the program mission, no changes would be

necessary. It is an area, however, where improvements may be possible. Related to this

recommendation, only 47.9% of the Scholars perceive that RBSP makes it easier for them to

identify impactful service opportunities.

Strengthen Program Documentation: While RBSP appears to document the standard areas

that would inform on program success (e.g. graduation rates), there may be other areas that the

program can document that would magnify the communication on program success. This is

related to the operationalization recommendation. As specific areas are identified, this is data


that can be tracked by the program. An example may be a database of dissertation topics so that

Scholar academic success can be tracked and shared with appropriate audiences. This, again, is

not a recommendation that the program should track dissertations. It is, instead, a

recommendation that the program identify areas that can be tracked so that program success can

be communicated to appropriate audiences.

Consider Data Sharing: There is a vast amount of quantitative and qualitative data associated

with this study that may enable further research. RBSP can consider sharing this data with

sources such as the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research based at the

University of Michigan. Making this data available to a wider audience, after appropriate review

to ensure Scholar confidentiality is maintained, may enable the production of valuable studies on

program effectiveness. If this is considered, program stakeholders need to ensure that they have

all required consents from the Scholars.

Review Full Evaluation Databook: There is a great deal of data available from the Scholars on

their program perceptions. The report itself includes the overall summarized information based

on evaluative judgments on what was relevant to include. There may be additional information

that program planners can utilize to improve program outcomes. The stories provided by

Scholars which were too numerous to include in this report may shed light on possible program

improvements areas or provide content for program marketing materials.

It is important to again stress that these recommendations are not critical intervention

areas. The data supports the success of the program. These are presented as areas the program

can consider as possible program improvement or enhancement areas.

Summary

To me, public service is leadership combined with a commitment to the needs of your community. For myself, I hope to stay dedicated to service through transforming this country's


health care system so that it promotes health and wellness. My passion is providing comfort, hope, and empowerment to others. My truth has always been that my skill sets and interests would lend themselves to a difficult but rewarding career in medicine. My vision is to become a doctor who helps individuals with no other means of support or recovery. The needs of my community can be seen through the health disparities that are still prevalent in this country and fact that quality/accessibility of care seems to be dependent on socioeconomic status, race, and veteran status.

The above quote by a mid-term alumnus was selected as it summarizes the mission of the

RBSP in the words of a Scholar. This is an example of a Scholar that is demonstrating leadership

through service. This is a Scholar that aspires to be a leader in the medical field. The question is

whether this exemplar is limited to a few Scholars or extends to the full Scholar population. The

further question is how the program encourages the ability for Scholars to demonstrate this

commitment.

The evidence suggests that the outcomes of the program are being achieved. The program

is lowering student loan debt burden. This is important as debt has been associated with stress

and worse physical health and worse self-reported health (Drentea & Lavrakas, 2000). The

program facilitates a vast array of experiences that support student academic growth such as

undergraduate research experiences and internships. This has led to a remarkably high

graduation rate of over 98%. Scholars are also demonstrating that they are attaining higher career

levels when compared to their control groups. Related to public service dedication, Scholars

participate in community service at much higher levels than the general society. Finally, Scholars

perceive that they embody mission of RBSP in their dedication to leadership and service.

Recommendations were forwarded for the program stakeholders to consider. These

recommendations were forwarded with the intent to strengthen an already strong program. There

are no currently critical areas that require significant program interventions.


Perhaps most telling is that the evidence suggests that program impacts increase over

time in all impact areas. There are few differences between current Scholars and their control

group. The differences become evident over time as trends suggest that mid-term alumni have

careers advancing more quickly than their peers and mature alumni have surpassed their peers in

leadership positions. As the quote that began this section demonstrates, the Ron Brown Scholar

Program is impactful in developing leaders with a dedication to public service.


I had reached a rough point. Not having done so well in Physics class I thought, maybe medical school was not for me. I called Vanessa and asked for contact information of other RBS alumni who had majored in sciences or were pursing medicine. I called, these initial strangers at random. They encouraged me to not give up and not let one class determine whether I was going to go to medical school.

--2003 Scholar

When I arrived at Stanford, I was excited to meet so many new people. A stranger found me in a crowd while I was sitting with my dorm and hugged me as if she'd known me forever. I was taken aback but went along with it. She was smiling and asked me how my first few days at Stanford had been. A few minutes later she introduced herself as Naomi, an RBS who was a senior at the time. This was not my last meeting with Naomi-- she encouraged me to join Stanford Black Scientists and Engineers, a group she served as President that year. I became extremely involved and found a great community of academic, social, and extracurricular support from that group, including an internship offer my sophomore year. I later served in leadership for two years in SBSE and learned so much from being in that group, all thanks to Naomi.

--2008 Scholar

I would say the MAIN way (and there are many ways) that RBSP has impacted me is giving me the feeling of being a part of something greater - not being alone in my pursuit for excellence. Having a family of people that I can count on and feel close kinship to. Knowing that there will be younger scholars that I can mentor and help to be better versions of themselves.

--2007 Scholar

The way in which the RBSP supports me combined with the tenets upon which the program was founded both encouraged me to participate in an after-school program tutoring minority youth.

--2011 Scholar

The Ron Brown Scholar Program has brought these remarkable young people in touch with each other in the hope that together they will strengthen and encourage each other and work together for the rest of their lives to change the world. These young people are inspirational. They let all of us know that there is still a promise for the future.

The Honorable John C. Thomas Ron Brown Scholar Program Selection Committee

From “I Have Risen: Essays by African American Youth”

Ron Brown helped me feel confident about myself and learn that we as black people in the US have a lot to contribute. It taught me to dream big and exposed me to others who could help me realize my visions. I do not think I would be where I am today without Ron Brown. Initially, I was unaware that the Ron Brown community would become my second family, but the program strives to maintain a sense of community by uniting its alumni through reunions and leadership conferences. Consequently, the program is more than just financial support; it is a lifetime network of continuous inspiration. One of the greatest impacts of the Ron Brown program was the empowerment I felt being surrounded by so many talented African-American men and women at once. Growing up, I had always been the only minority student in my advanced courses. Unaware that I was undermining my race and myself, I had begun to associate success with wealth and privileged backgrounds. I was one of the few students at my private school on a full scholarship. I was fortunate to be in an environment of supportive teachers and challenging coursework where I could take full advantage of my primary education. However, I was also painfully aware of the discrepancies between my household and those of my peers. When my parents divorced, I watched my mother struggle to continue to provide for my younger sister and me. I found in my fellow Ron Brown scholars role models of color who would iron out my distorted perceptions of success. I also found that, upon meeting the scholars, I felt mixed emotions of humility and guilt and admiration upon hearing others stories I realized that while I had grown up sometimes lacking the amenities taken for granted by my wealthy peers at school, I was still lucky enough to have someplace to call home. RBS promoted giving back and community services, and was an immense development of my social consciousness. I am grateful to be part of this program.

--2004 Scholar


References

Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014). Volunteering in the United States—2013. Downloaded from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm.

Campbell, T.A. and Campbell, D.E. (2007). Outcomes of mentoring at-risk college students: gender and ethnic matching effects. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 15(7), 135-148.

Claman, P. (2011). Why you still haven’t gotten a job. HBR Blog Network. Downloaded from http://blogs.hbr.org/2011/09/why-you-still-havent-gotten-a/.

Dennis, J.M, Phinney, J.S. and Chuateco, L.I. (2005). The role of motivation, parental support and peer support in the academic success of ethnic minority first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development 46(3), 223-236.

Doyle, A. (n.d.). The number of job applications per opening. Downloaded from http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2013/08/18/the-number-of-job-applications-per-opening.htm.

Drentea, P., and Lavrakas, P.J. (2000). Over the limit: The association among health, race and debt. Social Science & Medicine, 50(2000), 517-529.

Fix, S., ed. (2005). I have risen: Essays by African-American youth. Ron Brown Scholar Program: Charlottesville, VA.

Fry, R. (2012, September). A record one-in-five households now owe student loan debt. Pew Research Center, Social & Demographic Trends. Downloaded from https://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Pew-Student_Debt.pdf.

Greenleaf, R.K. (1991). The servant as leader. Indianapolis, IN: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center.

Musick, M.A. and Wilson, J. (2003). Volunteering and depression: the role of psychological and social resources in different age groups. Social Science & Medicine, 56(2), 259-269.

Russell, S.H., Hancock, M.P., and McCullough, J. (2007). Benefits of undergraduate research experiences. Science, 316, 548-549.

Thoits, P.A. and Hewitt, L.N. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(June), 115-131.


Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

US Census Bureau (n.d.). TABLE 1. Employment, work experience, and earnings by age and education: Civilian noninstitutional population: United States: both sexes. Downloaded from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/earnings/call1usboth.html.


Appendix A: Evaluation Crosswalk

Evaluation Question Subquestions Data Sources (see codes below)

1 2 3

Personal Impact: To what extent are Scholars realizing or have realized their educational and career goals?

Have Scholars exceeded, met, made progress, or have not met their educational and career goals at each student and alumni level?

√ √

To what level are Scholars achieving their goals in relation to the comparison group at each student and alumni level?

√ √

Program Impact: To what level are Scholars achieving the program mission in terms of leadership and service?

Have Scholars exceeded, met, made progress, or have not met the vision program administrations have for them

√ √

To what extent are the Scholars achieving the program mission in relation to the comparison group

√ √

Societal Impact: What impacts are Scholars making at the professional and service levels?

At the individual level, what types of community service do Scholars participate in Youth Projects, Disaster Relief, Neighborhood Projects, and National or International Projects

√ √

What service participation differences are there between Scholars and the comparison group? √ √ √

What impacts do Scholars perceive they are making through their career activities? √ √

Data Sources 1) Program Documentation, 2) Stakeholder Survey(s), 3) Literature Research


Appendix B: Ron Brown Scholar Survey Results

• Please enter the requested information Mean Minimum Maximum Number of scholarship programs applied to prior to starting college including the Ron Brown Scholar Program 8.26 1 100

Number of scholarships you earned prior to starting college including the Ron Brown Scholar Program 4.11 1 50

• Please select the phrase that applies if you had NOT been selected for the Ron Brown Scholar Program Institution N % Would have definitely enrolled in college 198 80.5% Would have been likely to enroll in college 1 0.4% Would have been likely to enroll in college but not at my first-choice institution 40 16.3% Unsure whether or not I would have enrolled in college 2 0.8% Would have been less likely to enroll in college 3 1.2% Would not have enrolled in college 1 0.4% Uncertain 1 0.4%

• Please estimate the average percentage your Ron Brown Scholar Program award covered or is covering per year

your overall Cost of Attendance during your undergraduate experience. Mean Minimum Maximum

35.11% 0.0% 100%

• Please list all scholarships you earned to support your undergraduate education other than the Ron Brown Scholar Program

Scholarship Type N % National 340 61.82% Regional 74 13.45% Local 136 24.73%

• Please rate the importance level related to the following for attending college.

