Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study ...€¦ · 1. INTRODUCTION The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is a 20-year effort sponsored by the Bill and Melinda

GMS Tracking and Longitudinal Study Final Report Cohort 3

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FOREWORD

This report summarizes data collection procedures and presents key results from the 2003-2004 round of Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Tracking and Longitudinal Study. For this study, the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) surveyed 2,333 scholarship recipients and non-recipients from Cohort 3 to obtain baseline information on their academic, professional and civic experiences. Section 1 introduces the study by providing an overview of the GMS program and the longitudinal study’s purpose. Section 2 summarizes sample design and selection procedures implemented by NORC, while Section 3 discusses weighting procedures. Section 4 describes how to generate standard errors for the dataset in order to account for design effects. The report then turns to a discussion of the key operational tasks carried out for the Year 2 study. Section 5 reviews the Web questionnaire development procedures. Section 6 details data collection, locating and tracking, and prompting procedures. Section 7 reviews data preparation procedures. Finally, Section 8 closes the report by presenting response rates and selected survey results from the Year 2, Cohort 3 GMS dataset.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction........................................................................................................... 1

2. Sample Design and Selection Procedures ......................................................... 2 2.1 Analysis of the 2002-2003 Pool of GMS Nominees ....................................................2 2.2 Sample Design for Cohort 3 Non-Recipients ..............................................................5

3. Weighting for Differences in Selection Probabilities and Unit Non-Response ....................................................................................... 6

4. Standard Errors .................................................................................................... 7

5. Instrument Development and Testing................................................................. 8 5.1 Survey Enhancements ................................................................................................8 5.2 Instrument Testing.......................................................................................................9

6. Data Collection Design and Implementation...................................................... 9 6.1 Data Collection Design..............................................................................................10 6.2 Data Security.............................................................................................................10 6.3 Locating.....................................................................................................................11 6.4 Prompting ..................................................................................................................11

6.4.1 American Indian Prompting ...........................................................................12 6.4.2 Contacts From Respondents.........................................................................13 6.4.3 Break-Offs and Partials .................................................................................14

7. Data File Preparation.......................................................................................... 15 7.1 Data Cleaning and Editing.........................................................................................15 7.2 Coding/Data Merge Procedures................................................................................15 7.3 Data File Prep ...........................................................................................................17

8. Selected Results ................................................................................................. 17


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Appendices Appendix A: Web Survey Welcome Page Appendix B: Year 2 Survey Instruments Items Appendix C: Advance Letters (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix D: Frequently Asked Questions and Web Survey Help Window Appendix E: Reminder Postcards (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix F: Postcard Follow-Up Letters (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix G: E-Mail Prompt Text (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix H: Non-Respondent Reminder Letters (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix I: Tracking and Locating Form (Cohort 1 & 2 Recipients and Non-Recipients) Appendix J: Authorization Forms (Cohort 1 & 2 Recipients and Non-Recipients)


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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 GMS Tracking and Longitudinal Study Design ........................................................... 1

Table 6.1-1 Final Response Rates for Cohort 3........................................................................... 10

Table 6.3-1 Final Unlocatables .................................................................................................... 11

Table 6.4-1 Data Collection Results by Month............................................................................. 12

Table 6.4.2-1 E-Mails Sent to GMS Study From Respondents....................................................... 13

Table 6.4.2-2 Phone Calls to GMS Study From Respondents........................................................ 14

Table 6.4.3-1 Explicit Refusals by Cohort and Population .............................................................. 15

Table 8.1.1 Recipient Response Rates by Population, Race and Sex ........................................ 17

Table 8.1.2 Non-Recipient Response Rates by Population, Race and Sex ................................ 18

Table 8.2 Percentage Distribution of Current Work Status by Population Type........................ 18

Table 8.3 Percentage Distribution of Educational Aspirations of Respondents by Population Type........................................................................................................ 19

Table 8.4 Percentage Distribution of GMS Critical to Attending College by Population Type........................................................................................................ 19

Table 8.5.1 Percentage of Respondents’ Majors in Broad Categories by Population Type........................................................................................................ 20

Table 8.5.2 Major Categories ...................................................................................................... 20

Table 8.6.1 Percentage Distribution of Parents’ Educational Attainment by Population Type – Father ......................................................................................... 21

Table 8.6.2 Percentage Distribution of Parents’ Educational Attainment by Population Type – Mother .................................................................................... 21

Table 8.7 Percentage Distribution of Reasons for Selecting Current School............................ 22


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LIST OF EXHIBITS

Exhibit 1 Population Counts for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Nominees by Scholarship Status and Race/Ethnicity ....................................................................... 2

Exhibit 2 Population Counts for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Scholars by Race/Ethnicity and Gender......................................................................................... 3

Exhibit 3 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Nominees by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status ........................................... 3

Exhibit 4 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 2 (2001-2002) GMS Nominees by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status ........................................... 3

Exhibit 5 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Non-Recipients by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status.................................... 4

Exhibit 6 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 2 (2001-2002) GMS Non-Recipients by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status.................................... 4

Exhibit 7 Population and Sample Counts for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) Non-recipients Who Made it Through the Reader Selection Process ......................... 5


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1. INTRODUCTION The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is a 20-year effort sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (hereinafter, “The Gates Foundation”) to increase minority enrollment in the nation’s colleges and universities. The program seeks to eliminate the financial barriers that prevent qualified minority applicants from attending college or staying in school to the completion of their degrees. In its inaugural year (2000), the GMS program provided scholarships to 1,430 entering freshmen, 2,406 continuing undergraduates and 217 graduate students. (This group will be referred to as “Cohort 1” for the remainder of the report.) In its second year (2001, Cohort 2) and third year (2002, Cohort 3), the program awarded scholarships to 1,000 entering freshmen and will continue to do so until 2016.

The primary purpose of the GMS Tracking and Longitudinal Study is to gather data on the life outcomes of all scholars and selected non-recipients in order to analyze the effects, both long term and short term, on the educational, civic and personal lives of selected sample members. Ultimately, The Gates Foundation wishes to generate research that will propose solutions to help improve the educational attainment and achievement of this country’s minority students.

The study design involves conducting baseline and follow-up interviews of all scholars and selected non-recipients beginning in 2002 and tracking the students between survey rounds through 2006. Table 1.1 outlines the key elements of the study design:

Table 1.1 GMS Tracking and Longitudinal Study Design

GMS Tracking and Longitudinal Study Design

DATA COLLECTION YEAR 1

12/1/01 – 11/30/02 YEAR 2 02/03

YEAR 3 03/04

YEAR 4 04/05

YEAR 5 05/06

GMS Recipients Baseline Cohort 1: 4,053 Cohort 2: 1,000

Baseline Cohort 3: 1,000

Follow-Up Cohorts 1 and 2: 5,053

Baseline Cohort 5: 1,000 Follow-Up Cohort 3: 1,000

Non-Recipients Baseline Cohort 1: 2,744 Cohort 2: 1,340

Baseline Cohort 3: 1,333

Follow-Up Cohorts 1 and 2: 4,084

Baseline Cohort 5: About 1,350 Follow-Up Cohort 3: 1,333

No New Data Collection, Tracking Continues

Total Respondents in Tracking System 9,137 11,470 12,470* 14,820 15,820*

* The total tracking figures for years 3 and 5 reflect the 1,000 GMS awardees in those respective years.


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For the Year 2 survey, NORC conducted data collection for Cohort 3 recipients and selected non-recipients. Throughout the sampling and data collection phases, NORC worked closely with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to coordinate the transfer of the names and addresses of all recipients and non-recipients. This report is a summary of all activities NORC carried out in support of the Cohort 3 survey and presents key findings from the study’s dataset.

2. SAMPLE DESIGN AND SELECTION PROCEDURES The sampling plan for Cohort 3 was developed in collaboration with the GMS Research Advisory Committee (RAC) after analysis of the UNCF data file of Cohort 3 nominees. The goal was to select a representative sample of non-recipients that would support the long-term research objectives of the GMS survey. The sample design is discussed below with respect to the Cohort 3 recipient and non-recipient populations that guided its development.

2.1 ANALYSIS OF THE 2002-2003 POOL OF GMS NOMINEES

In the third year of the scholarship program, GMS accepted nominees from one group, entering freshmen. Of those who applied to the program, a total of 2,997 made it past the preliminary screening phases and the reader selection process.

In late April of 2003, UNCF supplied NORC with a data file that included a record for each of the 2,997 nominees. The file included all information currently available in machine-readable form. In addition to contact information and race/ethnicity, it contained selection status (Select/Non-Select) and scholarship status (recipient/non-recipient) for all nominees. Gender was available for Scholars but not for non-recipients.

Examination of the file revealed that more scholarships were awarded to African Americans and Hispanic Americans than to the other racial/ethnic groups (see Exhibit 1). As in previous years, female Scholars outnumbered their male counterparts by roughly two to one in every racial/ethnic group (see Exhibit 2).

