Did you experience any challenges or difficulties related to your professional goals following your graduation from CWU? If so, please describe:
[No]
[I've found a hard time finding good sanctuaries to work with in the US, as well as very low pay at the ones I did work for. Also I've found very limited availability of paid field research opportunities without pursuing higher degrees.]
[I loved getting this degree but was qualified for very little in the real world once I graduated. I wish there had been a focus on the application of this degree in various job sects and areas of life. It was a wonderful experience but I consider it just that, an experience, rather than a useful degree. I know that there are people who have graduated and are using this degree in real life, but they are few and far between. It is extremely difficult to continue in this field, both in terms of number of available jobs, and with regards to money. It seems you have to be independently wealthy in order to have a job in primatology.]
[No challenges or difficulties. Faculty were helpful and I feel that I was pushed to do my best!!]
[Yes. It is hard to find jobs in the field. I would like to open a sanctuary myself but it is even harder to get funding.]
[I think this question really depends upon what your goals are. I am faced with the challenge of no sanctuaries close to where we live.]
[I found graduate school to be horribly unpleasant and unfulfilling. There are no job opportunities for primatologists outside of academia.]
7. How well did your Primate Behavior & Ecology program at CWU prepare you to manage cases that required knowledge and skills in these areas?
Not well at all
Not well
Adequate
Well
Very well
a.
Thinking critically (e.g., check your and others' assumptions; consider multiple perspectives from various sources)
[0]
[1]
[1]
[3]
[2]
b.
Communications (e.g., use appropriate oral, written, and visual means for each audience; listen effectively)
[0]
[0]
[1]
[3]
[3]
c.
Quantitative reasoning (e.g., apply quantitative tools and basic computer skills to solve problems; comprehend symbolic representations)
[0]
[0]
[4]
[3]
[0]
d.
Information literacy (e.g., critically evaluate data sources; gather relevant information)
General evolutionary processes (e.g., natural selection)
[0]
[1]
[0]
[3]
[3]
m.
Knowledge of the application of evolutionary biology to primate behavior
[0]
[1]
[1]
[3]
[2]
n.
Primate husbandry & behavioral enrichment
[0]
[0]
[0]
[1]
[6]
o.
Scientific research design
[0]
[1]
[0]
[5]
[1]
p.
Statistics
[0]
[1]
[4]
[2]
[0]
q.
Knowledge of how to conduct collaborative scientific research
[0]
[2]
[1]
[3]
[1]
8.
When you consider the education you received in the PB & E major, what was the most helpful or useful to you?
[I would probably say working at CHCI. It not only gave me unique experience in husbandry and behavioral enrichment, but a better chance to help solidify what I was learning in classes. Also, the amount of relationships I came out of there with, both human and non-human.]
[the ecology aspect, how primates interact with the environments they live in.]
[Working at CHCI was the most beneficial part of my education. If I hadn't worked there, I would have gleaned very little from this program. I was attending school in between department heads. Augustin Fuentes had just left and we were kind of floating without a mentor to guide us. Margie Clark was a horrible professor and I learned very little from her, especially since she was a "fill-in" and didn't seem to know what she was doing. And I graduated right before Lori Sheeran started (I've heard that she's great). So without the knowledge I obtained from CHCI and the chimps, I feel I would have come away with very little knowledge.]
[My trip to China really helped me put everything together. Even though I didn't have the opportunity to study all aspects of primate behavior and ecology while I was there, all of the issues were seen and discussed.]
[Everything I learned for the most part was useful but I would say the most useful part of my education experience was my time spent with the chimps and what they taught me.]
[The opportunity to work with primates before graduating. Then after we graduate we have a bit of experience.]
[The general biology classes and statistics courses were the most personally useful.]
9.
What is the title of your job or vocation (whether paid or unpaid)?
[Graduate student]
[Currently not working in the primate field, but most recently I was head primate caregiver at a sanctuary in Florida specializing in neotropical primates. Now I am a legal assistant.]