Very Important Somewhat Important

Somewhat Unimportant Not Important

Get a better job 209 33 2 2 85.0% 13.4% 0.8% 0.8%


191 49 3 3 77.6% 19.9% 1.2% 1.2%

Train for a specific career 98 95 36 17 39.8% 38.6% 14.6% 6.9%

Gain a general education and appreciation of ideas

180 58 6 2 73.2% 23.6% 2.4% 0.8%

Make more money 154 72 14 6 62.6% 29.3% 5.7% 2.4%

Prepare for graduate or professional school

150 71 13 12 61.0% 28.9% 5.3% 4.9%


UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

• Please enter the undergraduate institution that you attended or you are attending Institution N % Harvard University 64 26.02% Stanford University 37 15.04% Yale University 24 9.76% Massachusetts Institute of Technology 15 6.10% Princeton University 13 5.28% Duke University 10 4.07% Columbia University 8 3.25% University of Pennsylvania 7 2.85% Brown University 6 2.44% Georgetown University 4 1.63% Northwestern University 4 1.63% University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 4 1.63% Dartmouth College 3 1.22% University of Virginia 3 1.22% Vanderbilt University 3 1.22% Williams College 3 1.22% Amherst College 2 0.81% Cornell University 2 0.81% New York University 2 0.81% Smith College 2 0.81% University of Chicago 2 0.81% University of Michigan 2 0.81% Xavier University of Louisiana 2 0.81% Arizona State University 1 0.41% Biola University 1 0.41% Brigham Young University 1 0.41% Emory University 1 0.41% Florida A&M University 1 0.41% George Washington University 1 0.41% Iowa State University 1 0.41% Macalester College 1 0.41% Mississippi State University 1 0.41% Pomona College 1 0.41% Roger Williams University 1 0.41% Rose Hulman Institute of Technology 1 0.41% Southern Methodist University 1 0.41% Temple University 1 0.41% Tufts University 1 0.41% U.S. Military Academy - West Point 1 0.41% University of California, Los Angeles 1 0.41% University of Iowa 1 0.41% University of Miami 1 0.41% University of Southern California 1 0.41% University of Texas - Austin 1 0.41% Wake Forest University 1 0.41%


Institution N % Washington and Lee 1 0.41% Washington University-St. Louis 1 0.41%

Carnegie Classification N % Research Universities (Very High Research Activity) 225 91.46% Baccalaureate Colleges-Arts & Sciences 13 5.28% Research Universities (High Research Activity) 4 1.63% Doctoral/Research Universities 2 0.81% Master's Colleges and Universities (Smaller Programs) 1 0.41% Special Focus Institutions: Schools of Engineering 1 0.41%

• Please select your current student level N Percentage Freshman 19 7.7% Sophomore 12 4.9% Junior 10 4.1% Senior 9 3.7% Earned undergraduate degree 193 78.5% Did not earn undergraduate degree/No longer attending 3 1.2%

• Please select the category that BEST matches your academic major N Percentage Arts and Humanities 62 25.2% Biological Sciences 35 14.2% Business 15 6.1% Education 2 0.8% Engineering 40 16.3% Physical Sciences 5 2.0% Social Sciences 87 35.4% • Please enter the requested information

Mean Minimum Maximum Current or final cumulative GPA 3.51 2.40 4.50 Current or final major GPA 3.61 2.80 4.00 Number of semesters on institution’s Dean’s List 4.40 0 12

• Please select the level of distinction you graduated with N Percentage I am a current student 51 -- Cum Laude 43 31.9% Magna Cum Laude 17 12.6% Summa Cum Laude 8 5.9% Other honors 12 8.9% I did not receive honors 55 40.7% My institution does not designate these academic degree distinction levels. 60 --


PEER SCHOLAR SUPPORT

• Please select the number of RB Scholars who you developed friendships with who attended your undergraduate institution or a nearby institution

N Percentage 0 50 20.3% 1 31 12.6% 2 35 14.2% 3 28 11.4% 4 10 4.1% 5 or more 92 37.4% • Please select the ways your fellow RB Scholars at your or nearby institutions impacted or are impacting your

undergraduate experience (Select all that apply) (n=196) N Percentage No impact 12 6.1% Source of academic support 70 35.7% Source of personal support 134 68.4% Source of social support 163 83.2% Other: • advice for interviews • Career guidance • Friend with similar background • I am more connected with them post-undergrad in professional support • Most importantly, the RBS program helps Scholars to not have to start from

square 1 (in college and professionally). I think *this* is the value of the Program.

• my best friend to this day is RBS and went to my undergrad • Networks for building businesses • Not enrolled • Professional • Professional support • Professional support and connections • Source of mentorship, source of collaboration on various initiatives • Source of professional support • Source of professional support (internships etc.) • support around race issues • They were like family for me!

16 8.2%

• Please select the number of RB Scholars who you developed friendships with who did NOT attend your

undergraduate institution or a nearby institution N Percentage 0 27 11.0% 1 23 9.3% 2 36 14.6% 3 23 9.3% 4 13 5.3% 5 or more 124 50.4%


• Please select the ways your fellow RB Scholars that did not attend your institution impacted or are impacting your undergraduate experience (Select all that apply) (n=219)

N Percentage No impact 33 15.3% Source of academic support 49 22.7% Source of personal support 174 80.6% Other: • A best friend! • Camaraderie • Career advice and friendship • Career Support (4) • Deep personal friendship and networking • Emotional Support • Friends to stay with while travelling, friends who came to visit while I lived

in Japan • Hearing about all the great things other scholars were accomplishing was a

great motivator • Helped navigate financial aid • Inspiration to go out and make a difference • Mentorship • Motivation through seeing their example • Networking (2) • Networking, and sharing resources for career advancement • Professional • Professional connections • Professional support (3) • Professional Support - the other pillar! • Professional support and connections • Role Models • Showing me what is possible through hard work; network building; access to

information about various institutions. • social networking support • Social support (2) • Source of advice for graduate school • Source of anxiety • Source of social support (2) • Source of social support, Source of professional support

35 16.2%

• Please enter one story or experience that typifies how your fellow RB Scholars supported your undergraduate

education experience

See evaluation databook

MENTOR

• Did you have a Mentor(s) identified through the Ron Brown Scholar Program? N Percentage Yes 93 38.0% No 98 40.0% Uncertain 54 22.0%


• Please select how you were connected with your mentor(s) (Select all that apply) N Percentage RB Staff Referral 68 73.1% Identified mentor at RBS event 27 29.0% RBS Internship Supervisor 3 3.2% Researched other RB Scholars and made connection on my own 6 6.5% Researched RBS partner organizations and made connection on my own 2 2.2% Other: 10 10.8% • Please select the type of support you received from your mentor(s) N Percentage Staying in contact 66 71.0% Academic Advice 50 53.8% Career Advice 62 66.7% Personal Advice 51 54.8% Other: • Do not recall • Great friendship! • Honestly, don't just remember having lunch • My FORBS often took me to dinner for good conversation • none • Occasional contact • Rarely interact • Social Advice • The mentorship did not stick.

10 10.8%

• Please select how often you generally communicated with your mentor(s) N Percentage Once or twice during the year 59 62.8% Once a month 20 21.3% Once every couple of weeks 8 8.5% Once a week 7 7.4% • Please enter the MAIN benefit you derived in your relationship with your mentor(s) related to your

undergraduate education. See evaluation databook

PROGRAM AND CAMPUS ENGAGEMENT

• Please select the Ron Brown Scholar Program activities you participated in (Select all that apply) (n=246) N Percentage Informal social activities at my institution 142 57.7% Formal social activities 144 58.5% Formal meetings 116 47.2% Service activities directly associated with the Ron Brown Scholar Program 61 24.8% Triennial Leadership Conference 170 69.1% Program sponsored professional development activities 70 28.5% Other: • 2013 RBS Reunion • American Journey Awards and hopefully regional activities • Area meet & greets • consult meeting, dinners

20 8.1%


N Percentage • Council on African American Affairs health task force • I am not usually able to attend RBS activities. • Informal get togethers to connect with local, post-grad RBS • Informal social activities at their institution • Internship Search • I've participated in no RBS activities • Meetings among scholars at my institution • Met with fellow RB scholars in Norfolk area 2013 • Networking • none • Phone conferences • Selection Weekend and RBS Alumni Association meetings • Summer RBS Conference • worked at the Council on African American Affairs

• Please describe the Ron Brown Scholar Program activity that was most impactful or memorable during your

undergraduate education. See evaluation databook

• Please select the campus activities you participated in (n=246) N Percentage Academic Interest Group 105 42.7% Affinity Group (e.g. Ethnic Group, Religious Group, LGBT, etc.) 151 61.4% Attended an arts performance (play, art exhibit, etc.) 163 66.3% Campus Spirit Group 14 5.7% Career-related activities (e.g. resume workshop, internship fair, etc.) 126 51.2% Clubs and organizations affiliated with academic major 102 41.5% Fraternity/Sorority 50 20.3% Honors Group 43 17.5% Intercollegiate or intramural sports 64 26.0% Residence Hall Advisor/Activities 60 24.4% Student Government 42 17.1% Student Newspaper 23 9.3% Study Abroad 108 43.9% Volunteer/Service Group 166 67.5% Work with a faculty member on a research project 116 47.2% Other: 32 13.0%

• Please select how other RB Scholars impacted the campus activities you elected to participate in N Percentage High impact 17 7.7% High to moderate impact 22 9.9% Moderate impact 59 26.6% No impact 108 48.6% Uncertain 16 7.2% NA 22 --


EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Undergraduate Research Experience • Did you have an undergraduate research experience(s) during your undergraduate experience? N Percentage Yes 163 66.8% No 81 33.2% • In general, please select the sources that helped you secure an undergraduate research experience during your

undergraduate experience N Percentage College Career Center 20 12.3% Faculty Member 125 76.7% Family 4 2.5% Field Related Professional Association 8 4.9% Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program 8 4.9% Friends 24 14.7% Mentor external to Ron Brown Scholar Program 26 16.0% Newspaper 1 0.6% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 3 1.8% Ron Brown Scholar Program Alumni 5 3.1% Ron Brown Scholar Program Peers 5 3.1% Ron Brown Scholar Program Professional Staff 18 11.0% Other: • Academic programs and classes • Application and selection process • Chi Psi(Psychology Honors Association) lab tour • Cold emailing. • College admissions dept • College email list/web postings • Don't remember • Graduate student instructor • graduation requirement • I emailed researchers I was interested in. • I just applied. • Lab associated with my major - just a sign up • Major advisor • Minority student retention program • MIT has a program for students interested in research (UROP) very common

for undergrads to do research. • MIT's UROP Program • My college offered travel grants. • Networking skills the RBS taught me • Student Organization • Thesis program in my major department • Through my major's research database • Yale College Research Fellowship