Exhibit 1 Population Counts for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Nominees by Scholarship Status and Race/Ethnicity

Population Race/Ethnicity Recipients Non-

Recipients Total

Nominees African American 360 876 1,236 American Indian 108 58 166 Asian/Pacific Islander 164 500 664 Hispanic American 368 563 931

2002-2003 Freshmen Nominees

Total 1,000 1,997 2,997


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Exhibit 2 Population Counts for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Scholars by Race/Ethnicity and Gender

Population Race/Ethnicity Males Females Total

Scholars African American 93 267 360 American Indian 37 71 108 Asian/Pacific Islander 51 113 164 Hispanic American 124 244 368

2002-2003 Freshmen Scholars

Total 305 695 1,000

Of the 2,997 nominees in the file, 1,484, or roughly 50 percent, were asked to go on to the verification/confirmation process (Selects), while 1,513 were not (Non-selects) (see Exhibit 3). Roughly 44 percent of African Americans, 58 percent of Hispanic Americans and 35 percent of Asian/Pacific Islanders made it into the Select pool. All 166 American Indians who made it past the reader selection process also made it into the Select pool. These proportions are similar to those obtained for Cohort 2 as shown in Exhibit 4.

Exhibit 3 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Nominees by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status

Population Race/Ethnicity Selects Non-Selects Total

Nominees African American 542 (43.9) 694 (56.1) 1,236 American Indian 166 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 166 Asian/Pacific Islander 234 (35.2) 430 (64.8) 664 Hispanic American 542 (58.2) 389 (41.8) 931


Total 1,484 (49.5) 1,513 (50.5) 2,997

Exhibit 4 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 2 (2001-2002) GMS Nominees by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status

Population Race/Ethnicity Selects Non-Selects Total

Nominees African American 745 (45.5) 893 (54.5) 1,638 American Indian 329 (100.0) 0 ( 0.0) 329 Asian/Pacific Islander 316 (29.4) 758 (70.6) 1,074 Hispanic American 622 (60.5) 406 (39.5) 1,028


Total 2,012 (49.4) 2,057 (50.6) 4,069


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As also shown in Exhibits 3 and 4, considerably fewer nominees made it past the reader-selection process in Cohort 3—2,997 compared to 4,069 in Cohort 2. Because 1,000 Selects were granted scholarships in each cohort, this means that the Cohort 3 population of non-recipients includes a lower proportion of Selects than the Cohort 2 population of non-recipients. That is, roughly 24 percent of non-recipients are Selects in Cohort 3 compared to 33 percent in Cohort 2 (see Exhibits 5 and 6). More importantly, the relative proportion of non-recipient Selects differs across cohorts within each racial/ethnic group, and across racial/ethnic groups within each cohort.1

Exhibit 5 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) GMS Non-Recipients by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status

Population Race/Ethnicity Selects Non-Selects Total Non-Recipients

African American 182 (20.8) 694 (79.2) 876 American Indian 58 (100.0) 0 ( 0.0) 58 Asian/Pacific Islander 70 (14.0) 430 (86.0) 500 Hispanic American 174 (30.9) 389 (69.1) 563

2002-2003 Freshmen Non-recipients

Total 484 (24.2) 1,513 (75.8) 1,997

Exhibit 6 Population Counts (and Percents) for Cohort 2 (2001-2002) GMS Non-Recipients by Race/Ethnicity and Selection Status

Population Race/Ethnicity Selects Non-Selects Total Non-Recipients

African American 395 (30.7) 893 (69.3) 1,288 American Indian 179 (100.0) 0 ( 0.0) 179 Asian/Pacific Islander 166 (18.0) 758 (82.0) 924 Hispanic American 272 (40.1) 406 (59.9) 678

2001-2002 Freshmen Non-recipients

Total 1,012 (33.0) 2,057 (67.0) 3,069

To help us better understand these differences, we asked UNCF to supply us with more information on the criteria employed for classifying a nominee as a Select. According to UNCF, the partner organizations make the final decision as to which nominees are selected to go on to the verification/confirmation process. The criteria for classifying a nominee as a Select may differ by racial/ethnic group and scholarship year, depending on the total number of qualified candidates, the number of Selects required to yield the target number of Scholars, and the distribution of non-cognitive scores within each group.

1 Similar comparisons with Cohort 1 were not possible because a different selection procedure was employed in the first year of the scholarship program. That is, all nominees who made it past the reader selection process were classified as Selects and asked to go on to the verification/confirmation process. See the Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study – Year 1 Final Report for more information on the Cohort 1 and 2 selection procedures.


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This means that a design that oversamples Selects, as was the case in Cohort 2, is likely to have a different design effect each year depending on the proportion of Selects in the non-recipient population and the proportion of Selects within each racial/ethnic group. After discussing this issue with the Research Advisory Committee (RAC), we adopted a different sample design for Cohort 3, one that is likely to yield about the same design effect from year to year for the population of non-recipients and, thus, provide estimates of comparable precision for the non-recipient population from cohort to cohort. The design for Cohort 3 is discussed below.

2.2 SAMPLE DESIGN FOR COHORT 3 NON-RECIPIENTS

As in Cohorts 1 and 2, the entire population of American Indian non-recipients (N=58) was asked to participate in the survey. For the rest of the sample, we relied on a proportionate stratified sampling procedure to select 1,275 non-recipients from the other cells of the race/ethnicity category by selection status design. The desired sample size for each cell was computed by dividing 1,275 (the total sample size for non-American Indians), by 1,939 (the number of non-American Indians in the non-recipient population) and then multiplying by the population size of the cell. This procedure yields a sample that is distributed in proportion to the population size of the cells.

Exhibit 7 shows the sample sizes and projected number of completes in each racial/ethnic group, assuming a 75 percent response rate. As in the designs for Cohorts 1 and 2, the sample within each cell of the design was drawn using a systematic sampling procedure in which the records were sorted by state and zip code of permanent residence before the sample was drawn.

Exhibit 7 Population and Sample Counts for Cohort 3 (2002-2003) Non-recipients Who Made it Through the Reader Selection Process

Population of Non-Recipients

Sample Sizes for Non-Recipients

Population Race/Ethnicity Selects

(b)

Non-Selects

(c)

Total Non-Recipients

(b + c) Selects Non-

Selects Total

Projected Number of Completes

African American 182 694 876 120 456 576 432 American Indian 58 0 58 58 0 58 43 Asian/Pacific Islander 70 430 500 47 282 329 247 Hispanic American 174 389 563 115 255 370 278

2002-2003 Freshmen Non-Recipients

Total 484 1,513 1,997 340 993 1,333 1,000


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3. WEIGHTING FOR DIFFERENCES IN SELECTION PROBABILITIES AND UNIT NON-RESPONSE At the end of the field period, NORC generated two separate sets of survey weights, one for the Scholar population, and the other one for the non-recipient population. Weights were needed for two main reasons: to compensate for differences in the selection probabilities of the non-recipient sample members, and to compensate for subgroup differences in the participation rates of the Scholar population and the non-recipient sample.

The weighting procedure for each population consisted of two steps. The first step computed a base weight for each member in the sample reflecting his or her probability (chances) of selection into the survey. In the Scholar population, each member had the same selection probability; all Scholars were asked to participate in the survey. In the non-recipient population, the selection probabilities differed across the cells of` the race/ethnicity category by selection status design. 2 All American Indians had the same selection probability. Like the Scholars, all American Indian non-recipients were asked to take part in the survey. In the other cells, sample members were selected in proportion to their representation in the population of non-American Indian non-recipients. Thus, the sampling fraction was the same across all the non-American Indian cells, as were the selection probabilities for the individual non-recipients in those cells. The base weight is simply the inverse of those selection probabilities.

The second step of the weighting procedure, applied to the Scholar and non-recipient populations, adjusted the base weights for non-response to the questionnaire within each cell of an adjustment design. The adjustment cells for each population were selected on the basis of information available in the UNCF databases. For the Scholar population, cells were defined by race/ethnicity and gender. For the non-recipient population, cells were defined by race/ethnicity and selection status (Select/Non-Select). The non-response-adjusted weight for a case was simply the base weight inflated by the inverse of the response rate for the adjustment cell for that case.

The procedure was designed to yield a set of weights for completed cases that sums to the number of Scholars or the number of non-recipients in the respective population. Similarly, the weights within each stratum of the sampling design for the Scholar and non-recipient populations were designed to sum to the population total within the cell.

2 See Section 2.2 for a description of the sample design.


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4. STANDARD ERRORS

Standard errors are the basic measure of precision associated with population estimates based on a sample of members drawn from a population. In the case of the GMS survey, sampling error or variance applies to estimates obtained from the sample of non-recipients, but not to the Scholars because the entire population was asked to take part in the survey.

Standard errors calculated by statistical software packages such as SPSS or SAS assume that the sample was drawn with a simple random sampling (SRS) procedure. This assumption is not strictly satisfied in sample surveys when the design does one of the following:

Oversamples strategically important subpopulations

Draws the sample within area or organizational units, such as Census tracts or schools (cluster sampling)

Draws the sample within strata, such as race/ethnicity

Relies on some combination of these techniques

These departures from SRS affect the sampling error in different directions, typically decreasing it with stratification but increasing it with oversampling and clustering. The net effect is quantified as a “design effect” on the variance estimate for a given point estimate.

In the case of the GMS Survey, the samples of non-recipients were drawn using a systematic sampling procedure within each stratification cell of a “Race/Ethnicity by Selection Status” design. As described in Section 2 of this report, American Indians were oversampled to ensure adequate numbers for comparison. This oversampling is likely to produce a design effect for the population estimates of non-recipients as a whole (that is, the population estimates will be less precise than those associated with a simple random sample). The stratification, on the other hand, is likely to decrease the sampling error to the extent that the non-recipients are homogeneous within each stratum but differ across strata.

