St. Olaf publishes new data on activities of recent graduates

Newly published data on what St. Olaf College students who graduated in 2013 are doing in their first year away from the Hill show that 73 percent of students in the report are employed or involved in full-time service work, and another 24 percent are pursuing further education.

The newest data, available in a searchable online database, includes information on 91 percent of the Class of 2013. The information is gathered through a survey and follow-up inquiries the college makes each year to determine what graduates have gone on to do immediately after leaving St. Olaf.

Top employers of students who graduated in 2013 include Epic Systems Corporation, Target Corporation, and St. Olaf. Most students pursuing service opportunities are with Americorps, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and Teach for America.

Of students pursuing further education, 57 are enrolled in master’s degree programs, 34 in doctorate programs, and 16 in medical school.

The report on recent graduates is part of the college’s Outcomes initiative, which aims to clearly outline the return on investing in a St. Olaf education. St. Olaf has made a very public commitment to becoming the best in the country among liberal arts colleges at helping students discern their vocation — what they are called to do — and then translating that calling into an actual career that will lead to professional accomplishment, financial independence, and personal fulfillment.

The Outcomes initiative has garnered the attention of USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Hechinger Report.

What St. Olaf shares on its Outcomes page “goes way beyond other colleges,’’ President David R. Anderson told the Hechinger Report, adding that he hopes more “will be equally transparent.”