Survey Helps Guide Faculty Development Activities and Policy Revisions

On MU Assessment Day, April 4, 2007, MU-ADVANCE administered a survey designed to measure the working conditions and environment for faculty at Marshall University. This “climate” survey was distributed to both male and female tenure-track faculty in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. We are pleased to report that 60% of the faculty responded to this survey and we appreciate the time they took to do this.

The MU-ADVANCE Office plans to use the climate survey results to guide our recruitment, retention, and policy efforts, which will impact all faculty members. Our preliminary evaluation of climate survey responses has identified workload, mentoring, and grant development as areas we would like to address next year. Although a full analysis of the climate survey will be conducted this summer, an initial response to some of the written comments is presented here. Further results will be disseminated on the MU-ADVANCE website and in future newsletters.

Workload was a major concern expressed in the written responses. Workload is a complex issue requiring cooperation between faculty and administration. For faculty, we are co-sponsoring faculty development activities in conjunction with the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Projects under development for the next academic year include:

  • Presentation of Balancing Faculty Workload workshop

  • Getting Published workshops

  • Technical writing support

  • Grant preparation and management support

  • Assistance with organizing workload/reassigned time

  • Student support and management of student help

  • Mentoring programs

  • Resources to develop faculty partnerships for collaborative research and teaching efforts

Other survey comments concerned acknowledgment of fathers in terms of work-life balance. Family-friendly policies are of great interest to MU-ADVANCE. For example, ADVANCE programs at other institutions have helped establish a Stop the Tenure Clock Policy that extends the probationary period for non-professional circumstances that have had significant impact on the faculty member's productivity such as caring for a newborn, personal illness, or major illness of a family member.

Future Faculty Development events will be announced on the MU-ADVANCE website, MU-ADVANCE e-mail list, and in future newsletters. If you have questions or comments about MU-ADVANCE, please contact Director Tina Cartwright at (696-3715 or tina.cartwright@marshall.edu).

 

 

 

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