23 14.1%


• Please select the alignment level of your undergraduate research experience with your educational and career goals

N Percentage High alignment 42 25.8% High to moderate alignment 53 32.5% Moderate alignment 45 27.6% Low alignment 13 8.0% No alignment 8 4.9% No opinion 2 1.2% • Please select the impact level of your undergraduate research experience on your educational and career goals N Percentage High impact 48 29.4% High to moderate impact 46 28.2% Moderate impact 43 26.4% Low impact 16 9.8% No impact 8 4.9% No opinion 2 1.2%

Internship • Did you have an internship(s) during your undergraduate experience? N Percentage Yes 180 73.8% No 64 26.2% • In general, please select the sources that helped you secure an internship during your undergraduate experience N Percentage College Career Center 78 43.3% Faculty Member 46 25.6% Family 20 11.1% Field Related Professional Association 20 11.1% Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program 13 7.2% Friends 27 15.0% Mentor External to Ron Brown Scholar Program 28 15.6% Newspaper 0 0.0% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 21 11.7% Ron Brown Scholar Program Alumni 11 6.1% Ron Brown Scholar Program Peers 9 5.0% Ron Brown Scholar Program Professional Staff 47 26.1% Other: 28 15.6%

• Please select the alignment level of your internship(s) on your educational and career goals N Percentage High alignment 70 39.1% High to moderate alignment 52 29.1% Moderate alignment 40 22.3% Low alignment 13 7.3% No alignment 3 1.7% No opinion 1 0.6%


• Please select the impact level of your internship(s) on your educational and career goals N Percentage High impact 78 43.6% High to moderate impact 52 29.1% Moderate impact 29 16.2% Low impact 17 9.5% No impact 2 1.1% No opinion 1 0.6%

Study Abroad • Did you have a study abroad experience during your undergraduate experience? N Percentage Yes 114 46.9% No 129 53.1% • Please select your study abroad program: N Percentage Home-institution based program 34 29.8% Study abroad location based program 45 39.5% Study abroad based program (e.g. Semester at Sea, CIEE, etc.) 26 22.8% Other: • American University in Cairo • Boston University Paris Internship Program • both study abroad and home based (participated in two study abroad

programs) • Community Service Project • I devised it. • I took a leave of absence to go study abroad independently. • Independent travel study • other us institutions abroad • Summer research/internship abroad

9 7.9%

• Please enter the requested information: Please enter the country(ies) where your study abroad experience occurred: Spain (21), France (16), South Africa (13), Japan (8), England (8), Mexico (7), Italy (7), Chile (6), United Kingdom (6), Germany (5), Morocco (4), Brazil (4), Ghana (4), Costa Rica (4), China (3), Argentina (3), India (3), Swaziland (2), Cuba (2), Tanzania (2), Greece (2), Peru (2), Turkey (2), Egypt (2), Nigeria (1), Colombia (1), Portugal (1), Jamaica (1), Dominican Republic (1), Botswana (1), Israel (1), Holland (1), Senegal (1), Czech Republic (1), South Korea (1), Zambia (1), Canada (1), Switzerland (1), Jordan (1), Togo (1), Malawi (1), El Salvador (1), Vietnam (1), Indonesia (1), Abu Dhabi (1), Ireland (1) Mean Minimum Maximum Please enter the total months you participated in study abroad during your undergraduate experience 4.41 1 12

• In general, please select who assisted you in identifying an appropriate study abroad experience (Select all that

apply) N Percentage College Career Center 38 33.3% Faculty Member 61 53.5% Family 10 8.8% Field Related Professional Association 5 4.4% Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program 2 1.8% Friends 43 37.7%


N Percentage Mentor External to Ron Brown Scholar Program 9 7.9% Newspaper 1 0.9% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 7 6.1% Ron Brown Scholar Program Alumni 3 2.6% Ron Brown Scholar Program Peers 3 2.6% Ron Brown Scholar Program Professional Staff 4 3.5% Other: • Campus Overseas Resource Center • College language department and study abroad coordinator • College study abroad office. • I did my own internet search to identify programs • I just made the decisions of where to go myself. • independent research • internet research • learned about it through my coursework • MIT program MISTI Mexico. • Myself • No one • Personal research • self • Study Abroad Center

15 13.2%

• Please select the alignment level of your study abroad experience with your educational and career goals N Percentage High alignment 34 29.8% High to moderate alignment 32 28.1% Moderate alignment 25 21.9% Low alignment 17 14.9% No alignment 5 4.4% No opinion 1 0.9% • Please select the impact level of your study abroad experience on your educational and career goals N Percentage High impact 42 36.8% High to moderate impact 33 28.9% Moderate impact 25 21.9% Low impact 11 9.6% No impact 3 2.6% No opinion 0 0.0%


WORK EXPERIENCE DURING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

DO NOT CONSIDER INTERNSHIPS IN THIS SECTION • Please select how often you experience or are experiencing the following financial concerns (Scale: Very often,

often, sometimes, never,) Very Often Often Sometimes Never Uncertain

Worried about having enough money for regular expenses

25 37 101 78 2

10.3% 15.2% 41.6% 32.1% 0.8% Worried about paying for college

12 17 45 167 2 4.9% 7.0% 18.5% 68.7% 0.8%

Chose not to participate in an activity due to lack of money

18 33 110 76 6

7.4% 13.6% 45.3% 31.3% 2.5% Chose not to purchase required academic materials due to their cost

10 9 55 166 3

4.1% 3.7% 22.6% 68.3% 1.2% Investigated working more hours to pay for costs

28 37 76 98 4 11.5% 15.2% 31.3% 40.3% 1.6%

• Please select the average number of hours per week you worked or are working in a paid on or off-campus

employment position during the school year. N Percentage Zero 61 25.1% 1-4 hours 45 18.5% 5-9 hours 47 19.3% 10-14 hours 59 24.3% 15-19 hours 14 5.8% 20-24 hours 9 3.7% 25-29 hours 5 2.1% More than 30 hours 3 1.2% • Please select the reason(s) you decided to obtain a paid employment position during your undergraduate

experience (n=182) N Percentage It was part of my financial-aid package 50 27.5% I needed to make money to send for my family’s expenses 34 18.7% I needed to make money for my own expenses 133 73.1% I like to work 52 28.6% The job was related to what I would like to do in my career 55 30.2% Other: • Access to mentors • Easiest money I ever made - paid to go to class and take notes for disabled

students :) • extra money helped, but was not needed • I needed to pay for flying to New York for an internship and for living there

for the summer. • I thought it would be a good experience to have. • I thought tutoring and serving as a teaching assistant would be good

experiences and valuable additions to my resume. • I wanted extra money for socializing. • I worked as a Lab/Teaching Assistant, which I love to do! • needed to pay for medical expenses

18 9.9%


N Percentage • Paid community service - I cannot recall if it was Federal Work Study that

was part of my financial aid package. • Personal accountability • Resume builder • The job I did was a benefit to the community • The job was an opportunity to expand my horizons and interact with more

people. • The job was related to personal interests. • To have additional money, but my financial needs generally were met by

financial aid and RBS funds • To plan for tuition increases • wanted to get money for general spending • In general, please select the sources that helped or are helping you obtain employment during your

undergraduate experience (n=81) N Percentage College Career Center 93 51.1% Family 8 4.4% Field Related Professional Association 13 7.1% Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program 4 2.2% Friends 53 29.1% Mentor external to the Ron Brown Scholar Program 24 13.2% Newspaper 6 3.3% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 18 9.9% Ron Brown Scholar Program Alumni 6 3.3% Ron Brown Scholar Program Peers 10 5.5% Ron Brown Scholar Program Professional Staff 13 7.1% Other: • academic department • craigslist • Department job postings, faculty recommendation • Email newsletter • existing professional relationships developed during high school • Faculty • Faculty Member • Financial aid office • I don't recall. If the opportunity that I described above was funded through

Federal Work Study, I heard about it through the relevant college office that publicized such opportunities.

• I just walked into the student store and asked if they were hiring. Luckily, they were!

• Luck • Networking • Past Professor • Professor • Professor who recommended me to be a peer tutor • Related to one of my extracurricular activities • Student government association • Work Study Office; college job site

21 11.5%


• Please select your agreement level with the following statement: Work schedules interfered or are interfering with my academic performance

N Percentage Strong agreement 6 3.3% Strong to moderate agreement 10 5.5% Moderate agreement 24 13.2% Low agreement 72 39.6% No agreement 68 37.4% Uncertain 2 1.1%

STUDY BEHAVIORS

• On average, how many hours a week did you or do you spend studying N Percentage None 2 0.8% 1-4 hours 6 2.5% 5-9 hours 21 8.7% 10-14 hours 45 18.6% 15-19 hours 52 21.5% 20-24 hours 50 20.7% 25-29 hours 29 12.0% More than 30 hours 37 15.3% • Please select the study skills you used or are using to prepare for your classes N Percentage Anxiety/Stress reduction activities 78 32.5% Download and review lecture notes 168 70.0% Participating in study groups 144 60.0% Proper allocation of study time for each course enrolled 147 61.3% Read assigned material 222 92.5% Read material associated with the course topic 113 47.1% Reading outside literature 53 22.1% Reviewing class notes 215 89.6% Test preparation/practice tests 163 67.9% Time/project management 117 48.8% Utilize a tutor 69 28.8% Visit professors/TAs during office hours 175 72.9% Other: • Exercise • I am not an undergraduate student. • I did poorly so I'm not sure if anything worked. • Perhaps worth noting that my study habits improved dramatically throughout

college... • Prayer!

