George Mason University faculty have a new opportunity to share their opinions of their professional environment and experiences in a new Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey launching Wednesday, Feb. 9.
In the 2022 survey, tenure-line and term full-time faculty will evaluate their experiences at Mason regarding promotion and tenure, the nature of their work, policies and practices, and the general climate, culture and level of collegiality. They will also have the opportunity to share their opinions on several items related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The faculty’s strong 63% response rate to the Spring 2019 Harvard COACHE Faculty Survey led Mason to focus on areas of growth around promotion and tenure, recognition and appreciation, support for interdisciplinary work, faculty mentoring, and salary and compensation, with significant gains in many of these areas.
“The COACHE survey is a powerful tool to gain insight into the quality of work/life/career experiences for our faculty, who are the central pillar of Mason—shaping the quality of education we provide, serving as the repository of our history and culture, and driving the university’s future,” Provost Mark Ginsberg said. “The COACHE survey is an important part of Mason’s commitment to its faculty, to a healthy campus climate, and to the ongoing assessment and improvement of the university. I encourage that members of our community participate in the survey.”
The confidential survey is administered by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), a national research-practice partnership in the Harvard Graduate School of Education that dedicated to improving outcomes in faculty recruitment, development, and retention. More than 250 colleges, universities, and state systems—including multiple Virginia schools and R1 institutions—have used COACHE to strengthen their capacity to identify the drivers of faculty success and implement informed changes.
“It is critical that we continue to gain insight into how faculty feel that we are doing, as an institution, in helping them meet their professional goals. Our strong response rate in spring 2019 not only gave us confidence in the findings, but quite frankly served as a call to action to make improvements in a number of areas,” said Kim Eby, vice provost for faculty affairs and development and co-chair of the Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative. “Mason cannot meet our strategic goals and aspirations for student success without continuing to support and invest in our faculty.”
Harvard COACHE will provide a summary report and findings to Mason this summer. The Mason COACHE Leadership team, a group of faculty and administrators from across the campus—including representatives from multiple colleges and schools, will then develop a strategy for engaging the Mason community in reviewing the findings and drafting those action plans.
COACHE will email unique links to all full-time instructional and research faculty around the Feb. 9 start date, and the survey will be open until early April.