Faculty Encouraged to Share Thoughts in COACHE Job Satisfaction Survey

Full-time faculty — tenure-track, tenured and non-tenure — at the U of A have an opportunity to register their voices across a broad range of university practices, policies and working conditions. The U of A is participating for the fourth time in the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education to help understand the values and rewards that promote faculty satisfaction.

"There has been so much change at the university since we last participated in 2018. We have experienced new challenges and rewards. If faculty have concerns about campus culture or governance and resources, this is the time to weigh in," said Kathy Sloan, vice provost for faculty affairs. Furthermore, she stated, "The 2018 data resulted in improvements to clarify the tenure and promotion process and develop university-wide mentoring programs for faculty. There is much more to do, and university leadership needs faculty feedback at this important juncture."

The survey seeks faculty responses on topics of collaboration, engagement, campus climate, governance and resources. The survey will gather data on how the faculty members' experiences at the U of A compare to those at other research institutions and whether the experiences differ by rank, gender or ethnicity.

The survey has opened and faculty members should have received email requests to participate in the survey. The survey will remain open until early April.

The survey will take approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete, and individuals will be able to stop within the survey and return to complete the survey. Responses to the survey are administered by the collaborative, and complete anonymity of responses will be protected through agreements with the survey administrators. When results of the survey are determined, the university will share those results with the campus community.

If you believe you should be receiving the survey and have not received it, please contact Doug Miles, interim director of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment at 479-575-8409 or dmiles@uark.edu.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 4 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.