The effects of this design on standard errors can be incorporated into reported results in either of two main ways. The first is to use one or a set of general correction factors as adjustments to the standard errors that are estimated assuming SRS. This has been the standard practice of analysts using data from many of the large national education sample surveys, such as High School and Beyond, National Post-Secondary Student Aid Survey, Baccalaureate and Beyond, and National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. The public documentation of these projects contains general correction factors that analysts can draw upon readily. General correction factors have not been calculated for


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the GMS survey, but The Gates Foundation may wish to consider including them in later cycles of the study.

The second method relies on specialized software packages to calculate directly the design effect-adjusted standard errors. Packages of this sort use a variety of different statistical algorithms to make the necessary adjustments—the most common of which are the Taylor Series Approximation, Balanced Repeated Replication and Jackknife Repeated Replication. As a rule, NORC projects rely on the Taylor Series Approximation method as implemented in the SUDAAN statistical software package. NORC staff are available to provide detailed guidance in the use of this package with the GMS data upon request from The Gates Foundation.

5. INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING The baseline instrument administered to Cohort 3 was a Web-based instrument with programmed skips to assist respondents in navigating through the questionnaire with ease. The survey contained the same items included in the Cohort 1 and 2 freshmen baseline instrument in order to better facilitate cross-cohort comparisons. The instrument included approximately 130 items covering the following topics:

College enrollment

Gates experiences

Work and college finances

Academic and community engagement

Respondent attitudes

Future plans and demographics

5.1 SURVEY ENHANCEMENTS

While the substantive content of the Cohort 3 baseline survey remained unchanged from the version administered to Cohort 1 and 2, NORC carried out three key enhancements to improve the functionality of the Web instrument and increase the capture of accurate data.

The first of these modifications was the addition of a zip code validator. The validator was installed into the questionnaire in order to reduce errant entries for the question capturing the zip codes where respondents lived at the time of their high school graduation. NORC observed a high rate of invalid zip code entries for the Cohorts 1 and 2 survey, which then had to be cross-checked against a list of valid zip codes, corrected, and merged back into the final Cohort 1 and 2 data files. In order to minimize this type of post data collection cleaning, the validator


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installed in the Cohort 3 instrument only allowed for valid zip codes to be entered in the survey.

The next adjustment to the Cohort 3 survey was the addition of an online Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) coding application. The Cohort 1 and 2 baseline instrument requested respondents to type in the names of their colleges and universities, which were then manually assigned an IPEDS code and merged back into the datasets. For the Cohort 3 baseline survey, NORC implemented an online IPEDS coding application that automatically assigned codes to institutions respondents selected from a drop-down list. Much like the zip code validator, this online coding process greatly reduced cleaning and coding time after data collection.

The third enhancement made to the Cohort 3 survey was to simplify the process of capturing respondents’ major and minor fields of study. Cohort 1 and 2 respondents were required to scroll through an extensive list of majors in order to select their own, which added time to the survey. In the Cohort 3 baseline instrument, NORC shortened this process by allowing respondents to select their specific concentration from a tailored list of majors generated from responses provided in an earlier question.

5.2 INSTRUMENT TESTING

The primary emphasis of instrument testing for Cohort 3 was ensuring the functionality of the new enhancements. Additional testing was done to guarantee that the entire instrument was operating smoothly and that the new modifications did not adversely affect the original baseline survey. Time-test results of the survey were satisfactory, with each test respondent receiving the appropriate skip pattern and completing the survey in approximately 35 minutes.

6. DATA COLLECTION DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION NORC collected data for Year 2 of the GMS Study from June 13, 2003, through October 15, 2003. Three principal goals guided this effort:

To obtain the highest possible degree of participation from Cohort 3 recipients and non-recipients;

To target additional efforts to contact hard-to-reach respondents; and

To obtain high-quality data from each respondent

Each of these goals contributed to the success of the second year of the project. This section describes the data collection design, overall survey response rates, data security, and locating and prompting procedures.


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6.1 DATA COLLECTION DESIGN

The design of the Cohort 3 survey followed the success of the Year 1 survey. NORC began the data collection period on June 13, 2003, with the mailing of an introductory letter to the permanent addresses (as defined in the UNCF database) of recipients and non-recipients, notifying them that they had been chosen for the study. NORC learned in the first year of the study that mailing advance letters to permanent addresses yielded far fewer returns for incorrect addresses.

NORC prepared and mailed letters through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to sample members, inviting them to participate in the study. Different texts were used for each mailing to the recipient and non-recipient populations. The recipient mailings described the study and its purpose, and provided a unique PIN and password to use in accessing the survey online. In addition to including the items in the recipient letter, the letter for the non-recipient population offered a monetary incentive of $25 upon completion of the Web-based survey. NORC followed up the advance letter mailings with a series of mail and e-mail prompts reminding sample members to complete the survey. Only 90 of the advance letters were returned by the post office for having incorrect addresses. When NORC received confirmation that sample members no longer resided at a particular location, we attempted to locate the cases. (Section 6.4 contains more details on locating procedures.)

In all contacts with recipient and non-recipient populations by mail, e-mail, and phone, we remained sensitive to the differences in each group’s relationship with the program. The language used in contacts with recipients emphasized the value of their contribution to the survey as GMS recipients, while non-recipients were encouraged to consider the social-scientific importance of their participation. Appendices C, E, F, G and H contain copies of various respondent letters.

The final response rates for the Cohort 3 are found in Table 6.1-1.

Table 6.1-1 Final Response Rates for Cohort 3

Cohort 3 2002 Freshman Recipients 89.7 percent 2002 Freshman Non-Recipients 74.9 percent

6.2 DATA SECURITY

Throughout data collection, NORC maintained its long-standing adherence to protecting respondent confidentiality and instituting stringent data security controls. To ensure confidentiality of data during the GMS data collection effort, each respondent was issued a unique PIN and password to use when accessing the instrument through the Internet. Each questionnaire was assigned a unique ID


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number, with no identifying name or address information. The Web-based instrument was launched from NORC’s secure Web server, with all appropriate firewall protection enforced. Completed questionnaires were encrypted and transmitted over a secured data line to where they were stored on NORC’s secured servers.

6.3 LOCATING

NORC undertook locating activities on the database of recipients and non-recipients throughout the entire period of data collection. NORC was aware that all cases would not have complete addresses even in the initial data file, so pre-field locating was conducted through SmartMailer. SmartMailer is an address-management software application that verifies the address elements in a mail list and assigns appropriate USPS mail delivery codes to ensure prompt and accurate mail delivery. Invalid addresses were revealed at this time and designated for more intensive locating treatments. Inaccurate addresses were sent to NORC’s locating shop, where trained personnel conducted more intensive searches using Web-based tools.

NORC continuously updated its locating database to reflect any changes in addresses obtained from any source, such as mail returned by the post office with forwarding information, as well as calls and e-mails from respondents. At the conclusion of data collection, any cases without locating information or lacking contact with the respondent were coded as “final unlocatable.” Below is a summary of final unlocatable cases by cohort and population.

Table 6.3-1 Final Unlocatables

2002 Freshman Non-Recipients 112 2002 Freshman Recipients 37 Total Final Unlocatables: 149

As part of the tracking task for this survey, NORC will continue to attempt to find unlocatable sample members and secure their participation in future rounds of the online survey.

6.4 PROMPTING

In order to boost response rates, NORC adopted a multi-modal approach to prompting that used mail, telephone and e-mail contact strategies with high rates of effectiveness. The prompting efforts, which began in June 2003, had an extremely salutary effect on response rates for this cohort, as shown in Table 6.4-1.


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NORC employed a team of trained telephone interviewers, including experts in refusal conversion, to carry out telephone prompting activities. Floor supervisors also were notified immediately of any issues requiring additional attention, such as respondents’ questions and concerns.

Table 6.4-1 Data Collection Results by Month

Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study Cohort 3 Data Collection

Number of Completes by Month

476

1431

1756

18931885

0

300

600

900

1200

1500

1800

2100

6/30/2003 7/31/2003 8/31/2003 9/30/2003 10/14/2003.

Month

Num

ber o

f com

plet

es

6.4.1 American Indian Prompting Throughout the data collection period, NORC analyzed response rates by population groups. The analysis showed that American- Indian recipients and non-recipients were lagging significantly behind other racial groups in completing the survey. The American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC), a partner organization in the GMS program, recommended that NORC contract with Joe and Carol Conner of Paradox, a consulting firm specializing in American Indian issues, to aid in prompting American Indian non-respondents. NORC staff traveled to Oklahoma to meet with the Conners and develop a plan for phone prompting. The callers hired by the Conners worked for two weeks and increased the response rate for American Indians by 2.4 percent. The partnership with the Conners was successful and will be expanded during Year 3 data collection, with


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greater attention being paid to contacts with tribal leaders and extending their prompting period.

6.4.2 Contacts From Respondents NORC provided three main avenues for respondents to offer comments or suggestions, or to ask questions about the survey: a secure e-mail address ([email protected]), a toll-free phone number and a physical mailing address. By far, the largest number of responses was received by phone.

Table 6.4.2-1 E-Mails Sent to GMS Study From Respondents

Issue Counts PIN/Password Issues 71 PIN Already in Use (Two-Hour Delay) 42 Already Completed/Was Survey Received 50 Survey Issues (General) 33 Specific Questions Regarding Survey 5 Comments on Survey 1 Cannot Open Web Site 13 Want Money 9 Other 14

A total of 238 e-mails were received from respondents. Nearly half of these (113) concerned access to the survey using the personalized PIN and password assigned to each participant. Two issues predominated with regard to the PIN and passwords: Either the respondent lost his or her PIN or password, or the respondent was unaware that he or she must wait one to two hours to log back onto the survey after logging off.