5 2.1%

• If you are a current undergraduate student, how would you characterize your academic progress towards your

degree N Percentage Excellent 21 42.9% Good 18 36.7% Fair 8 16.3% Poor 1 2.0% Uncertain 1 2.0% I am not a current undergraduate student 193 --


POST-GRADUATION

• Please select the impact the Ron Brown Scholar Program had or is having on your time to earn your

undergraduate degree (i.e. did the program accelerate your time to degree) N Percentage High Impact 76 31.4% High to Moderate Impact 31 12.8% Moderate Impact 31 12.8% Low Impact 23 9.5% No Impact 54 22.3% Uncertain 27 11.2%

• Please select your time or expected to undergraduate degree N Percentage Four years or less 220 90.9% Five years 17 7.0% Six years 3 1.2% More than six years 2 0.8% • Please select your student loan burden at the time of your graduation or what you expect your student loan

burden to be N Percentage No student loan debt 148 61.2% $1-$5000 30 12.4% $5001-$10000 27 11.2% $10001-$20000 19 7.9% $20001-$30000 8 3.3% $30001-$40000 3 1.2% $40001-$50000 0 0.0% >$50001 7 2.9% • Please describe the MAIN way the Ron Brown Scholar Program impacted or is impacting your degree pursuit


GRADUATE EDUCATION

• Please select the graduate degree(s) you earned, are pursuing, or intend to pursue N Percentage Master’s 131 62.4% Doctoral (PhD or EdD) 59 28.1% MD, DO, DDS, DVM 36 17.1% JD 54 25.7% Professional Certification (e.g. Teacher’s Certificate) 14 6.7% I do not intend to pursue graduate education 34 16.2%


• Please select the category that BEST matches your academic major N Percentage Arts and Humanities 32 15.2% Biological Sciences 41 19.5% Business 41 19.5% Education 14 6.7% Engineering 20 9.5% Physical Sciences 4 1.9% Social Sciences 58 27.6%

• Have you completed or are you currently pursuing a graduate degree? N Percentage Yes 121 57.3% No 90 42.7% • Please select the amount of time that elapsed after earning your undergraduate degree and starting your first

graduate degree program N Percentage Three months or less 49 40.5% Three to Six months 1 0.8% Six to Nine months 2 1.7% Nine months to 12 months 12 9.9% More than one year 21 17.4% More than two years 36 29.8% • Please select who you consulted with to select your first graduate program N Percentage College advisor 49 40.5% College faculty member 60 49.6% Ron Brown Scholar Program Staff 25 20.7% Peer RB Scholars 36 29.8% Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program 20 16.5% Mentor External to Ron Brown Scholar Program 28 23.1% Family 58 47.9% Friends 65 53.7% Other: • Colleagues • FORBS • I always knew I would gain that degree • myself • No one • none • others in the field • Outside program • Prayer • professional colleagues • Professors at seminaries • Self • TFA partner institution • Websites

16 13.2%


• Please select who completed references for your first graduate program N Percentage College advisor 45 37.2% College faculty member 98 81.0% Ron Brown Scholar Program Staff 30 24.8% Peer RB Scholars 0 0.0% Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program 4 3.3% Mentor External to Ron Brown Scholar Program 27 22.3% Family 1 0.8% Friends 7 5.8% Other: • Boss (3) • Colleagues and Supervisors at work • Co-workers (2) • Employer (5) • Former Employers • Internship • Internship advisor from an internship secured through RBS • Outside teachers • Professional References • Supervisor from campus job • TAs • Work colleague • Work supervisor (4) • work/internship supervisors

25 20.7%

• Please enter the requested information Mean Minimum Maximum Please enter the number of graduate programs you applied to: 6.36 1 30 Please enter the number of graduate programs you were accepted to: 4.40 1 16

• Please enter the institution you elected to attend for each degree type. Leave blank if you did not pursue the

specified degree. (n=117) Number that Entered Institution Percentage Master’s 70 59.8% Doctoral (PhD or EdD) 27 23.1% MD, DO, DDS, DVM 20 17.1% JD 30 25.6% Professional Certification (e.g. Teacher’s Certificate) 4 3.4% Number that Entered Institution Percentage Entered 1 Degree Type 85 72.6% Entered 2 Degree Types 30 25.6% Entered 3 Degree Types 2 1.7% Entered 4 Degree Types 0 0.0% Entered 5 Degree Types 0 0.0%


PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT

This section is for Scholars that have completed their undergraduate education and have started their professional careers. • Please select whether you have completed your undergraduate education and have started your professional

career N Percentage Yes 164 67.8% No 78 32.2% • Did you include your Ron Brown Scholar Program experience on your resume or CV? N Percentage Yes 134 84.3% No 25 15.7% • Please select if either of the Ron Brown Scholar representatives were used as references for any employment

positions you applied for. (Select all that apply) (n=164) N Percentage Scholar Program staff person 40 24.4% Alumni Scholar 5 3.0% Mentor through the Ron Brown Scholar Program 8 4.9% RBS Partner Representatives 3 1.8% RBS Board Members 2 1.2% Other 0 0.0%

• Please rank order the sources you used to identify potential employment positions for your first professional job

search. 1 is the most important source with 12 being the least important. If you did not use a source, do not rank it.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 28 43 28 15 9 8 4 7 6 5 6 17.6% 27.0% 17.6% 9.4% 5.7% 5.0% 2.5% 4.4% 3.8% 3.1% 3.8%

College Career Center 44 23 32 15 13 8 7 5 6 4 2 27.7% 14.5% 20.1% 9.4% 8.2% 5.0% 4.4% 3.1% 3.8% 2.5% 1.3%

Field Related Professional Association

19 14 30 28 13 12 6 7 12 8 10 11.9% 8.8% 18.9% 17.6% 8.2% 7.5% 3.8% 4.4% 7.5% 5.0% 6.3%

Newspaper 0 0 2 23 21 15 11 8 14 20 45 0.0% 0.0% 1.3% 14.5% 13.2% 9.4% 6.9% 5.0% 8.8% 12.6% 28.3%

Family 7 11 6 5 34 26 17 14 10 16 13 4.4% 6.9% 3.8% 3.1% 21.4% 16.4% 10.7% 8.8% 6.3% 10.1% 8.2%

Friends 23 23 17 14 16 35 9 7 7 7 1 14.5% 14.5% 10.7% 8.8% 10.1% 22.0% 5.7% 4.4% 4.4% 4.4% 0.6%

Mentor External to Ron Brown Scholar Program

22 22 19 22 11 9 35 6 9 3 1 13.8% 13.8% 11.9% 13.8% 6.9% 5.7% 22.0% 3.8% 5.7% 1.9% 0.6%

Mentor through Ron Brown Scholar Program

6 4 6 5 9 12 17 54 16 19 11 3.8% 2.5% 3.8% 3.1% 5.7% 7.5% 10.7% 34.0% 10.1% 11.9% 6.9%

Ron Brown Scholar Program Professional Staff

9 12 8 10 11 10 19 17 51 8 4 5.7% 7.5% 5.0% 6.3% 6.9% 6.3% 11.9% 10.7% 32.1% 5.0% 2.5%

Ron Brown Scholar Program Alumni

0 5 7 10 12 14 22 15 13 59 2 0.0% 3.1% 4.4% 6.3% 7.5% 8.8% 13.8% 9.4% 8.2% 37.1% 1.3%

Ron Brown Scholar Program Peers 1 2 4 12 10 10 12 19 15 10 64 0.6% 1.3% 2.5% 7.5% 6.3% 6.3% 7.5% 11.9% 9.4% 6.3% 40.3%


• Please enter the requested information related to your first professional job search N Mean Minimum Maximum Number of companies/organizations applied to: 159 10.56 1 150 Number of interviews (count each company/organization once) 159 4.65 1 75

Number of job offers 159 1.88 1 9

• Please select the amount of time it took to you to obtain your first professional position from the time you started your job search to the time when you selected position

N Percentage 0-2 Weeks 25 15.7% 2-4 Weeks 28 17.6% 4-6 Weeks 26 16.4% 6-8 Weeks 17 10.7% 8-12 Weeks 22 13.8% 12-16 Weeks 15 9.4% 16-20 Weeks 6 3.8% 20-24 Weeks 9 5.7% More than 24 Weeks 11 6.9%

• Think about the interview(s) you had for your first professional job. Was the Ron Brown Scholar Program

directly discussed in your interview? N Percentage Yes 35 22.0% No 93 58.5% Do Not Remember 31 19.5%

• Think about the interview(s) you had for your first professional job. Did you directly or indirectly refer to

experiences you had in the Ron Brown Scholar Program during your interview? N Percentage Yes 57 35.8% No 74 46.5% Do Not Remember 28 17.6% • Please select the phrase that best represents your first professional position N Percentage My first professional job is/was directly related to my career goals 108 67.9% My first professional job is/was indirectly related to my career goals 39 24.5% My first professional job is/was not related to my career goals. It was my first offer and I needed a job 12 7.5%

• Please select the ways the Ron Brown Scholar Program has helped you to advance in your career. (Select all

that apply) (n=159) N Percentage I seek or provide advice/guidance to fellow RB Scholars 91 57.2% I have completed or am working on professional publications/presentations with fellow RB Scholars 11 6.9%

RB Scholars have helped me to identify resources for work I am doing at my organization 35 22.0%

RB Scholars have connected me with other professionals that can support my career growth 82 51.6%

RB Scholars have identified professional development opportunities I can participate in 51 32.1%

RB Scholars are a source for me to talk to when I need someone to talk to about 67 42.1%


N Percentage work problems Ron Brown Scholar Program staff provide opportunities that help advance my career 77 48.4%

My mentor supports my career development 26 16.4% While a valuable experience, the Ron Brown Scholar Program has not helped to advance my career 27 17.0%

Other: • A RB scholar forwarded my resume to HR for consideration. • As a Ron Brown Scholar at Deloitte, I've been pulled into numerous events

and professional development opportunities aimed at growing our firm’s relationship with RBS.

• Conversations with leaders of RBS (e.g. Mr. Mallory) have been very useful to me.

• Gave me opportunities to develop intellectually and build the self confidence/ capacity to dream that got me where I am today. We forget that, for those of us who are very poor, it is sometimes impossible to imagine and pursue possibilities without the tools and ability to use them.

• I am in Grad school not working • Interview • Other methods • Ron Brown Scholar Program is a prioritized recruitment pool at my

organization. • Social support • The RBS is a resource I know I can always tap into for career advice or

support

11 6.9%

The following questions relate to your full professional career • Please enter the requested information related to your career activities N Mean Minimum Maximum Number of peer-reviewed publications 59 1.17 0 9 Number of other publications 56 31.23 0 1500 Number of national conference presentations 63 2.52 0 30 Number of regional conference presentations 51 1.31 0 15 Number of other conference presentations 55 1.91 0 24 Number of patents 47 0.17 0 2 Number of copyrights 45 0.29 0 10 • Please enter other career-specific accomplishments/awards.

See evaluation databook • Please enter the career accomplishment that you are most proud of and why.



