The generation gap has found its way into university-alumni relations, where a new survey says younger alums are less satisfied with their education when they enter the real world than their older counterparts.

"In addition to the usual issues involving the educational aspects of college life, younger alumni also report significantly higher levels of agitation surrounding career and work-related issues," the survey reports.

The UAF Alumni Association recently participated in the survey, which gathered information about university participation and perceptions by alumni.

Its findings were presented at the Board of Alumni meeting in September.

The Performance Enhancement Group administered the survey to alumni from colleges across the nation.

The group emailed the survey to more than 6,900 UAF email addresses the association had on file, with 5,238 turning out to be deliverable. A total of 947 alums responded.

The survey painted the university in a positive light, while also noting specific areas that needed improvement.

"The survey was pretty good," said Joe Hayes, director of the alumni association. "It let us know areas where we are doing well, and it let us know where we and the university can make improvements. I'm looking forward to making our alumni association stronger for the future."

Of the survey's results, Hayes focused on the association's need to reach out to a wider alumni base, particularly outside of Fairbanks, and forging a deeper connection with the Department of Career Services in order to help students feel more comfortable in the professional world after graduation.

"Alaska must continue to strive to connect and be relevant to alumni (especially more recent graduates)," reads the heading of one section of the survey's results report.

Hayes said the association was taken aback by the disconnect younger graduates felt between the university and the professional world.

But several students weren't surprised to hear that recent graduates didn't feel confident in their professional plans.

"I think that it's an accurate assessment," said UAF undergraduate Max Johnson, 19. "Everyone says that college will prepare you for life, but a lot of people need to get a second degree or rethink their plans in order to actually get a job."

UAF undergraduate Amy Rask, 21, expressed similar feelings.

"I'm missing practical information," she said. "I have a whole bunch of useless information. I need to be able to actually apply stuff. That's the only thing that would make me feel ready for the professional world."

Though the alumni association isn't in a position to make school flow more smoothly into the real world, Hayes said that it is pairing with Career Services to make students more aware of the opportunities available to help them transition.

Patti Richa, who works in Career Services trying to prepare students for life after graduation, said her office offers a wide-range of opportunities for students to prepare for future employment.

The programs range from practice interviews and resume writing workshops to the career expo and field-specific days that help students network with prospective employers.

"It's really interesting to me to think about where the disconnect is," Richa said. "We meet with freshman and one thing we talk about is being prepared to leave UAF."

Richa said the problem would be lessened with better marketing to the students, but she offered no concrete solutions to achieve that goal. At least one student agreed.

"Anything will help with marketing at this point," Johnson said. "People who hear about the services are interested, but everyone needs to know about them."