Another 33 e-mails were received informing NORC of problems with the instrument. The majority of these were the result of a server error that was quickly corrected, and respondents were notified immediately of the adjustment.

In addition, 50 e-mails were received in which respondents told NORC that they believed they had already completed the survey. An additional 13 emails concerned people unable to get into the survey for unknown reasons. (The latter group was responded to with an e-mail containing a direct link to the survey; most did not report further problems).

Finally, a small number of persons had specific questions or comments about the survey, while a few were interested in receiving their $25 incentive checks. In almost all cases, respondents were sent a return e-mail in 24 hours or sooner, and they did not report further problems or issues.


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A total of 324 phone calls came into the study’s toll-free line. A trained phone interviewer responded to all calls, and any respondents who called during off-hours were asked to leave a voice-mail message with their name and phone number. Interviewers returned all calls the following business day. The phone calls made to the toll-free line fall into the categories listed in Table 6.4.2-2.

Table 6.4.2-2 Phone Calls to GMS Study From Respondents

Issue Counts Only Left Name/Phone Number on Voice Mail 17 Returned Prompt Call 34 Problems Getting Into Survey/Specific Survey Questions

60

PIN/Password Problems 91 Already Completed/Check Completion Status 60 Authorization/Tracking Form Questions 20 Questions Regarding Scholarships/ Renewal Paperwork/GMF

21

Other Requests for NORC to Conduct Survey Online—9 Questions About When Check Will Be Received—10 Miscellaneous—2

21

For respondents who had problems getting into the survey or who had specific survey questions, NORC attempted to access the survey for them. If we were unable to do so, NORC told the respondent to wait one hour so that the systems could be reset, which would enable the respondent to access the survey. For those who reported problems with their PIN and/or password, NORC looked up the PIN/password for them. Oftentimes, respondents had simply mistaken a figure (such as transposing a zero for the letter “o”), and the problem was resolved easily.

6.4.3 Break-Offs and Partials NORC closely monitored “break-offs” throughout the study. These occurred when respondents started to respond to the survey, then logged off prior to completion. The instrument was programmed to allow respondents to re-enter the study at the point at which they departed, so as to prevent them from having to start over from the beginning. In the final month of the study, phone prompting was converted entirely into an effort aimed at reaching those who only had partially completed the survey. By the end of the data collection period, the number of “partials” was reduced to 101, 34 Scholars and 67 non-recipients. Several attempts were made to reach the remaining “partials,” but to no avail.


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Some members of the sample did not answer any part of the survey. The minority of potential respondents who did not answer the survey fell into one of three categories. First, a small number explicitly refused to answer, as shown Table 6.4.3-1.

Table 6.4.3-1 Explicit Refusals by Cohort and Population

2002 Freshman Non-Recipients 2 2002 Freshman Recipients 0

Final Refusals: 2

Second, several of the non-respondents were unlocatable, as shown previously in Table 6.3-1. Third, the non-respondents cases were subsumed into an unspecified non-respondent category.

7. DATA FILE PREPARATION For the Cohort 3 data file, NORC applied stringent quality procedures to every aspect of the data file preparation process. The key steps involved cleaning and editing data, applying and merging variable codes for select verbatim entries, and preparing the final dataset with applicable codes and weights included.

7.1 DATA CLEANING AND EDITING

The mode of data collection (self-administered Web questionnaire) greatly facilitated the data cleaning process. NORC carried out frequency reviews of the data to correct any imperfections in questionnaire logic prior to the creation of the final raw data set. In the instrument, the majority of the 130 items were programmed as radio buttons where the respondent had to click the correct box. Less than 10 items were such that the respondent had to type numbers or words on the screen.

As discussed in Section 5, the skips were programmed automatically into the instrument to avoid data cleaning challenges normally associated with hard-copy, self-administered questionnaires, namely, invalid missing skips and illegible verbatim entries. These challenges, which tend to add significant data cleaning time and data imputation tasks, were virtually non-existent with this dataset. For this reason, NORC performed minor data cleaning, thereby conserving the originality of the data entered by the respondent.

7.2 CODING/DATA MERGE PROCEDURES

To facilitate analysis, NORC staff coded the post-secondary institution names and names of majors and minors with which the respondent had difficulty or was


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unable to find in the drop-down list provided in the questionnaire. Verbatim race/ethnicity entries were also coded. (See Section 5 for a description of the coding enhancements.)

The post-secondary institution variables included: the name of the college or university respondents attended, the name of the school in which they were enrolled in past semesters or quarters, and the names of their top three schools of choice. If respondents were unable to find the name of their institution in the drop-down list provided with each of these questions and instead chose “Other,” they were prompted to specify the name of the institution. These verbatims were then coded by NORC staff using the 2001 IPEDS, which is a complete list of post-secondary institutions in the United States and the source of the drop-down list. For foreign institutions, we used a codeframe called Mapping of the World, developed by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Similarly for majors and minors, if the respondents were unable to find the name of the major or minor in the drop-down list provided with each of these questions and chose “Other,” they were prompted to specify the name of the major or minor. These verbatims were then coded by NORC staff using the codeframe from the Survey of Earned Doctorates sponsored by the NSF, which was the source for the drop-down list.

For questions requesting the respondents’ race, respondents had the option of checking multiple races. If respondents checked that they were American Indian/Alaskan Native, they were asked to write the name of the American Indian or Alaskan Native tribe to which they belonged. NORC received a detailed list of American Indian and Native Alaskan tribes from the American Indian Graduate Center, which served as a codeframe to code the tribe verbatim for the variable AITRIBE. If respondents checked Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, they were asked to select a name of the island from a drop-down list of Native Hawaiian Islands, obtained from the GMS application form. If they selected “Other,” they were prompted to specify the name of their island. If the name of the island was not included already in the questionnaire list, we included the name in the variable OTHHAWAI. Similarly, if the respondents checked Asian, they were asked to select the name of the country or ethnicity of their origin from a drop down list of Asian countries, again obtained directly from the GMS application form. If they selected “Other,” they were prompted to specify the name. If the name of the country or ethnicity was not included already in the questionnaire list, we included the name in the variable OTHASIAN.

In addition to the race question, respondents also were asked a question regarding their Hispanic origin. If they responded “Yes,” they were asked to choose their Hispanic origin or descent from a list. If they checked “Other,” they were asked to specify their Hispanic origin or descent. If the name of the Hispanic origin or descent was not included already in the questionnaire list, we included the name in the variable HISPOTHR.


Page 17

7.3 DATA FILE PREPARATION

All survey data were captured and stored on NORC’s secure network. The captured respondent data were checked regularly to monitor data quality, response rates and questionnaire logic. After the data collection period, the data were cleaned based on specifications prepared by NORC staff. Separate weights were calculated for the Scholars and non-recipients and merged into the final dataset.

8. SELECTED RESULTS This section contains selected results from the Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Cohort 3 Study. Detailed tables for overall survey results are included, as well as key results from selected Web instrument items.

Table 8.1.1 Recipient Response Rates by Population, Race and Sex

Population Type Preload Sex Preload Race Unweighted

Rate* 2002 Freshmen Recipients Overall 0.897002002 Freshmen Recipients Male 0.881972002 Freshmen Recipients Female 0.903602002 Freshmen Recipients African American 0.913892002 Freshmen Recipients American Indian 0.768522002 Freshmen Recipients Asian Americans 0.932932002 Freshmen Recipients Hispanic Americans 0.902172002 Freshmen Recipients Male African American 0.913982002 Freshmen Recipients Female African American 0.913862002 Freshmen Recipients Male American Indian 0.729732002 Freshmen Recipients Female American Indian 0.788732002 Freshmen Recipients Male Asian Americans 0.941182002 Freshmen Recipients Female Asian Americans 0.929202002 Freshmen Recipients Male Hispanic Americans 0.879032002 Freshmen Recipients Female Hispanic Americans 0.91393


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Table 8.1.2 Non-Recipient Response Rates by Population, Race and Sex

Population Type Preload Sex Preload Race Weighted

Rate Unweighted

Rate 2002 Freshmen Non-Recipients

Overall 0.7488393* 0.74719

2002 Freshmen Non-Recipients

African American 0.72743 0.72743


American Indian 0.63793 0.63793


Asian Americans 0.80547 0.80547


Hispanic Americans 0.74324 0.74324

* When the members in a sample are selected with equal probabilities, the weighted and unweighted response rates are the same. When the members are selected with unequal probabilities, the unweighted and weighted rates are generally not the same. In the Cohort 3 freshmen non-recipient sample, the members within each racial/ethnic group were selected with equal probabilities and thus the weighted and unweighted rates for each group are the same. However, American Indians had a higher probability of selection than members of the other racial/ethnic groups and, as a result, the weighted and unweighted response rates for the population as a whole differ. Most statisticians agree that the weighted rates are a better measure of the potential impact of non-response on the survey estimates.

Table 8.2 Percentage Distribution of Current Work Status by Population Type 3

Do you currently work for pay?