The following questions relate to your current, primary professional position

• Please select the term that best describes your career level N Percentage CEO/President 11 6.9% Upper Management 17 10.7% Middle Management 35 22.0% Workforce Member 96 60.4% • Please select the field that BEST matches your career N Percentage Business 40 25.2% Education 28 17.6% Engineering 15 9.4% Government 6 3.8% Humanities 6 3.8% Law 19 11.9% Media 9 5.7% Medicine 13 8.2% Other: • Arts • Communications • Creative Writing • Digital • Education/Management • Entertainment • Fitness • health non-profit • Hospital Administration • Information Technology • Mental Health Care • nonprofit • Not currently working full-time, just have a lot of side jobs. • Philanthropy • Philanthropy/Foundation/Nonprofit • Public Health • Public policy • Social Work • Technology • Unemployed, former government employee

23 14.5%

• Is the company you work for your personal business venture N Percentage Yes 19 11.9% No 140 88.1%

• Please select the company type N Percentage For Profit 17 89.5% Non-Profit 2 10.5%


• Please select the phrase that best describes the company status. N Percentage The company is sustainable and growing 6 31.6% The company is sustainable but not growing 1 5.3% The company is gradually developing towards sustainability 3 15.8% The company is in a start-up phase 8 42.1% The company is not currently successful but the infrastructure in in place for it to be successful 0 0.0%

The company is not currently successful and may close 1 5.3%

COMMUNITY SERVICE/VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

• Please select the average number of hours per week you participate in community service/volunteer activities N Percentage Zero 76 32.1% One hour 49 20.7% Two hours 41 17.3% Three hours 20 8.4% Four hours 13 5.5% Five hours 8 3.4% More than five 30 12.7% • Please select the type of community service/volunteer activities you participate in (n=161) N Percentage Be an usher, greeter, or minister 12 7.5% Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams 7 4.3% Collect, make, or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods 10 6.2% Collect, prepare, distribute or serve food 19 11.8% Counseling, medical, fire/EMS, or protective services 18 11.2% Fundraise or sell items to raise money 24 14.9% General labor or transportation 5 3.1% General office services 9 5.6% Mentor youth 85 52.8% Music, performance, or other artistic activities 27 16.8% Professional or management assistance 36 22.4% Ron Brown Scholar Program Activities 9 5.6% Tutor or teach 60 37.3% Other: • Alternative Winter Breaks • Board member of nonprofit • Board Service • Building, Constructing, or Repairing Homes or Buildings • Changes continuously. My sorority does lots of community service. • church activities • Clean church • Editorial work • I am a surgery resident in a county hospital based program. Basically most

all my time at work is community service. • I provide administrative assistance at a membership class at a local church. I

am also assisting the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) to develop a proceedings document from a seminar last year. This particular opportunity is a direct result of a partnership between the Center and the RBSP.

• I represent clients on a bro bono basis. I also mentor college students, law

29 18.0%


N Percentage students, and younger lawyers.

• I routinely foster under socialized cats and volunteer periodically as a dog walker at the SF SPCA

• I volunteered in Mexico for 2013 summer for 3 months in a hospital. I also am on a club that host community service activities a few times a semester.

• I work in social sector full time so my engagement outside work is by project basis not weekly

• I'm a board member of several national foundations • Judge youth speech and debate competitions • Lead a social theory/restorative justice discussion group at a prison near

Detroit • Lead church groups • Leadership responsibilities in lay Buddhist organization; serve on nonprofit

boards • Legal Aid • Legal help • Mentor other seminary students, work with refugees • museum tours • Outreach and support to struggling individuals • Provide pro bono legal services • Soul-winning • various Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority service projects • Volunteer at retirement community • Please enter the MAIN way the Ron Brown Scholar Program impacted your participation in service related

activities

See evaluation databook • Of your overall income, please select the percentage of your annual salary you donate to charitable causes N Percentage I am a current student and do not have disposable income to donate 65 -- 0%-1% 49 28.3% 2%-4% 73 42.2% 5%-9% 24 13.9% 10% or more 27 15.6% • Please select what motivates you to donate to charitable organizations (n=173) N Percentage I am a current student and do not have disposable income to donate 65 -- Compassion for those in need 110 63.6% Helping a cause that I believe in 134 77.5% Wanting to contribute to the community 116 67.1% Income tax credit 32 18.5% Other: • Ability to participate in interesting events/opportunities. • At least show intent • Christian values - Tithing • Church • Doing what I believe God wishes for me to do • Even though I am a student, I still contribute to RBSP • faith

23 13.3%


N Percentage • I endeavor to tithe to my church. • I just started working, and I plan on being a significant supporter for my

parents' expenses. Thus, I am currently not donating any amount to charitable organizations.

• I still give at church or to the homeless when I can • I was the beneficiary of such donations; it behooves me to do my part. • I'm a resident and do not have disposable income to donate • I've spent a lot of times with non-profits and at times have been frustrated

with those that are less effective. When I find an effective one dedicated to a cause in which I believe, it is imperative that I donate

• Other • Past membership in organizations • Religious beliefs • Religious tithes • Remembering where I came from • supporting alma mater • Supporting folks who helped me • Supporting friends • wanting to give back to God

• Please select barriers to your giving or giving more to charitable organizations (n=238) N Percentage Do not have disposable income 158 66.4% Satisfied with the amounts that I currently contribute 53 22.3% I prefer to donate time rather than funds 23 9.7% Do not believe money is used efficiently 12 5.0% Cannot identify a cause to donate to 3 1.3% Other: • As a graduate student and full-time freelance writer (up until recently),

income fluctuated too much to donate regularly • Attempting to save money for expected graduate expenses. • Disposable income is tight, also focused on managing budget • Don't always have money to spare due to family or personal ventures • Getting money from India to the US • Getting ready to actively manage my contributions • Haven't given it much thought • Helping to support family members • I am currently unemployed but I was generally satisfied with my giving

when I was employed. • I don't have any excuse! I need to donate more. • I don't have much disposable income • I don't make much. • I increase my giving each year as my salary increases. • I want to donate more, but I also believe that time is valuable as well • I'll donate more when I make more. • Limited income • Minimal disposable income • no stable income, but I give what I can • none • Personal Debt • Some projects I give more time to than money, because volunteers are

needed.

25 10.5%


N Percentage • Time is the biggest barrier • working at an early stage startup and getting paid just enough to pay my

bills/eat • Would like to have more to give more

• Please list the organizations that you consistently contribute time to

1990 Lex Productions 360Church Berkeley 504ward 826LA African American Fraternal and Sorrel Association African Student Association Akansha Foundation Alpha Kappa Alpha Alternative Winter Break Appalachia Regional Conference Center Aqua Cherry Arbor Free Clinic Arcus Center for Social Justice Barch High School mentoring program Beacon Center for Self-Directed Learning Before school I dedicated my time to Memphis City Schools "Our Children Our Future" Program Bethel World Outreach Church Beyt Tikkun Big Brothers Big Sisters (2) Biochemistry Department at Southern Methodist Univ. Blue Ridge Church of Christ Boston Debate League Breaking Walls non-profit Brown University Carl Brandon Association Cat Town Oakland Chesapeake girls' conference Chi Alpha Student Ministries Berkeley Chicago Volunteer Doulas Christian Outreach Center Church (4) Citizenship Tutoring Committee Clinton Foundation Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation College Democrats College Park Church of Christ Communion and Liberation Covenant Christian Church Crimson Care Collaborative Daniel Murphy Scholarship Program Delaware Museum of Natural History Delta Fresh Foods Network Democratic Party Disiac (Dance Company) Durocher Service Development Program Engaged Learning at SMU Fellowship Baptist Church Fenway Institute


Frisco Family Services Gates Millennium Scholars Program Goodwill Greater Homewood Community Corporation GridAlternatives Habitat for Humanity (2) Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals Harlem Children's Zone Harvard Harvard BLSA Harvard Chess Club Hattiloo Theatre Headwaters Education Foundation Healers' Circle Healthy Food Hub HHS Tutoring Hidden Genius Project Higher Achievement (2) Homejoy Foundation Horizons Foundation Independent Art Projects Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program Inspiring Body of Christ Church International Rescue Committee Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Jackie Robinson Foundation Jhared Thomas Memorial Scholarship, John Tyler Class of 2001 Kappa Alpha Psi Lark Play Development Center Larkin Street Youth Services Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Local church Local Food Bank Make A Wish Foundation Management Leadership for Tomorrow Marin Academy Metro Hope Church Michael Phelps Foundation Milken Foundation Minds Matter of Cleveland Misc. Tutoring Mother Mt. Sinai Hospital Mumbai Women in Film and Television My High School My University NAACP National Women's Studies Association New Hope Covenant Church Non-Profit Organizations Clinic at Yale One Community Church One Montgomery Open Table Nashville Organizations serving LGBTQ youth (Ruth Ellis Center, Ali Forney Center) Paradise Community Center Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.


Physician Scientist Training Program Pilgrim Chapel M.B. Church Prep for Prep Princeton Theological Seminary Project No One Leaves Project String Training Educational Program (STEP) Project Touchdown Berkeley Providence Schools Ravenswood Reads Read Between the Minds RefugeeOne RI Free Clinic Ron Brown Scholar Alumni Association (2) Ron Brown Scholar Program (46) San Francisco 49ers Academy San Francisco Food Bank San Jose Taiko Scott & White Foundation SLC Film Center So What Else Society of Black Scientists and Engineers Soka Gakkai International-USA (lay Buddhist organization) St Mary’s Episcopal Church St Stephens Episcopal Church St. Edward's School Stanford African Students Association Stanford University (2) Stanford Women's Club Lacrosse Team Student for Equal Opportunity in Medicine (Mt. Sinai) Student Government Sundance Teach For America The College Initiative The Hidden Genius Project (2) The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Alumni Association of Northern California The Miracle Foundation (India) The San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Trinity Episcopal Church Trinity United Church UCSF mentorship program Ujamaa House (Stanford African American themed dorm) Ulysses S. Grant Foundation United Way (3) University of Virginia University of Virginia School of Law, Law School Foundation (Class Agent) University of Virginia Young Alumni Council (2009-12) Urban Resources Initiative Vineyard Church Vista Church Washington University Resident/Fellows Diversity Program Mentorship WomanHOOD Project Yale FLIP Yale Wrestling You Belong Sports Camps Young Leadership Council (YLC) Young People For (YP4)


Young Professionals Community Group Young Veterans

• Please list the organizations that you consistently contribute funds to

360Church Berkeley A Better Chance Alvin Ailey Dance American Diabetes Association Amherst College Aqua Cherry ArtsWave Bethel World Outreach Church Beyt Tikkun Beza International Big Brothers Big Sisters (2) Bill & Melinda Gates Bird Street Community Center Blessed 26 Mentor Organization (New Orleans) Blocks Together Blue Ridge Church of Christ Breaking Walls non profit Breakthrough New Haven Brown University Calvert Hall High School Camp Winnarainbow Campus Crusade Ministries Cat Town Oakland Chicago Freedom School Children's Scholarship Fund Church (18) City at Peace City Harvest City Year New York Clean ACWA (time) Clinton Foundation College alma mater College Park Church of Christ Columbia University/Law School Communion and Liberation Compassion International Crisis Ministry of Trenton and Princeton CRS Davis-Putter Scholarship De La Salle Academy Debate Mate USA Define American Diaspora African Women's Network Doctors Beyond Boarders (2) Dream Big! Duke University (2) Ebony Scholars Elementary Institute of Science Emory Fellowship Energy for Opportunity English Language Institute China Episcopal Academy


