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COACHE Presentation. LUCINDA FINLEY Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Introduction to COACHE. What it is: COACHE (Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education): a research-based initiative to improve faculty recruitment, retention, and work/life quality
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COACHE Presentation LUCINDA FINLEY Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Introduction to COACHE • What it is: COACHE (Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education): a research-based initiative to improve faculty recruitment, retention, and work/life quality • More than 150 universities and colleges
Introduction to COACHE • Who and what: Tenure-track and Tenured faculty to assess career experiences in areas deemed critical to success and satisfaction (prior to 2012 – pre-tenure only; tenured faculty added in 2012) • Clarity and reasonableness of tenure processes and review • Workload and support for research and teaching • Integration and balance of work and home responsibilities • Climate, culture and collegiality on campus • Compensation and benefits • Global satisfaction
Introduction to COACHE • How results are reported: • Survey questions use 5-point scale (1=low – 5=high) • Benchmarked against selected peer institutions – and against all comparable COACHE institutions • Comparisons by gender, race and disciplinary area • Identify effective and ineffective policies • Identify institutional strengths and improving trends
Facts about UB’s Participation 2006 Peer Group • Michigan State University • Ohio State University • Syracuse University • University of Kansas • University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill • 2012 Peer Group • SUNY- Stonybrook SUNY- Albany • Kansas UNC-Chapel Hill • Purdue 2010 Peer Group • University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign • University of Kansas • University of Iowa • University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill • University of Massachusetts - Amherst
UB’s Areas of Strength 2006 Report: • No areas of strength identified • 2012 Report: • 10 Areas of strength identified 2010 Report • 19 areas of strength identified
UB’s Areas of Strength • Tenure Practices • Clarity of tenure criteria – 2010 and 2012 • Clarity of tenure standards—2010 and 2012 • Upper limit on committee assignments 2010 • Tenure Expectations: Clarity 2010 and 2012 • Clarity of expectations: Scholar • Clarity of expectations: Advisor • Tenure Expectations: Reasonableness – 2010 and 2012 • Reasonableness of expectations: Scholar • Reasonableness of expectations: Advisor
UB’s Areas of Strength • Nature of Work: Overall 2010 (not asked 2012) • Way you spend your time as a faculty member • Nature of Work: Research – 2010 and 2012 • Amount of time to conduct research • Expectations for finding external funding • Influence over focus of research • Nature of Work: Teaching 2010 (neutral in 2012) • Level of courses you teach • Upper limit on teaching obligations Nature of work: Service 2012
UB’s Areas of Strength • Work and Home 2010 • Childcare • Spousal/partner hiring program • Colleagues make raising children and tenure-track compatible • Ability to balance between professional and personal time 2012: Personal and family policies; health and retirement benefits; facilities and work resources
UB’s Areas of Strength • Climate, Culture, Collegiality 2010 • Informal mentoring • Compensation and Benefits 2010 • Compensation • 2012: Collaboration and Mentoring
Benchmark Comparisons & Improving Trends • See handout
Areas of Concern • 2006 Report • Cloudy and unreasonable tenure practice • Several ineffective policies and practices • Less-than-satisfying culture compared to peers • 2010 Report • Sense of ‘fit’ compared to peers • 2012 Report: • Departmental Collegiality • Departmental Engagement
(Additional) Areas of Concern • Climate, Culture, Collegiality • Intellectual vitality of senior colleagues (2010 6th place among peers; 43rd percentile) • Interest senior faculty take in your professional development (2010 4th place among peers; 72nd percentile) • Amount of professional interaction with senior colleagues (2010 6th among peers; 43rd percentile)
(Additional) Areas of Concern • Nature of Work • Quality of undergraduate students (6th among peers; 38th percentile) • Quality of graduate students (6th among peers; 26th percentile) • Quality of research support services (5th place among peers; 78th percentile)
Best and Worst Aspects of Working at UB • Best Aspects 2010 • Academic Freedom • Cost of Living • Quality of Colleagues • Sense of ‘fit’* • Best Aspects 2012: • Quality of Colleagues • Cost of living • Academic freedom • Sense of fit • Worst Aspects 2010 • Quality of Graduate Students • Geographic Location • Quality of Undergraduates • Quality of Facilities • Spousal/Partner Hiring Program (or lack thereof) • Worst Aspects 2012: • Lack of support for research • Quality of facilities • Quality of graduate students • Geographic location
Effective and Ineffective Policies 2010 • Important and Effective Policies • Upper limit on teaching obligations • Stop-the-clock for parental or other family reasons • Informal mentoring • Paid or unpaid research leave • Upper limit on committee assignments for TT faculty • Important but Ineffective Policies • Modified duties for parental or other family reasons • Spousal/partner hiring program • Tuition waivers • Childcare • Professional assistance in obtaining externally-funded grants
Overall Global Satisfaction • How satisfied/dissatisfied are you with your department as a place to work? 2010 • 3.59; 5th in peer group and 48th percentile • Declined from 2006 survey (3.76) • How do you rate the institution as a place for junior faculty to work? 2010 • 3.81; 6th in peer group and 61st percentile • Improved from 2006 survey (3.63)