Respondents Who Report They Currently Work for Pay

2002 Recipients

2002 Non-Recipients

Yes 48.3 65.0 No 49.8 31.1 Refused 1.1 0.8 Missing/Logical Skip 0.8 3.1 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1,000 1,997

3 All survey instrument results reported in Tables 1 through 8 are weighted to the total study population.


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Table 8.3 Percentage Distribution of Educational Aspirations of Respondents by Population Type

Now, thinking about the future, what is the highest degree you expect to receive?

Respondents’ Educational Aspirations

2002 Recipients

2002 Non-Recipients

Less Than Two Years of College 0.1 0.1 Two or More Years of College 0.8 0.8 Bachelor’s Degree 7.1 12.0 Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 0.5 0.4 Master’s Degree 32.7 38.7 First Professional Degree 18.2 18.5 Doctoral Degree 33.0 22.5 Not Sure 7.6 7.0 Missing/Logical Skip 0.0 0.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1,000 1,997

Table 8.4 Percentage Distribution of GMS Critical to Attending College by Population Type

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

My GMS assistance was critical to attending this college.

GMS Critical To Attend College

2002 Recipients

2002 Non-Recipients

Strongly Disagree 2.3 N/A Disagree 9.4 N/A Agree 28.8 N/A Strongly Agree 58.5 N/A Refused 0.7 N/A Logical Skip 0.3 100.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1,000 1,997


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Table 8.5.1 Percentage of Respondents’ Majors in Broad Categories by Population Type

What is/was your major at college?

GMS Program Targeted Fields

Broad Fields 2002

Recipients 2002

Non-Recipients Mathematics 0.7 1.3 Science (Including Computer Science)

23.1 27.2

Engineering 9.7 9.1 Education 4.7 5.0 Library Sciences 0.0 0.0 Other 26.8 27.3 Missing/Logical Skip 35.0 30.1 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1,000 1,997

Table 8.5.2 Major Categories

Majors in Broad Categories 2002

Recipients 2002

Non-Recipients Agricultural Sciences 0.6 0.5 Biological Sciences 10.4 9.7 Health Sciences 6.7 9.1 Engineering 9.7 9.0 Computer and Information Sciences

3.2 4.7

Mathematics 0.7 1.3 Physical Sciences 2.3 3.2 Psychology 3.6 3.9 Social Sciences 5.0 3.9 Humanities 3.6 4.0 Education 4.7 5.0 Business 5.0 7.7 Communications 3.1 2.4


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Table 8.6.1 Percentage Distribution of Parents’ Educational Attainment by Population Type – Father

What was the highest grade or level of education that your father completed?

Father’s Educational Attainment

2002 Recipients

2002 Non-Recipients

Less Than High School 23.2 19.5 GED 3.0 2.4 High School Graduation 24.3 23.5 Some College 21.5 22.0 Bachelor’s Degree 13.0 13.9 Master’s Degree or Equivalent

4.7 7.4

Doctorate 2.6 3.1 Don’t Know 7.7 8.1 Refused 0.0 0.0 Missing/Logical Skip 0.0 0.1 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1,000 1,997

Table 8.6.2 Percentage Distribution of Parents’ Educational Attainment by Population Type – Mother

What was the highest grade or level of education that your mother completed?

Mother’s Educational Attainment

2002 Recipients

2002 Non-Recipients

Less Than High School 20.5 15.8 GED 4.1 2.7 High School Graduation 22.5 21.4 Some College 29.8 30.1 Bachelor’s Degree 15.8 19.4 Master’s Degree or Equivalent

3.8 7.1

Doctorate 0.8 0.5 Don’t Know 2.5 2.7 Refused 0.0 0.0 Missing/Logical Skip 0.2 0.3 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1,000 1,997


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Table 8.7 Percentage Distribution of Reasons for Selecting Current School

How important is or were the following in choosing a college or university you would like to attend?

2002 Freshman Recipients

2002 Freshman

Non-Recipients Low Expenses Not Important 14.0 7.9 Somewhat Important 38.3 36.1 Very Important 47.2 54.8 Refused 0.3 0.2 Logical Skip 0.2 1.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1000 1997 Availability of Scholarship Not Important 2.1 1.3 Somewhat Important 9.8 13.3 Very Important 87.6 84.4 Refused 0.2 0.0 Logical Skip 0.2 1.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1000 1997 Ability to Live at Home Not Important 72.3 65.9 Somewhat Important 17.7 18.1 Very Important 9.0 14.1 Refused 0.8 0.9 Logical Skip 0.2 1.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1000 1997 Strong Reputation of the School’s Academic Programs Not Important 1.6 1.8 Somewhat Important 19.8 24.0 Very Important 78.1 73.1 Refused 0.3 0.1 Logical Skip 0.2 1.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Total Weighted N 1000 1997


Appendices - Page 1

Appendices Appendix A: Web Survey Welcome Page Appendix B: Year 2 Survey Instruments Items Appendix C: Advance Letters (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix D: Frequently Asked Questions and Web Survey Help Window Appendix E: Reminder Postcards (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix F: Postcard Follow-Up Letters (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix G: E-Mail Prompt Text (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix H: Non-Respondent Reminder Letters (Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix I: Tracking and Locating Form (Cohort 1 & 2 Recipient and Non-Recipient) Appendix J: Authorization Forms (Cohort 1 & 2 Recipient and Non-Recipient)


Appendices - Page 2

APPENDIX A: WEB SURVEY WELCOME PAGE


Appendices - Page 3


Appendices - Page 4

APPENDIX B: YEAR 2 SURVEY INSTRUMENT ITEMS


Appendices - Page 5

GMS Tracking and Longitudinal Study Year 2 Instrument

Section 1: College Enrollment 1) What is your date of birth? 2) As of (current date) are you 18 or older?

1 YES 2 NO

The first set of questions are about your enrollment in college. 3) During April 2003 were you enrolled in a college or university? 1 YES 2 NO 4) Were you ever enrolled in college or graduate school?

1 YES 2 NO

5) In what state is the college or university you attend located? 6) Please select the college or university you were enrolled in. Some of the choices will ask

you to specify what location on the next screen. (If you do not see your college/university on the list, please select other).

7) Please select which location. 8) Please enter the name of the school you attended as well as the country it is in. 9) Please enter the name of your college/university, as well as the city and state it is located

in. 10) When were you last enrolled? Semester and Year 11) Do you plan to enroll or re-enroll? 1 YES 2 NO


Appendices - Page 6

Section 1: College Enrollment

12) Did you complete your degree?

1 YES 2 NO

13) When do you plan to re-enroll/enroll? Semester and Year 14) Are you a: 1 Freshmen 2 Sophomore 3 Junior 4 Senior 5 1st year grad student 6 2nd year grad student 7 3rd year grad student 8 4th year grad student 9 Refused 15) Does your college or university follow a semester, quarter, or trimester academic

calendar? 1 Semester 2 Quarter 3 Trimester 4 Other, specify 16) If your college or university follows a system other than the semester, quarter or

trimester calendar, please specify. 17) How many course credits or credit hours are required for graduation? (Please enter a number.) 18) As of March 1, 2003, how many total course credits or credit hours have you

earned thus far, not counting the current term? (Please enter a number.) 19) How many credit hours did you take in April 2003? (Please enter a number.) 20) Were you enrolled at <TEXTFILL> in Fall 2002? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused


Appendices - Page 7

Section 1: College Enrollment 21) If you were not enrolled in <TEXTFILL> during Fall 2002, were you enrolled

somewhere else that semester? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 22) If you were enrolled somewhere else during Fall 2002, in what state was your school

located? 23) Please select the college or university you were enrolled in. Some of the choices will ask

you to specify what location on the next screen. (If you do not see your college/university on the list, please select other)

24) Please enter the name of the country where it is located. 25) Have you declared an undergraduate major yet? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 26) What is/was your field of study at college? 27) What is/was your concentration at college? 28) What is/was your major at college? 29) What is/was your secondary field of study at college? If you do not have a secondary

major please select ‘Other fields’ and choose ‘none’. 30) What is/was your secondary concentration at college? 31) What is/was your secondary major at college? 32) If you have not yet declared a major, in which field do you intend to declare? 33) In what concentration do you intend to declare?


Appendices - Page 8

Section 1: College Enrollment

34) In what major do you intend to declare? 35) How important is or was the following in choosing a college or university you

would like to attend? (R. responds to each item individually)

Low expenses (tuition, books, room and board)

Availability of a scholarship, or grant

Ability to attend school while living at home The strong reputation of the school's academic programs

1 Not important 2 Somewhat important 3 Very important 4 Refused

36) How important were each of the following in deciding not to go to college?

(R. responds to each item individually)

I couldn't afford it. I didn't want to leave home. I don't need college. 1 Not important 2 Somewhat important 3 Very important 4 Refused


Appendices - Page 9

Section 2: Gates We’d like to get some information about your experience with the Gates Millennium Scholarship program. 1) What year did you first become a Gates recipient/applicant? 1 2000 2 2001 3 2002 4 2003 5 Refused 2) Are you currently receiving Gates funding? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 3) Did you change your college or graduate school choice after receiving/not

receiving the Gates award? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 4) Have you participated in GMS leadership activities? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 5) How many GMS leadership activities did you participate in? (Please enter a number.)