Ever Increasing Faith Ministries First Defense Legal Aid Food Bank for NYC Frisco Education Foundation Fund for Community Progress Fund for my graduate school Fund for my undergraduate university GiveWell (2) Goodwill Grace Outreach Center Greater Harvard Church of God in Christ Greater Homewood Community Corporation Habitat for Humanity Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals Harvard (6) Higher Achievement Homeless population of Hampton Roads Honduras Children's Project Horizons Foundation Housing Works Human Rights First Independent Art Projects via. Kickstarter Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program International Justice Mission InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Iowa State University Jackie Robinson Foundation Jackson State University Alumni Association - Hattiesburg Chapter scholarship Jhared Thomas Memorial Scholarship, John Tyler Class of 2001 Junior Achievement KERA KQED Lake Forest Academy Lark Larkin Street Youth Services Local nonprofits Marin Academy Maryland Food Bank Massachusetts Institute of Technology Meals on Wheels Milken Foundation MIT Track and Field My college alma mater My High School My high school alma mater My University NAACP National Outdoor Leadership Program New Hope Covenant Church NJ SEEDS NOLS Not Another Child (feeding hungry children) NPR (3) One Community Church Opportunity Village Organizations serving LGBTQ youth (Ruth Ellis Center, Ali Forney Center)


Organizing for Action Partners in Health (3) People For the American Way Foundation Personal contacts needing assistance for health costs Phi Beta Epsilon (Fraternity) Phillips Academy Andover Polytechnic School Pomona College Prep for Prep (3) Princeton University (3) Ron Brown Scholar Program (94) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Salvation Army San Jose Taiko Save the Children Scott & White Foundation Sheffield Family Life Center Sierra Club SLC Film Center Smile Train So What Else Sojourners Soka Gakkai International-USA (lay Buddhist organization) Spare Change Sponsors for Educational Opportunity St Christopher’s School St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation St. Jude's Children's Hospital (2) Stanford University (9) Summit Country Day Sundance Teach For America The Agnes Irwin School The Bailey House The Brentwood School The Brooklyn Tabernacle The Miracle Foundation The Red Cross (2) The University of Chicago Toys for Tots Trinity Episcopal Church Trinity School Ulysses S. Grant Foundation UNICEF United Negro College Fund (2) United Way (4) University of Pennsylvania University of Virginia (2) University of Virginia School of Law, Law School Foundation Urban Resources Initiative US MWR Vanderbilt University Various Kickstarter Projects Vista Church Vitamin Angels Walker Art Center


Washington and Lee University Wat Metta Forest Monastery Wendy Davis for Texas Governor WNYC Women for Women International World Vision (3) Yale University Young Veterans

OVERALL PROGRAM IMPACT

• Please select your agreement level with the following statements

Strong Agreement

Strong to Moderate

Agreement

Moderate Agreement

Low Agreement

No Agreement

No Opinion

My program participation helped to shape my career goals

73 53 63 28 15 4

30.9% 22.5% 26.7% 11.9% 6.4% 1.7%

My professional network is more extensive because of the Ron Brown Scholar Program

133 42 36 16 8 1

56.4% 17.8% 15.3% 6.8% 3.4% 0.4%

The Ron Brown Scholar Program has made it easier for me to identify impactful service opportunities

62 51 59 38 9 17

26.3% 21.6% 25.0% 16.1% 3.8% 7.2%

• Here is the Ron Brown Program Mission: “The mission of the Ron Brown Scholar Program is to accelerate the

progress of African Americans into the mainstream of leadership in business, education, government and a wide spectrum of professions, while instilling a strong dedication to leadership and public service. Another major tenet of the Program is to create a strong family bond among Scholars and Program staff who provide a network of support and friendship their entire lives.” From your personal perspective, to what level was the program mission fulfilled or being fulfilled through you:

N Percentage High Level 112 47.5% High to Moderate Level 68 28.8% Moderate Level 41 17.4% Low Level 9 3.8% No Level 2 0.8% Uncertain 4 1.7%

• Please describe what leadership means to you and how you are demonstrating leadership in your public or

educational life.


• Please describe what public service means to you and how you are fulfilling this dedication to service.



LEADERSHIP

• Please select the leadership style the MOST closely matches your leadership style. Definitions for these leadership styles can be found here: www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm

N Percentage Autocratic leadership. 5 2.1% Bureaucratic leadership. 3 1.3% Charismatic leadership. 20 8.5% Democratic/participative leadership. 51 21.6% Laissez-faire leadership. 9 3.8% People/relations-oriented leadership. 37 15.7% Servant leadership. 45 19.1% Task-oriented leadership. 15 6.4% Transactional leadership. 2 0.8% Transformational leadership. 27 11.4% Uncertain 15 6.4% I do not identify myself as a leader 7 3.0% • Please state why you consider yourself to be this type of leader.

See evaluation databook • Please select the source(s) that were most influential in developing your leadership style (Select all that apply)

(n=229) N Percentage Mentor external to Ron Brown Scholar Program 43 18.8% Mentor through the Ron Brown Scholar Program 28 12.2% College course that included leadership training 17 7.4% Professional development external to the Ron Brown Scholar Program 41 17.9% The Triennial Leadership Conferences 29 12.7% Former Supervisors 71 31.0% Uncertain 54 23.6% Other: • campaign organizing • Christian lifestyle • College & Work Experiences • Conversations with RBSP staff, alums • Current managers, co-workers and teammates; RBSP and other friends and

family members • Direct experience through activities. • Direct experience--student government, internship, research opportunities &

other extracurriculars • Experience in various school and extracurricular leadership tasks • experience working in teams • Experiences with leadership in high school and college • Family • family upbringing • High school leadership positions • I think my parents and the confluence of my life experiences have been the

most influential • Intuition • Just my core competency - generally charismatic people are born; not made.

However, the leadership part was impacted by the RBS program. • Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America

55 24.0%


N Percentage • leadership experiences at church • leadership positions in college • Leadership Programs in High School • learning from other leaders around me • Life and professional experiences • life experience • Life Experiences • Life experiences, my unique personality • lived experience, black radical feminism, activism • Making a TON of mistakes • Many experiences during Business School, including classes and mentorship • Military Training and Experiences • Mother (2) • Mr. Mallory • My dad as a father, husband, and minister • my faith • My family • my mother • my personality and general life experiences • not sure • On campus involvement • Parents (2) • Parents, family member, and watching successful leaders • Personal experiences • Personal experiences in various organizations • Pre-college experiences • RBSP peers and alumni • Religious beliefs • Ron Brown Scholars themselves • Self-driven • Teaching and Management Experience • Teaching Experience • Trial by fire at work • upbringing • Upbringing, family • Working on ventures. • If you do not consider yourself a leader, please state your agreement level with the following statement: I see

myself as someone who makes change and/or cultivates a passion. N Percentage High agreement 4 57.1% High to moderate agreement 3 42.9% Moderate agreement 0 0.0% Low agreement 0 0.0% No agreement 0 0.0% No opinion 0 0.0% • If applicable, please state why you see yourself as someone who makes change and/or cultivates a passion. Also

provide one specific example that illustrates this.



Appendix C: Control Group Survey Results

SCHOLARSHIP BACKGROUND

• Please enter the requested information Mean Minimum Maximum Number of scholarship programs applied to prior to starting college 11.6 0 100 Number of scholarships you earned prior to starting college 4.3 0 34

• Please estimate the average percentage the scholarships you earned covered or are covering per year your overall Cost of Attendance during your undergraduate experience.

Mean Minimum Maximum 50.1% 0% 100%

• Please list all scholarships you earned to support your undergraduate education Scholarship Type N % National 94 49.5% Regional 20 10.5% Local 76 40.0%

• Please rate the importance level related to the following for attending college ,

Very Important Somewhat Important

Somewhat Unimportant Not Important

Get a better job 55 11 0 0 83.3% 16.7% 0.0% 0.0%


55 9 2 0 83.3% 13.6% 3.0% 0.0%

Train for a specific career 35 22 9 0 53.0% 33.3% 13.6% 0.0%

Gain a general education and appreciation of ideas

45 19 2 0 68.2% 28.8% 3.0% 0.0%

Make more money 42 20 4 0 63.6% 30.3% 6.1% 0.0%

Prepare for graduate or professional school

47 13 2 4 71.2% 19.7% 3.0% 6.1%

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

• Please enter the undergraduate institution that you attended or you are attending Institution N % Harvard University 13 19.40% Yale University 8 11.94% Stanford University 7 10.45% Princeton University 5 7.46% Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 5.97% Columbia University 3 4.48% University of Pennsylvania 3 4.48% Dartmouth College 2 2.99% Duke University 2 2.99% Johns Hopkins University 2 2.99% Brown University 1 1.49% Bucknell University 1 1.49%


Institution N % Campbell University 1 1.49% Davidson College 1 1.49% Elon University 1 1.49% Georgetown University 1 1.49% Jackson State University 1 1.49% Lehigh University 1 1.49% LeTourneau University 1 1.49% Louisiana State University 1 1.49% Rollins College 1 1.49% Swarthmore College 1 1.49% University of California-San Diego 1 1.49% University of Florida 1 1.49% University of Michigan-Flint 1 1.49% University of Texas at Austin 1 1.49% Williams College 1 1.49% Xavier University of Louisiana 1 1.49%

Carnegie Classification N % Research Universities (Very High Research Activity) 55 82.09% Baccalaureate Colleges-Arts & Sciences 5 7.46% Master's Colleges and Universities (Larger Programs) 3 4.48% Research Universities (High Research Activity) 2 2.99% Master’s Colleges and Universities (Medium Programs) 1 1.49% Master's Colleges and Universities (Smaller Programs) 1 1.49%

• Please select your current student level* N Percentage Freshman 15 13.3% Sophomore 10 8.8% Junior 11 9.7% Senior 9 8.0% Earned undergraduate degree 63 55.8% Did not earn undergraduate degree/No longer attending 5 4.4%

• Please select the category that BEST matches your academic major* N Percentage Arts and Humanities 26 23.0% Biological Sciences 15 13.3% Business 19 16.8% Education 6 5.3% Engineering 16 14.2% Physical Sciences 7 6.2% Social Sciences 24 21.2%


• Please enter the requested information Mean Minimum Maximum

Current or final cumulative GPA* 3.32 0.92 4.10 Current or final major GPA 3.55 2.40 4.00 Number of semesters on institution’s Dean’s List 3.5 0 12

• Please select the level of distinction you graduated with* N Percentage I am a current student 45 -- Cum Laude 11 17.7% Magna Cum Laude 5 8.1% Summa Cum Laude 3 4.8% Other honors 12 19.4% I did not receive honors 31 50.0% My institution does not designate these academic degree distinction levels. 6 --

MENTOR

• Did you have a Mentor(s) as an undergraduate?* N Percentage Yes 43 38.1% No 59 52.2% Uncertain 11 9.7%