Overall Global Satisfaction • If you could do it all over again, would you accept your current position? 2010 • 4.00; 6th in peer group and 53rd percentile • Same as 2006 survey • Assuming you achieve tenure, how long do you plan to remain at your institution? 2010 • 49%: For foreseeable future or rest of career • 35%: Haven’t thought that far ahead • 13%: No more than five years • Why? Prefer another academic institution 2012: 12% not more than 5; 28% more than 10; 45% don’t know
Overall Global Satisfaction • Would you recommend your department to a faculty candidate? • 50%: Strongly recommend • 45%: Recommend with reservations • 5%: Would not recommend • Gender difference: 11% of women would not recommend
Gender Differences No areas where women 10% or more satisfied than men in 2010; in 2012, men find mentoring w/i and w/o dept. significantly less important than women Women 10% or more dissatisfied than men 2010 (no “Large” difference in 2012): • Tenure practices 2010 (very slight differences in 2012): • Consistent messages about tenure from tenured colleagues (14% gap) • Tenure decisions based on performance (21% gap) • Upper limit on committee assignments (15% gap) • Expectations as departmental colleague (10% gap)
Gender Differences 2010 Women 10% or more dissatisfied than men: • Nature of Work: Research • Amount of time to conduct research (12% gap) • Professional assistance in obtaining grants (12% gap)
Gender Differences 2010 Women 10% or more dissatisfied than men: (some “moderate” differences in 2012) • Work and Home: • Modified duties for parental or other family reasons (15% gap) • Colleagues are respectful of efforts to balance work/home (11% gap)
Gender Differences Women 10% or more dissatisfied than men: • Climate, Culture, Collegiality • Amount of professional interaction with tenured colleagues (10% gap) • How well you fit (11% gap) • On the whole, department is collegial (10% gap)
Differences by Race/Ethnicity 2010 Faculty of color 10% or more satisfied than white faculty (no differences in 2012): • Tenure practices • Consistent messages from tenured colleagues (14% higher) • Written summary of performance reviews (11% higher) • Clarity of tenure expectations • As advisor to students (10% higher) • As campus citizen (11% higher) • As community member (10% higher)
Difference by Race/Ethnicity 2010 Faculty of color 10% or more dissatisfied than white faculty (no difference in 2012): • Nature of Work: Research • Paid/unpaid research leave (14% gap) • Nature of Work: Teaching • Number of courses you teach (11% gap) • Discretion over course content (10% gap)
Differences by Race/Ethnicity Faculty of color 10% or more dissatisfied than white faculty: • Work and Home • Elder care (10% gap) • Culture, Climate, Collegiality • Participation in governance of institution (14% gap) • Compensation • Salary and Benefits (14% gap): still a large difference in 2012 • Global Satisfaction • Would again choose to work at this institution (12% gap)
Differences by Rank 2012 • Tenured Faculty moderately less satisfied with University and Decanal leadership; and with consistency of policy statements and actions • Associate Professors “large” satisfaction gap: Promotion – reasonableness of expectations; departmental culture not encouraging of promotion • Large Satisfaction gap with mentoring of Associate profs. • Assoc. Profs. – moderate satisfaction gaps: • Ability to balance research/teaching/service; grad ass’t support; lab or research space; salary and retirement benefits; clarity of promotion process, time frame and criteria
Differences by Academic Discipline • 2010: Faculty in the humanities rated things lower overall, have more bottom-of-peer-group and bottom-quartile responses, and more polarization than other academic areas at UB!! • 2012: Areas that feel their department is less valued by President/Provost: Social Sciences, Education, Other Professions. Humanities now 3.5 on 5 scale
Tenure Process and Criteria: UB Humanities vs. Other Disciplines and Other Universities Tenure Process is “Fairly Unclear”: 30% UB Humanities faculty Peer Institutions: 8% Comparable Institutions: 10% Tenure Criteria “Fairly Unclear”: 25% UB Humanities faculty Peers and Comparables: 11% UB Physical Sciences: 0% UB Biological Sciences: 0% Body of Evidence Considered for Tenure “Fairly or Very Unclear” 35% UB Humanities faculty 16% Peers and 15% Comparables 6% UB Physical Sciences 0% UB Biological Sciences
Expectations as a Scholar “Fairly Unreasonable: 21% UB Humanities Faculty 12% Peers 9% Comparables 2% UB Physical Sciences 0% UB Biological Sciences Expectations as Colleague “Very or Fairly Unreasonable”: 28% UB Humanities Faculty 19% Peers 11% Comparables 6% UB Physical Sciences 0% UB Biological Sciences “Strongly Disagree” Tenure Decision Based on Performance Criteria: 20% UB Humanities Faculty 8% Peers 6% Comparables 6% UB Physical Sciences 8% UB Biological Sciences
“Strongly Disagree” Senior Colleagues Give Consistent Messages about Tenure Requirements: 59% UB Humanities Faculty 30% Peers 31% Comparables 13% UB Physical Sciences 15% UB Biological Sciences “Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied” with Amount of time for research: 61% UB Humanities Faculty 40% Peers 49% Comparables 25% UB Physical Sciences 29% UB Biological Sciences “Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied with Intellectual Vitality of Senior Colleagues: 53% UB Humanities faculty 23% Peers 26% Comparables 7% UB Physical Sciences 21% UB Biological Sciences
“Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied” with Department as a Place to Work: 30% UB Humanities 13 % peers and 13% comparables 14% UB Physical Sciences 14% UB Biological Sciences 11% of UB Humanities Faculty rate Institution as a “Bad” Place for Junior Faculty to Work 6% Peers 5 % Comparables 0% UB Physical and Biological Sciences 12% of UB Humanities Faculty Would not Recommend UB to Faculty Candidate 6% Peers and Comparables 0% UB Physical Sciences 0% UB Biological Sciences
Discussion of Next Steps • Campus dissemination and further investigation • External dissemination • Policy improvement • Clear need for better family/work balance policies • Continue efforts to improve sponsored program services • Continue efforts to improve quality of undergraduate and graduate students • Focus on engagement by senior colleagues