Section 2: Gates


Appendices - Page 10

6) Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


My GMS assistance was critical to attending this college. I have a network of friends who are also GMS scholars. I feel a strong sense of connection with other GMS recipients. 1 Strongly disagree 2 Disagree 3 Agree 4 Strongly agree 5 Refused

Section 3: Work and College Finances



The next series of questions concern employment patterns and how students’ finance their education. 1) Do you currently work for pay? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 2) How many hours per week? (Please enter a number.) 3) Do you work on-campus, off-campus, or both? 1 On-campus 2 Off-campus 3 Both on-campus and off-campus 4) How many hours per week do you work off-campus? 5) Is your job related to your major or field of study? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 6) If not related to your major then what type of job are you doing? 7) How much are you paid per hour? (Please enter $ in numbers.) 8) Where are you living this semester? 1 On-campus in school-owned housing or in a fraternity or sorority 2 Off-campus with parents or guardians 3 Off-campus with other relatives 4 Off-campus by yourself or with friends 5 Refused 9) What is the total amount of the loans you are receiving this academic year at

the college or university you now attend? (Please enter $ in numbers.) 10) Thinking about all the money you have borrowed since starting school, about how

much do you currently owe? (Please enter $ in numbers.)



Section 3: Work and College Finances

11) Do you receive a Pell grant from the school you now attend?

1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused

12) If you are not currently enrolled, did you receive a Pell grant from your first choice school?


13) In what state was your first choice college to which you were accepted to located in? 14) Please select your first choice college. Some of the choices will ask you to specify what

location on the next screen. (If you do not see your college/university on the list, please select other)

15) Please specify which location. 16) How much scholarship/grant money were you offered for the freshman year? (Please

enter $ in numbers.) 17) Did you have a second choice college to which you were also accepted? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 18) In what state was your second choice college to which you were accepted located in? 19) Please select your second choice college. Some of the choices will ask you to specify

what location on the next screen. (If you do not see your college/university on the list, please select other)

20) Please specify which location.



Section 3: Work and College Finances 21) How much scholarship/grant money were you offered for the freshman year at your

second choice college? (Please enter $ in numbers.) 22) Did you have a third choice college to which you were also accepted? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 23) In what state was your third choice college to which you were accepted located in? 24) Please select your third choice college. Some of the choices will ask you to specify what

location on the next screen. (If you do not see your college/university on the list, please select other)

25) Please specify which location. 26) How much scholarship/grant money were you offered for the freshman year at your third

choice college? 27) What is the total amount of scholarship/grants you are receiving this academic

year at the college or university you now attend, including the Gates scholarship?

28) Are your parents or other relatives helping to pay for some part of your educational

expenses this year?


29) How much will your parent or other relative contribute towards your education this

academic year? Please give your best estimate if not sure. 30) Can you afford to do most things that other students at this college do?




Section 4: Academic and Community Engagement The next series of questions deals with your involvement in school work and other activities. 1) Thinking about this school year, how often do you


work with other students on school work outside of class discuss ideas from your readings or classes with students outside of class discuss ideas from your readings or classes with faculty outside of class work harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's expectations work on creative projects that you help design (research or artistic) 1 Three or more times a week 2 Two or three times a week 3 Once a week 4 Two or three times a month 5 Once a month 6 Less than once a month

2) How often have you participated in the following?

(R. responds to each item individually) Events sponsored by a fraternity or sorority

Residence hall activities (e.g. hall council, social activities, etc.) Events or activities sponsored by groups reflecting your own cultural heritage Tutoring sessions where you received help for specific courses

Community service activities Religious or spiritual activities 1 Never 2 Seldom 3 Sometimes 4 Often 5 Very often 6 Refused 3) During this school year, have you held a campus leadership position (e.g.

student government, Resident Advisor, club officer, etc.) 1 YES 2 NO 3 Don't know



Section 4: Academic and Community Engagement

4) During this school year, have you assisted on a faculty research project? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Don't know



Section 5: College Experience We would like to learn more about students’ experiences while enrolled in college, and how they feel about these experiences. 1) In a typical week, how much time do you spend (Please enter 0 if no time was spent on this activity.)

(R. responds to each item individually) studying

participating in college-sponsored extracurricular activities relaxing or socializing 2) Thinking back to the last semester you were enrolled, in a typical week how

much time did you spend (Please enter 0 if no time was spent on this activity.) (R. responds to each item individually) studying

participating in college-sponsored extracurricular activities relaxing or socializing 3) Please state your level or agreement or disagreement with each of the following

statements: (R. responds to each item individually) I am committed to earning a degree at my current college or university.

I rely on racial/cultural groups on campus for social support. At least one faculty member has taken an interest in my development. I don't feel like I am part of this campus community. 1 Strongly disagree 2 Disagree 3 Agree 4 Strongly agree 5 Refused



Section 5: College Experience 4) When you first started college or a university, how difficult did you find each

of the following? (R. responds to each item individually) keeping up with my schoolwork

managing my time effectively paying for college expenses managing my money effectively getting help with academic work when I needed it

making new friends having a comfortable living environment getting to know my way around

1 Very difficult 2 Difficult 3 Not very difficult 4 Not difficult 5 Refused 5) Since entering college or a university, to what extent have you turned to each

of the following for support and encouragement? (R. responds to each item individually) One or more faculty members

A resident advisor Other students 1 A lot 2 Some 3 A little 4 Not at all 5 Refused



Section 5: College Experience 6) To what extent do you agree with the following: (R. responds to each item individually)

My family has encouraged me to stay in college/university I feel obligated to support my family financially My family expects me to do well in college/university People in my community are counting on me to do well in college/university Most of my friends are not in college or a university Going to college/university made a difference in my life 1 Strongly disagree 2 Disagree 3 Agree 4 Strongly agree 5 Refused 7) While in college or in a university, have you (R. responds to each item individually)

studied with someone from a different racial/ethnic group dated someone from a different racial/ethnic group 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused



Section 6: Your Attitudes The next questions ask about how you feel about yourself. 1) How much do you agree with each of the following statements? (R. responds to each item individually)

I feel good about myself. I don't have enough control over the direction my life is taking.

In my life, good luck is more important than hard work for success. I feel I am a person of worth, the equal of other people. I am able to do things as well as most other people. Every time I try to get ahead, something or somebody stops me. My plans hardly ever work out, so planning only makes me unhappy. Students like me do not usually do well at this college/university. I expect to be an honor student at this college/university. I could get higher grades in a major that suited me better. I am afraid I may not make it in college or in a university. On the whole I am satisfied with myself. I feel useless at times. At times, I think I am not good at all.

When I make plans, I am almost certain I can make them work. I feel I do not have much to be proud of.

1 Agree strongly 2 Agree 3 Disagree 4 Disagree strongly 5 No opinion



Section 7: Future Plans We would like to know about your future plans for education and employment 1) Now, thinking about the future, what is the highest degree you expect to

receive? 1 Less than two years of college 2 Two or more years of college 3 Bachelor's degree 4 Post-baccalaureate certificate 5 Master's degree (MA, MS, MBA, etc) 6 First professional degree (M.D., J.D., D.D.S., O.D.) 7 Doctoral degree (PH.D, ED.D, D.P.H., etc) 8 Not sure 2) When do you expect to receive your bachelor's degree? 3) How likely is it that you will drop out before graduation? 1 Very likely 2 Somewhat likely 3 Somewhat unlikely 4 Very unlikely 5 Refused 4) How likely is it that you will attend graduate or professional school? 1 Very likely 2 Somewhat likely 3 Somewhat unlikely 4 Very unlikely 5 Refused 5) What is the name of the job or occupation that you expect or plan to have 10

years from now.



Section 8: Background Information

Finally, we have a few background questions that will help us understand and analyze the data. 1) Do you have any children? Please include adopted, foster and step children

Also, remember to include any children who are living outside your household. 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 2) How many children do you have? 3) Are you: 1 Male 2 Female 3 Refused 4) Are you Hispanic (or Latino)? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 5) [IF HISPANIC] Which of the following describes your Hispanic origin or descent?

(MARK ONE) 1 Mexican or Chicano 2 Puerto Rican 3 Cuban 4 Other Hispanic 5 Refused 6) If other Hispanic, please specify your Hispanic origin or descent. 7) What is your racial background? (Mark one or more)

American Indian or Alaskan Native Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Asian Black or African American White Refused to Answer



Section 8: Background Information 8) Are you American Indian or Alaskan Native? 9) Are you Native Hawaiian? 10) Are you Asian? 11) Are you Black/African American? 12) Are you white? 13) Please enter the name of the American Indian or Alaskan Native tribe to which you belong. 14) Which of the following describes the group of your Native Hawaiian or other Pacific

Islander origin: 15) Which of the following describes the group of your Asian origin: 16) What was the highest grade or level of education that your father completed? 1 Less than high school 2 GED 3 High school graduation 4 Some college 5 Bachelor's degree 6 Master's degree or equivalent 7 Doctorate 8 Don't know 17) What was the highest grade or level of education that your mother completed? 1 Less than high school 2 GED 3 High school graduation 4 Some college 5 Bachelor's degree 6 Master's degree or equivalent 7 Doctorate 8 Don't know 18) Please enter your home zip code at the time of your high school graduation.



Section 8: Background Information 19) Choose the answer which is most appropriate: Classes I took in high school were

mostly with students of my race. 1 Strongly disagree 2 Disagree 3 Agree 4 Strongly agree 5 Refused

20) How many years of mathematics coursework did you take in high school? 0 None 1 One 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four or more 5 Don't know 21) How many years of science coursework did you take in high school? 0 None 1 One 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four or more 5 Don't know 22) Did you take the SAT exam before college? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 23) What was your combined score? 24) Did you take the ACT exam before college? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 25) What was your combined score?