• Please select how you were connected with your mentor(s) (Select all that apply)* N Percentage Referral 8 18.6% Connected with mentor at conference or similar event 4 9.3% Mentor was first an internship/employment supervisor 10 23.3% Other: Academic Advisor (2), Black Wharton Undergraduate Association, Campus Club, Scholarship Program (7), Elementary School Teacher, Event, School (7), Professor (5), Older Student, Summer Bridge, Undergraduate Academic Mentors

30 69.8%

• Please select the type of support you received from your mentor(s)* N Percentage Staying in contact 29 67.4% Academic Advice 41 95.3% Career Advice 29 67.4% Personal Advice 24 55.8% Other: Financial Advice 1 2.3% • Please select how often you generally communicated with your mentor(s) N Percentage Once or twice during the year 6 18.8% Once a month 8 25.0% Once every couple of weeks 6 18.8% Once a week 12 37.5%


PROGRAM AND CAMPUS ENGAGEMENT • Please select the campus activities you participated in (n=101)* N Percentage Academic Interest Group 36 35.6% Affinity Group (e.g. Ethnic Group, Religious Group, LGBT, etc.) 58 57.4% Attended an arts performance (play, art exhibit, etc.) 58 57.4% Campus Spirit Group 10 9.9% Career-related activities (e.g. resume workshop, internship fair, etc.) 50 49.5% Clubs and organizations affiliated with academic major 42 41.6% Fraternity/Sorority 17 16.8% Honors Group 23 22.8% Intercollegiate or intramural sports 21 20.8% Residence Hall Advisor/Activities 21 20.8% Student Government 9 8.9% Student Newspaper 5 5.0% Study Abroad 24 23.8% Volunteer/Service Group 54 53.5% Work with a faculty member on a research project 31 30.7% Other: A Cappella; Dance Troupe- dancer/choreographer; President of Fraternity; Gospel choir, photographer for campus newspaper, tae Kwan do; Job; Kusika (African & African Diaspora dance company); Manager for varsity team; Music performance groups, dance group; Musical Theater; Social Justice; Student-run political action committee; University Orchestra, Music Lessons

11 10.9%

EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Undergraduate Research Experience • Did you have an undergraduate research experience(s) during your undergraduate experience?* N Percentage Yes 55 48.7% No 58 51.3% • In general, please select the sources that helped you secure an undergraduate research experience during your

undergraduate experience* N Percentage College Career Center 14 25.5% Faculty Member 42 76.4% Family 9 16.4% Field Related Professional Association 8 14.5% Mentor 10 18.2% Friends 9 16.4% Newspaper 1 1.8% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 7 12.7% Other: Affinity group, class related, I searched the school database to find research that interested me and then emailed all associated faculty, my own ambition, myself, Research grant awarded upon admission, Research scholar programs for minorities

7 12.7%


• Please select the alignment level of your undergraduate research experience with your educational and career goals

N Percentage High alignment 13 33.3% High to moderate alignment 11 28.2% Moderate alignment 13 33.3% Low alignment 2 5.1% No alignment 0 0.0% No opinion 0 0.0% • Please select the impact level of your undergraduate research experience on your educational and career goals N Percentage High impact 13 33.3% High to moderate impact 9 23.1% Moderate impact 10 25.6% Low impact 7 17.9% No impact 0 0.0% No opinion 0 0.0%

Internship • Did you have an internship(s) during your undergraduate experience?* N Percentage Yes 64 56.6% No 49 43.4% • In general, please select the sources that helped you secure an internship during your undergraduate experience* N Percentage College Career Center 23 35.9% Faculty Member 18 28.1% Family 12 18.8% Field Related Professional Association 7 10.9% Mentor 5 7.8% Friends 14 21.9% Newspaper 2 3.1% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 9 14.1% Other: affinity group, term-time internship; Black Wharton Undergraduate Association; built into major; Company presentation on campus; Just going out and talking to organizations.; Listserv; Mandatory for my degree; my own ambition; Non-profit org, SEO; On-campus job; professor Ron Brown Networking Reception; Scholarship colleague; Scholarship Plus; Volunteer Center

15 23.4%

• Please select the alignment level of your internship(s) on your educational and career goals N Percentage High alignment 14 35.0% High to moderate alignment 10 25.0% Moderate alignment 9 22.5% Low alignment 5 12.5% No alignment 1 2.5% No opinion 1 2.5%


• Please select the impact level of your internship(s) on your educational and career goals N Percentage High impact 14 35.0% High to moderate impact 10 25.0% Moderate impact 9 22.5% Low impact 5 12.5% No impact 1 2.5% No opinion 1 2.5%

Study Abroad • Did you have a study abroad experience during your undergraduate experience?* N Percentage Yes 27 23.9% No 86 76.1% • Please select your study abroad program: N Percentage Home-institution based program 6 25.0% Study abroad location based program 8 33.3% Study abroad based program (e.g. Semester at Sea, CIEE, etc.) 4 16.7% Other: Fulbright-Hays Fellowship; Government Fulbright Hayes fellow; I did two international research internships, but not specific study abroad. One was sponsored by another US institution, and the other one I created myself by seeking out a professor at a foreign institution to sponsor me; ICLC Language Program; Johns Hopkins Intersession Study Abroad; Summer Semester at a Language institute

6 25.0%

• Please enter the requested information: Please enter the country(ies) where your study abroad experience occurred: Brazil (3), China (2), Ghana (3), Mexico, Greece, Japan (2), South Africa, United Kingdom (2), Italy, Australia, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Chile, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, Spain (2), Togo, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, Dominica Mean Minimum Maximum Please enter the total months you participated in study abroad during your undergraduate experience 3.8 1 14

• In general, please select who assisted you in identifying an appropriate study abroad experience (Select all that

apply)* N Percentage College Career Center 8 29.6% Faculty Member 13 48.1% Family 3 11.1% Field Related Professional Association 2 7.4% Mentor 3 11.1% Friends 6 22.2% Newspaper 0 0.0% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 1 3.7% Other: myself, Part of the Lombardi Scholarship, Searched programs independently, Study Abroad Office, The department that I was under identified where I would study abroad.

5 18.5%


• Please select the alignment level of your study abroad experience with your educational and career goals N Percentage High alignment 3 12.5% High to moderate alignment 8 33.3% Moderate alignment 7 29.2% Low alignment 4 16.7% No alignment 2 8.3% No opinion 0 0.0% • Please select the impact level of your study abroad experience on your educational and career goals N Percentage High impact 6 25.0% High to moderate impact 6 25.0% Moderate impact 8 33.3% Low impact 3 12.5% No impact 1 4.2% No opinion 0 0.0%

WORK EXPERIENCE DURING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

DO NOT CONSIDER INTERNSHIPS IN THIS SECTION • Please select how often you experience or are experiencing the following financial concerns (Scale: Very often,

often, sometimes, never,) Very Often Often Sometimes Never Uncertain

Worried about having enough money for regular expenses

16 11 18 21 0

24.2% 16.7% 27.3% 31.8% 0.0% Worried about paying for college

6 9 12 37 2 9.1% 13.6% 18.2% 56.1% 3.0%

Chose not to participate in an activity due to lack of money

9 12 26 17 2

13.6% 18.2% 39.4% 25.8% 3.0% Chose not to purchase required academic materials due to their cost

4 15 17 29 0

6.2% 23.1% 26.2% 44.6% 0.0% Investigated working more hours to pay for costs

16 11 18 17 4 24.2% 16.7% 27.3% 25.8% 6.1%

• Please select the average number of hours per week you worked or are working in a paid on or off-campus

employment position during the school year.* N Percentage Zero 33 29.2% 1-4 hours 11 9.7% 5-9 hours 16 14.2% 10-14 hours 18 15.9% 15-19 hours 10 8.8% 20-24 hours 11 9.7% 25-29 hours 3 2.7% More than 30 hours 11 9.7%


• Please select the reason(s) you decided to obtain a paid employment position during your undergraduate experience (n=81)*

N Percentage It was part of my financial-aid package 27 38.6% I needed to make money to send for my family’s expenses 13 16.0% I needed to make money for my own expenses 67 82.7% I like to work 18 22.2% The job was related to what I would like to do in my career 18 22.2% Other: It kept me focus and motivated to finish college, Money for tuition, normal people work. Also to gain skills to talk about during interviews, To pay for college, Wanted some extra cash for graduation

6 7.4%

• In general, please select the sources that helped or are helping you obtain employment during your

undergraduate experience (n=81)* N Percentage College Career Center 35 43.2% Faculty Member 0 0.0% Family 6 7.4% Field Related Professional Association 8 9.9% Mentor 7 8.6% Friends 25 30.9% Newspaper 4 4.9% Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 17 21.0% Other: Affinity group, Email, email listerv, Employed during high school, no one helped, On-campus job listings, Professor, Recruitment, demonstration by campus organization, Residential College Dean, Self, student job network, University Job Search Website, Writing Center at the College

15 18.5%

• Please select your agreement level with the following statement: Work schedules interfered or are interfering

with my academic performance N Percentage Strong agreement 6 12.0% Strong to moderate agreement 5 10.0% Moderate agreement 15 30.0% Low agreement 13 26.0% No agreement 11 22.0% Uncertain 0 0.0%

STUDY BEHAVIORS

• On average, how many hours a week did you or do you spend studying* N Percentage None 3 2.6% 1-4 hours 9 7.9% 5-9 hours 19 16.7% 10-14 hours 28 24.6% 15-19 hours 19 16.7% 20-24 hours 15 13.2% 25-29 hours 8 7.0% More than 30 hours 13 11.4%


• Please select the study skills you used or are using to prepare for your classes* N Percentage Anxiety/Stress reduction activities 27 24.3% Download and review lecture notes 74 66.7% Participating in study groups 56 50.5% Proper allocation of study time for each course enrolled 54 48.6% Read assigned material 95 85.6% Read material associated with the course topic 54 48.6% Reading outside literature 18 16.2% Reviewing class notes 96 86.5% Test preparation/practice tests 70 63.1% Time/project management 54 48.6% Utilize a tutor 29 26.1% Visit professors/TAs during office hours 69 62.2% Other: Study groups, Writing and editing skills 2 1.8% • If you are a current undergraduate student, how would you characterize your academic progress towards your

degree* N Percentage Excellent 14 31.8% Good 22 50.0% Fair 5 11.4% Poor 1 2.3% Uncertain 2 4.5% I am not a current undergraduate student 70 --

POST-GRADUATION

• Please select your time or expected to undergraduate degree* N Percentage Four years or less 92 80.7% Five years 15 13.2% Six years 4 3.5% More than six years 3 2.6% • Please select your student loan burden at the time of your graduation or what you expect your student loan

burden to be* N Percentage No student loan debt 49 43.0% $1-$5000 16 14.0% $5001-$10000 11 9.6% $10001-$20000 13 11.4% $20001-$30000 8 7.0% $30001-$40000 9 7.9% $40001-$50000 3 2.6% >$50001 5 4.4%