[Assistant Property Manager-Commerical Real Estate]
[I am currently a Group Living Campus Counselor at a adolescent girls residential treatment center.]
[Humane Educator for an animal rights organization]
[Was in school at Oxford Brookes University until one month ago. I am just now beginning the career search.]
[Resident Manager]
10.
How often do you provide consulting services?
[Never]
[Right now, not often.]
[Never]
[I don't.]
[n/a]
[Occasionally tutor high school and early college kids in biology.]
11.
Does your job or vocation require you to use both your Primate Behavior and Ecology degree and your companion degree? If so, how?
[Not exactly at this point. Hopefully they will both be used for some sort of film in the future.]
[When I was working in sanctuaries, yes it did require the knowledge from both degrees. I really appreciated having the experience from both programs.]
[Not at all.]
[Yes, the basics of primate behavior and human culture help me to understand the girls I work with]
[My job does not require either but I use the knowledge gained from both in my work and everyday life]
[N/A right now]
[No.]
12.
Are you...?
[6] Female
[1] Male
13.
What was your approximate income last year?
[5] Less than $20,000
[2] $20,000 to $40,000
[0] $40,001 to $60,000
[0] $60,001 to $80,000
[0] $80,001 to $100,000
[0] $100,001 to $120,000
[0] $120,001 to $140,000
[0] Over $140,000
14.
What is your race or ethnicity? Please select all that apply.
[0] American Indian or Alaskan Native
[1] Asian
[0] Black or African American
[1] Hispanic / Latino
[0] Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
[7] White
15. These next few questions relate to CWU's Mission and General Education goals. How strongly do you agree that your education from CWU helped you...
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
become a responsible citizen
[0]
[0]
[2]
[2]
[3]
become a responsible steward of the earth
[0]
[0]
[2]
[2]
[3]
become a productive and enlightened (informed, good learner, insightful) individual
[0]
[0]
[1]
[4]
[2]
value different perspectives
[0]
[0]
[2]
[3]
[2]
appreciate the breadth and depth of scientific and human knowledge
[0]
[0]
[2]
[2]
[3]
increase your sense of the interconnectedness of knowledge
[0]
[0]
[1]
[2]
[4]
integrate knowledge from diverse fields to solve problems
If you have any other comments about the Primate Behavior and Ecology program at CWU please let us know.
[When I was pursuing my degree the program went through a number of faculty. This is the only problem I saw with my experience at CWU is that I never got to really work much with one professor as an advisor or mentor, I never got to know any of the three professors very well & they never got the chance to know me or how they could help me.]
[I really would have liked the opportunity for more internships and travel programs with the primate program. When I was there, there didn't seem to be any assistance with helping us to make connections and get jobs after graduation. That was extremely frustrating for a 22 year old who is starting out fresh in the world. I felt abandoned by the program that I had put so much money into as an out of state student.]
[I was very pleased with the program and thankful that I had the opportunity to pursue my degrees. It was always a dream to work with primates. At this point in time I don't know what kind of career I will have, but I will value the knowledge I gained at CWU and continue to pursue my interests through personal research.]
[I think it would be good help students exiting the program to find work in the field in some way.]
[The chimp lab component is poorly managed and shouldn't be mandatory.]
Thank you very much for your time and input to the Primate Behavior and Ecology program at CWU!
2 The entire report is available from http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/edu/careers/howell.html
3 The survey did not address the issue of ethnic diversity in primatology.
4 Courses used to assess program are taught once per year, so data are presented on an annual rather than quarterly basis.
5 Compiled from SEOI scores for courses that primarily, but not exclusively, serve PBE students: PSY 442, ANTH 313, ANTH 412, ANTH 416, ANTH 418, PRIM 220, PRIM 320, BIOL 465.
6 Each chapter in the volume is submitted for peer review following the standards of the International Journal of Primatology, http://www.wkap.nl/prod/s/DIPR
[0]
[0] American Indian or Alaskan Native