Section 8: Background Information 26) How many AP exams did you take in high school? 0 None 1 One 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four or more 5 Refused 27) Did you attend a religious high school? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 28) Did you attend a private high school? 1 YES 2 NO 3 Refused 29) How has GMS affected your education? 30) How has not receiving the scholarship affected your education? 31) Please enter you current address 32) Please provide the name and address of a person through which you could always

be reached.



APPENDIX C: ADVANCE LETTERS (RECIPIENT AND NON-RECIPIENT)



TEXT OF ADVANCE LETTER FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

<DATE>

PIN: PASSWORD: Dear <Recipient Name>, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has enlisted the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) to survey Gates Millennium Scholars in an effort to gain more knowledge about your backgrounds, experiences in higher education, and post-graduation outcomes. This information will be used to inform The Gates Foundation as well as researchers and policymakers on strategies to improve the educational attainment and achievement of minority students.

In order to get a better idea of the kinds of experiences you are having as a Scholar, we are asking that you fill out a Web-based survey, located at https://survey.norc.net/gates. When prompted, enter your unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) and password, located at the top of this letter. Please keep in mind that NORC maintains strict confidentiality standards and the results from the study will only be reported in summary form.

If you have any questions about the study, please call our participant hotline at 1-866-521-9903, or e-mail Bronwyn Nichols, the study’s Project Director, at [email protected]. Please include your name and PIN number in any voice mail or e-mail messages. For your convenience, we have included a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the study that may assist you in completing it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and help. Sincerely, Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director, Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study NORC



TEXT OF ADVANCE LETTER FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

<DATE>

PIN: PASSWORD: Dear <Non-Recipient Name>, The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting a survey of applicants to the Gates Millennium Scholars’ Program (GMS) in an effort to gain more knowledge about their backgrounds, experiences in higher education, and post-graduation outcomes. This information will be used to inform The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as researchers and policymakers on strategies to improve the educational attainment and achievement of minority students. In appreciation for your time, we will send you a check for $25 upon completion of the survey. We are asking that you fill out a Web-based survey, located at https://survey.norc.net/gates. When prompted, enter your unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) and password, located at the top of this letter. Please keep in mind that NORC maintains strict confidentiality standards and the results from the study will only be reported in summary form.

If you have any questions about the study, please call our participant hotline at 1-866-521-9903, or e-mail Bronwyn Nichols, the study’s Project Director, at [email protected]. Please include your name and PIN number in any voice mail or e-mail messages. For your convenience, we have included a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the study that may assist you in completing it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and help. Sincerely, Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director, Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study NORC



APPENDIX D: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND WEB SURVEY HELP WINDOW



TEXT OF FAQ SENT WITH ADVANCE LETTERS TO RECIPIENTS AND NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORTS 3)

The Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study Frequently Asked Questions

How do I participate in the survey? The URL address for the Web site is https://survey.norc.net/gates

Your PIN and Password are on the right-hand top corner of the introductory letter sent to you by Bronwyn Nichols.

What is the purpose of the Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study? The primary purpose of the Gates Millennium Scholars’ (GMS) longitudinal study is to measure and analyze the life outcomes of program applicants and Scholars, particularly their educational, professional, and civic accomplishments during their college years and beyond. NORC will work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to carry out the survey.

Why is this study important? This project will provide a wealth of useful descriptive information about scholarship recipients and non-recipients, including their backgrounds, experiences in higher education, and post-graduation outcomes. The reports based on these analyses will inform the GMS program and a large external audience, including the higher education community, policy makers, foundations, civil rights and minority advocacy organizations, and the media about strategies to improve the educational attainment and achievement of minority students.

Who is conducting this study? The Gates Foundation has contracted with the National Opinion Research Center to conduct this study. What is the National Opinion Research Center (NORC)? NORC is a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the University of Chicago that conducts survey research in the public interest for government agencies, educational institutions, private foundations, non-profit organizations, and private corporations. NORC collects data to assist policy makers, researchers, educators, and others with crucial issues facing the government, organizations and the public.



How did you get my name? The target populations for the survey consist of all eligible nominees submitting complete and on-time applications for entry into the program in the inaugural and three succeeding academic years. Within each cohort, the study will include the entire population of scholar recipients and representative samples of non-recipients applying for entry into the program. How much of my time will this take? Completing the Web survey should take approximately 25 minutes. What types of questions will this survey ask? The survey is broken down into several main topics. The topics consist of basic demographic information, early school experiences, your transition to college, college experiences, how you feel about your life and your beliefs, and your expectations for the future.

I’m too busy to complete this survey. We understand that you are very busy. Because this is a Web-based survey, you can fill it out at your own convenience. It is important that you participate; without information from you, your unique life experiences cannot help improve how the program is administered. Furthermore, you can suspend the survey at any point and continue where you left off at a time convenient to you. These questions are too sensitive. Please remember that all information you provide is absolutely confidential. The results are reported in summary form, so nobody will ever be identified. If something is truly too sensitive for you, you may skip the questions that you would prefer not to answer. Will my answers be made public? Please be assured that all of your responses will be held in strict confidence. Neither your name nor any other identifying information will be recorded with your answers. A unique identification number will be used to identify you as a respondent. All of the answers that you give during this survey will be combined with those from other people who participate in this study when the data from the study is analyzed. Everyone working on this study has signed a pledge to keep all information provided by participants completely confidential. Violation of this pledge is grounds for termination of employment on this project.



QUESTIONNAIRE HELP WINDOW

The Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study Questionnaire Help Window

Help with grid questions: Some sets of questions are grids, with the questions arranged in rows and the response categories in

columns; with such items, you select a response on each row by clicking the circle in the appropriate column. If you do not wish to answer a question, please click on the circle in the “Refused” column. If you receive a "Please Respond" message, it is because you left a question unanswered; you will not be able to proceed to the next screen without entering a response to that item. For any items with a drop box, you must choose one selection.

Help with navigation: Moving forward: Once you have completed a screen, click the "Next Page" button to move on. This

button appears at the bottom of the screen; you may need to scroll down in order to see it. Clicking "Next Page" will always save your answers. On some screens, if you click "Next Page" without answering all the questions on that screen, you will get a "Please Respond" message.

Moving backward: To move back and review previous screens, click the "Previous Page" button

where one appears. This button appears at the bottom of the screen with the "Next Page" button; you may need to scroll down in order to see it.

Ending a session and saving your responses: You do not have to complete the entire survey in one

session. Simply click the "Suspend" button if you need to break off. In your next session, the program will automatically restart where you left off. However, be aware that any answers entered on a screen where you click "Suspend" will not be saved; if you have completed a screen and want to save the answers, be sure to click "Next Page" first, and then click "Suspend". Also, if you have backed up using the "Previous Page" button, you should return to the point where you began backing up if you want to save everything you've entered. If you close the browser without first clicking “Suspend,” there will be a time lapse before you may re-enter the browser.

If you are having trouble with the questionnaire: Recommended browsers: Some older browsers may not display all of the screens in the

questionnaire properly. We recommend either Netscape 4.0 or higher, or Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.

"Missing Data" message: Note that if you re-size your browser window while inside the

questionnaire, you may receive a "Missing Data" message that says you can "recreate the document by pressing the reload button". This button will not be available to you at that point, but if you are using any version of Netscape 4, you can reload the page by pressing Ctrl-R.

Security: Please be assured that your transmission is over a secure connection.

Server updates: Our server is updated every Thursday morning (CDT); thus, you may face problems

entering the system at that time. If you have any questions, or problems with completing the questionnaire, please contact NORC Technical Support Monday through Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm CDT at 1-866-521-9903, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name and PIN in any message to assure a timely response.



APPENDIX E: REMINDER POSTCARD (RECIPIENT AND NON-RECIPIENT)



REMINDER POSTCARD FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)



REMINDER POSTCARD FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)



APPENDIX F: POSTCARD FOLLOW-UP LETTERS (RECIPIENT AND NON-RECIPIENT)



TEXT OF POSTCARD FOLLOW-UP LETTER FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

DATE PIN: «PIN» PASSWORD: «PWORD»

Dear <Recipient Name>,

You recently received a postcard regarding a survey being conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC). The survey will assist The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in evaluating the success of the Gates Millennium Scholars’ program (GMS) and tracking the progress made by its Scholars.

NORC’s records indicate that, to date, you have not yet filled out the questionnaire. Your

participation in this survey is of vital importance, in that your input will help shape the future of the GMS program. Please take a moment to access the Web site for the survey at https://survey.norc.net/gates. The site is secure and your responses will be kept strictly confidential. Please use the PIN and password located at the top of this letter to gain access to the survey.

If you have completed the survey already, please accept our thanks. If you have any questions about it, feel free to contact NORC at [email protected] or call us at 1-866-521-9903.

Sincerely,

Bronwyn Nichols Project Director NORC



TEXT OF POSTCARD FOLLOW-UP LETTER FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

DATE PIN: «PIN» PASSWORD: «PWORD»

Dear <Non-recipient Name>,

You recently received a postcard regarding a survey being conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC). The survey will evaluate the progress made by applicants to the Gates Millennium Scholars program (GMS).

NORC’s records indicate that, to date, you have not yet filled out the questionnaire. Your

participation in this survey is of vital importance, in that your input will shape the future of the GMS program and help the program better serve future applicants. Because you were scientifically selected, you cannot be replaced.