GRADUATE EDUCATION

• Please select the graduate degree(s) you earned, are pursuing, or intend to pursue* N Percentage Master’s 64 56.1% Doctoral (PhD or EdD) 26 22.8% MD, DO, DDS, DVM 19 16.7% JD 14 12.3% Professional Certification (e.g. Teacher’s Certificate) 11 9.6% I do not intend to pursue graduate education 28 24.6% • Please enter your major or intended major:

Accounting Applied Mathematics Biomedical Engineering/ Biochemistry Business Administration (4) Chemical Engineering Chemistry City Planning Civil & environmental engineering Civil Rights Computer Science Education (3) English Film Studies Biology (3) Higher Education and Administration (2) JD (5) Marketing Environmental & Engineering Management MD (2) Mechanical Engineering Public Health (3) Neurology Neuroscience Pharmacy Physics Politics Public Policy

• Please select the category that BEST matches your academic major* N Percentage Arts and Humanities 9 10.5% Biological Sciences 21 24.4% Business 14 16.3% Education 10 11.6% Engineering 6 7.0% Physical Sciences 5 5.8% Social Sciences 21 24.4%

• Have you completed or are you currently pursuing a graduate degree?* N Percentage Yes 34 39.5% No 52 60.5%


• Please select the amount of time that elapsed after earning your undergraduate degree and starting your first graduate degree program*

N Percentage Three months or less 15 44.1% Three to Six months 0 0.0% Six to Nine months 1 2.9% Nine months to 12 months 2 5.9% More than one year 3 8.8% More than two years 13 38.2% • Please select who you consulted with to select your first graduate program* N Percentage College advisor 12 35.3% College faculty member 14 41.2% Mentor 7 20.6% Family 16 47.1% Friends 11 32.4% Other: No one (5), Co-workers, Other Students 7 20.6%

• Please select who completed references for your first graduate program* N Percentage College advisor 10 29.4% College faculty member 24 70.6% Mentor 7 20.6% Family 2 5.9% Friends 7 20.6% Other: Employer (6), Co-Worker (2), Peace Corps Staff Member, Principal Investigator 10 29.4%

• Please enter the requested information* Mean Minimum Maximum Please enter the number of graduate programs you applied to: 5.6 1 25 Please enter the number of graduate programs you were accepted to: 3.3 0 11

• Please enter the institution you elected to attend for each degree type. Leave blank if you did not pursue the

specified degree. (n=20) Number that Entered Institution Percentage Master’s 12 60.0% Doctoral (PhD or EdD) 2 10.0% MD, DO, DDS, DVM 4 20.0% JD 5 25.0% Professional Certification (e.g. Teacher’s Certificate) 0 0.0% Number that Entered Institution Percentage Entered 1 Degree Type 20 100% Entered 2 Degree Types 1 5.0% Entered 3 Degree Types 0 0.0% Entered 4 Degree Types 0 0.0% Entered 5 Degree Types 0 0.0%


PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT

This section is for Scholars that have completed their undergraduate education and have started their professional careers. • Please select whether you have completed your undergraduate education and have started your professional

career* N Percentage Yes 50 43.9% No 64 56.1%

• Please rank order the sources you used to identify potential employment positions for your first professional job

search. 1 is the most important source with 12 being the least important. If you did not use a source, do not rank it.*

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Online guides (e.g. CareerBuilder) 18 13 5 6 2 4 2 36.0% 26.0% 10.0% 12.0% 4.0% 8.0% 4.0%

College Career Center 15 16 3 7 3 3 3 30.0% 32.0% 6.0% 14.0% 6.0% 6.0% 6.0%

Field Related Professional Association 4 10 16 10 7 3 0 8.0% 20.0% 32.0% 20.0% 14.0% 6.0% 0.0%

Newspaper 2 2 4 9 7 11 15 4.0% 4.0% 8.0% 18.0% 14.0% 22.0% 30.0%

Family 2 1 6 5 21 8 7 4.0% 2.0% 12.0% 10.0% 42.0% 16.0% 14.0%

Friends 2 5 8 9 6 16 4 4.0% 10.0% 16.0% 18.0% 12.0% 32.0% 8.0%

Mentor 7 3 8 4 4 5 19 14.0% 6.0% 16.0% 8.0% 8.0% 10.0% 38.0%

• Please enter the requested information related to your first professional job search* N Mean Minimum Maximum Number of companies/organizations applied to: 50 12.2 1 60 Number of interviews (count each company/organization once) 50 4.9 1 20

Number of job offers 50 2.1 1 6

• Please select the amount of time it took to you to obtain your first professional position from the time you started your job search to the time when you selected position*

N Percentage 0-2 Weeks 8 13.3% 2-4 Weeks 14 23.3% 4-6 Weeks 13 21.7% 6-8 Weeks 7 11.7% 8-12 Weeks 3 5.0% 12-16 Weeks 9 15.0% 16-20 Weeks 2 3.3% 20-24 Weeks 1 1.7% More than 24 Weeks 3 5.0%


• Please select the phrase that best represents your first professional position* N Percentage My first professional job is/was directly related to my career goals 29 58.0% My first professional job is/was indirectly related to my career goals 10 20.0% My first professional job is/was not related to my career goals. It was my first offer and I needed a job 11 22.0%

The following questions relate to your full professional career • Please enter the requested information related to your career activities* N Mean Minimum Maximum Number of peer-reviewed publications 30 2.0 0 50 Number of other publications 30 0.7 0 10 Number of national conference presentations 30 4.1 0 100 Number of regional conference presentations 30 3.7 0 75 Number of other conference presentations 30 4.0 0 100 Number of patents 30 0.4 0 10 Number of copyrights 29 0.4 0 10

The following questions relate to your current, primary professional position

• Please select the term that best describes your career level* N Percentage CEO/President 2 4.0% Upper Management 2 4.0% Middle Management 10 20.0% Workforce Member 36 72.0% • Please select the field that BEST matches your career* N Percentage Business 12 24.0% Education 7 14.0% Engineering 4 8.0% Government 7 14.0% Humanities 2 4.0% Law 4 8.0% Media 0 0.0% Medicine 7 14.0% Other: Healthcare Access, Online Services, Private Equity, Religious, Retail Production, Social Services (2) 7 14.0%

• Is the company you work for your personal business venture* N Percentage Yes 5 10.0% No 45 90.0%

• Please select the company type* N Percentage For Profit 5 100% Non-Profit 0 0.0%


COMMUNITY SERVICE/VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

• Please select the average number of hours per week you participate in community service/volunteer activities* N Percentage Zero 45 39.8% One hour 17 15.0% Two hours 14 12.4% Three hours 13 11.5% Four hours 3 2.7% Five hours 3 2.7% More than five 18 15.9%

• Please select the type of community service/volunteer activities you participate in (n=68)* N Percentage Be an usher, greeter, or minister 8 11.8% Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams 3 4.4% Collect, make, or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods 16 23.5% Collect, prepare, distribute or serve food 15 22.1% Counseling, medical, fire/EMS, or protective services 4 5.9% Fundraise or sell items to raise money 12 17.6% General labor or transportation 7 10.3% General office services 3 4.4% Mentor youth 30 44.1% Music, performance, or other artistic activities 11 16.2% Professional or management assistance 4 5.9% Tutor or teach 20 29.4% Other: Animal Care, Being a Good Person, Blood Donation, Gardening, Homeowner Association, Manager for School Varsity Sports Team, Officer at Campus Service Organization, Various Services through the NAACP, Volunteer in Schools

9 13.2%

• Of your overall income, please select the percentage of your annual salary you donate to charitable causes* N Percentage I am a current student and do not have disposable income to donate 47 -- 0%-1% 30 45.5% 2%-4% 18 27.3% 5%-9% 8 12.1% 10% or more 10 15.2% • Please select what motivates you to donate to charitable organizations (n=32) N Percentage I am a current student and do not have disposable income to donate 36 -- Compassion for those in need 18 56.3% Helping a cause that I believe in 22 68.8% Wanting to contribute to the community 16 50.0% Income tax credit 2 6.3% Other: Religion (6), Supporting organizations that helped me get to where I am 7 21.9%


• Please select barriers to your giving or giving more to charitable organizations (n=67) N Percentage Do not have disposable income 51 76.1% Satisfied with the amounts that I currently contribute 5 7.5% I prefer to donate time rather than funds 8 11.9% Do not believe money is used efficiently 5 7.5% Cannot identify a cause to donate to 4 6.0% Other: Have not really thought about contributing somewhere regularly, Heavy work travel prevents consistent giving, I would like to donate more but I am unable to, Law school debt, Student loans

6 9.0%

• Please list the organizations that you consistently contribute time to

ABADA-San Francisco Aga Khan Foundation Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Aquinas House- Catholic Association Battle of the Books Boys and Girls Club Chicago Youth Programs Church (6) Dartmouth Alliance for Children of Color East Palo Alto Middle School Empowerment 21 Girls Incorporated Girls State Habitat for Humanity Hospital Hugs for Ghana Junior Achievement Kids On the Run Michigan Youth Leadership NAACP Other misc orgs I select PCRF RCCG Living Spring Miracle Center Relay for Life Salvation Army Second Harvest Food Bank SEEDS Community Garden SNMA Teaching organization The American Red Cross The Haven Shelter The Parris Foundation The Phoenix Scholars Various Shelter in NYC Yale Black Alumina Association Yale College Council Youth Inc

• Please list the organizations that you consistently contribute funds to

African American Association Aga Khan Foundation Church (4) Compassion International


Dartmouth College Scholarship Fund Harvard University Michigan Youth Leadership New Jersey SEEDS Nuday Syria Planned Parenthood RCCG Living Spring Miracle Center Red Cross Yale Black Alumni Association ABADA-San Francisco American Cancer Society Cancer Research Girls Incorporated Stanford University Uossm World Vision Youth Inc Alpha Kappa Alpha Miami Valley School United Nations Foundation Girl Up Various Army Emergency Relief Fund Disabled American Veterans

LEADERSHIP

• Please select the leadership style the MOST closely matches your leadership style. Definitions for these

leadership styles can be found here: www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm* N Percentage Autocratic leadership. 0 0.0% Bureaucratic leadership. 2 1.8% Charismatic leadership. 1 0.9% Democratic/participative leadership. 27 23.9% Laissez-faire leadership. 4 3.5% People/relations-oriented leadership. 18 15.9% Servant leadership. 13 11.5% Task-oriented leadership. 13 11.5% Transactional leadership. 3 2.7% Transformational leadership. 14 12.4% Uncertain 9 8.0% I do not identify myself as a leader 9 8.0% • If you do not consider yourself a leader, please state your agreement level with the following statement: I see

myself as someone who makes change and/or cultivates a passion. N Percentage High agreement 0 0.0% High to moderate agreement 1 20.0% Moderate agreement 1 20.0% Low agreement 1 20.0% No agreement 1 20.0% No opinion 1 20.0%

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