Please take a moment to access the Web site for the survey at

https://survey.norc.net/gates. The site is secure and your responses will be kept strictly confidential. Please use the PIN and password located at the top of this letter to gain access to the survey. In appreciation for your participation, NORC will forward you a check for $25 upon completion of the survey.

If you have completed the survey already, please accept our thanks. If you have any questions about it, feel free to contact NORC at [email protected] or call us at 1-866-521-9903.

Sincerely,

Bronwyn Nichols Project Director NORC



APPENDIX G: E-MAIL PROMPT TEXT (RECIPIENT AND NON-RECIPIENT)



TEXT OF E-MAIL FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

Dear <RECIPIENT NAME>, I am writing to ask that you complete an important Web survey. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting a study for The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the life outcomes of applicants to the Gates Millennium Scholars program. You have been selected to participate in the study, which is located on the World Wide Web at https://survey.norc.net/gates. The purpose of this study is to give The Gates Foundation, as well as researchers and policymakers, a better idea of the experiences and achievements of minority students. Your responses will help to improve the academic opportunities available to future students in situations similar to your own. This message contains a personalized PIN and password that you will need to access this site. The site is secure and your responses will be reported only in summary form. In the unlikely event that you are unable to access the Web questionnaire, please try again in a few hours. Please take the time to complete the survey so that the program may better meet the needs of minority students. If you have any questions about the study, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director NORC



TEXT OF E-MAIL FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

Dear <NON-RECIPIENT NON-RESPONDENT NAME>, I am writing to ask that you complete an important Web survey. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting a study for The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the life outcomes of applicants to the Gates Millennium Scholars program. You have been scientifically selected to participate in the study, which is located on the World Wide Web at https://survey.norc.net/gates. Upon completion of the survey, we will send you a check for $25. The purpose of this study is to give The Gates Foundation, as well as a larger external audience (researchers and policymakers), a better idea of the experiences and achievements of minority students. Your responses will help to improve the academic opportunities available to future students in situations similar to your own. This message contains a personalized PIN and password that you will need to access this site. The site is secure and your responses will be reported only in summary form. In the unlikely event that you are unable to access the Web questionnaire, please try again in a few hours. Please take the time to complete the survey so that the program may better meet the needs of minority students. If you have any questions about the study, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director NORC



APPENDIX H: NON-RESPONDENT REMINDER LETTERS (RECIPIENT AND NON-RECIPIENT)



TEXT OF REMINDER LETTER FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

PIN PASSWORD DATE <NAME> <ADDRESS> <CITY,STATE,ZIP> Dear <RECIPIENT NAME>, I am writing to ask for your participation in an important survey of Gates Millennium Scholarship recipients being conducted for The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC). As a Gates Scholar, you know that the GMS was designed to increase opportunities in higher education for minority students. To measure the program’s effectiveness, and to make any changes necessary to better serve present and future GMS scholars, please complete the survey as soon as possible. Your response will be critical in The Gates Foundation’s work toward improving opportunities for future generations of students who will also have aspirations for becoming future leaders in their field of choice. Our Web-based survey is located at https://survey.norc.net/gates/. This is a secure site and your responses will be kept completely confidential. Please use the PIN and password noted above to access the questionnaire. The survey is available 24 hours a day for your convenience. In the unlikely event that you are unable to access the Web questionnaire, please try again in a few hours. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director NORC



TEXT OF REMINDER LETTER FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 3)

PIN PASSWORD DATE <NAME> <ADDRESS> <CITY,STATE,ZIP> Dear <NON-RECIPIENT NAME>, The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting an important survey of Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS) applicants on behalf of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study seeks to understand the life experiences of GMS applicants. Your opinions and life experiences are representative of other applicants who are just like you. Therefore, without your participation, your voices will not be heard. In appreciation for your participation NORC will forward you a check for $25 upon completion of the survey. GMS applicants constitute a unique set of individuals of diverse races and cultures from across the United States, who will one day assume positions of leadership and address critical issues which will shape our nation's future and the world at large. Because you have been scientifically selected to participate, your response will be critical in The Gates Foundation’s work toward improving opportunities for future generations of students who will also have aspirations for becoming future leaders in their field of choice. Our Web-based questionnaire is located at https://survey.norc.net/gates/. This is a secure site and your responses will be kept completely confidential. Please use the PIN and password noted above to access the questionnaire. The survey is available 24 hours a day for your convenience. In the unlikely event that you are unable to access the Web questionnaire, please try again in a few hours. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please e-mail us at [email protected], or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director, NORC



APPENDIX I: TRACKING AND LOCATING FORM (COHORT 1 & 2 RECIPIENTS AND

NON-RECIPIENTS)



TRACKING AND LOCATING LETTER FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 1 & 2)

September 1, 2005 «su_id» «prefix» «firstname» «lastname» «addr1» «addr2» «city», «state» «zip»

Dear «firstname» «lastname», The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting a survey of Gates Millennium Scholars for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Last year, you received mailings regarding a Web-based survey about the impact of the scholarship upon your life experiences. If you were one of the many who filled the survey out, please accept our thanks once again. To keep our records current, please update the information contained on the enclosed sheet. If the pre-printed information is correct, simply check the appropriate box and mail the sheet back to us. If you have moved, changed your name, or you are able to fill in information that may be missing (apartment number, e-mail address), please make these changes and put the sheet in the mail. If you have any questions regarding the survey, or the tracking effort itself, please e-mail us at [email protected], or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you in advance for your help. Sincerely,

Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director National Opinion Research Center (NORC)



TRACKING AND LOCATING LETTER FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 1 & 2)

September 1, 2005 «su_id» «firstname» «lastname» «addr1» «addr2» «city», «state» «zip»

Dear «firstname» «lastname», The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting a survey of applicants to the Gates Millennium Scholars program for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Last year, you received mailings regarding a Web-based survey about your life experiences since you applied for the scholarship. If you were one of the many who filled the survey out, please accept our thanks once again. To keep our records current, please update the information contained on the enclosed sheet. If the pre-printed information is correct, simply check the appropriate box and mail the sheet back to us. If you have moved, changed your name, or you are able to fill in information that may be missing (apartment number, e-mail address), please make these changes and put the sheet in the mail. If you have any questions regarding the survey, or the tracking effort itself, please e-mail us at [email protected], or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you in advance for your help. Sincerely,

Bronwyn L. Nichols Project Director National Opinion Research Center (NORC)



TRACKING AND LOCATING FORM (COHORT 1 & 2 RECIPIENTS AND NON-RECIPIENTS)

□ If the following information is correct please check the box and return to us in the envelope provided. If this information is not current, please make the necessary changes at the bottom of the page and return in the envelope provided. Name: «prefix» «firstname» «mi» «lastname» Address: «addr1» Apt #: «addr2» City: «city» State: «state» Zip: «zip» Email: «email1» Phone: «phone» -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated Information Name: _________________________________________________ Address: Street________________________________ Apt #________ City ____________________ State_________ Zip________ Email: __________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________



APPENDIX J: AUTHORIZATION FORMS

(COHORT 1 & 2 RECIPIENT AND NON-RECIPIENT)



TEXT OF AUTHORIZATION FORM FOR GATES RECIPIENTS (COHORT 1 & 2)

<Date> <SU_ID>

Dear <______________>, When you applied for or renewed your participation in the Gates Millennium Scholars program, you or your high school or college may have provided GMS with your transcript and financial information, or GMS may have accessed such information from federal government financial aid databases. By signing below, you consent to the use of any of that information in connection with GMS research. Research concerning GMS Scholars could be useful in identifying further means of providing higher education opportunities for students who have been historically under-represented. Your individual transcript and financial information will not be made available to the public through GMS research in a form that would allow you to be identified, although research results may be made available to the public in an aggregated form, such as, for example, an average or a total for a group of students. We request that you consent below to GMS’ use of your information. Please mail this entire sheet back in the enclosed, postage paid envelope. If you have any questions about the study, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. I consent to the use of my information for GMS research. ________________________________________ _______________ Please print your name Date ________________________________________ Signature --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please do not use my information for GMS research. ________________________________________ _______________ Please print your name Date _______________________________________ Signature



TEXT OF AUTHORIZATION FORM FOR GATES NON-RECIPIENTS (COHORT 1 & 2)

<Date> <SU_ID>

Dear <______________>, When you applied to the Gates Millennium Scholars program, you or your high school or college may have provided GMS with your transcript and financial information, or GMS may have accessed such information from federal government financial aid databases. By signing below, you consent to the use of any of that information in connection with GMS research. Research concerning GMS applicants could be useful in identifying further means of providing higher education opportunities for students who have been historically under-represented. Your individual transcript and financial information will not be made available to the public through GMS research in a form that would allow you to be identified, although research results may be made available to the public in an aggregated form, such as, for example, an average or a total for a group of students. We request that you consent below to GMS’ use of your information. Please mail this entire sheet back in the enclosed, postage paid envelope. If you have any questions about the study, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our toll-free number at 1-866-521-9903. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. I consent to the use of my information for GMS research. ________________________________________ _______________ Please print your name Date ________________________________________ Signature --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please do not use my information for GMS research.

________________________________________ _______________ Please print your name Date ________________________________________ Signature

Documents

Gates Millennium Scholars Tracking and Longitudinal Study ...€¦ · 1. INTRODUCTION The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is a 20-year effort sponsored by the Bill and Melinda