Benchmarks from the Harvard
Collaborative on Academic Careers
in Higher Education (COACHE)
Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey
University Faculty Meeting
October 10, 2013
What is COACHE?
A collaborative project at the Graduate School of
Education at Harvard University initiated in 2002
Purpose:
Developed for provosts and academic leaders to
identify ways to improve the academic workplace in
order to increase faculty recruitment and retention
The Survey
Designed to answer the following questions:
• How do faculty of different career stages experience
academic work life at my institution?
• How do their experiences compare to those of
faculty at peer institutions?
• What policies or practices are associated with high
levels of faculty satisfaction and vitality?
UR Participation
• Survey is administered every three years
• UR participated in the 2006, 2009 and 2012
Surveys
• Originally focused only on pre-tenure faculty
• Now includes tenured faculty as well
• 2012 also included non-tenure-track faculty
but national response rate was insufficient
for benchmarking
Survey Results
• UR Response Rate: 43%
• Confidentiality
• COACHE administers the survey and does not provide UR with
individual results (data file), a list of respondents or nonrespondents, or with any personal identifiers
• UR only receives a summary report
• Benchmarks
• This presentation focuses on the benchmark scores that COACHE
uses to assess faculty job satisfaction
• Includes 21,000 faculty respondents nationwide
What is a Benchmark Score?
• Rather than looking at each individual question on the
survey separately, COACHE aggregates responses to
questions that are related to develop a benchmark score
• Each benchmark score represents the average score of
several questions that share a common theme
• The advantage of using a benchmark score is that it
provides an overall sense of how faculty feel about a
particular aspect of their work/life
• Using a benchmark score also makes it easier to compare
across institutions
COACHE Benchmarks
UR Respondents Compared to Respondents from All Institutions
Participating in the 2012 COACHE Survey
Nature of Work
3.9
Teaching
4.0
UR
3.7
Research
All
3.5
3.3
Service
3.2
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
Interdisciplinary, Collaboration, Mentoring
2.9
Interdisciplinary
Work
3.0
UR
3.7
Collaboration
All
3.6
3.1
Mentoring
3.2
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
Tenure and Promotion
3.4
3.5
Tenure Policies
3.2
3.4
Tenure Clarity
UR
All
3.8
3.8
Tenure
Reasonableness
3.3
Promotion
3.7
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
Resources, Policies, Benefits
Facilities and
Work
Resources
4.0
3.7
UR
3.2
Personal and
Family Policies
All
3.2
Health and
Retirement
Benefits
3.5
3.6
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
Leadership
3.5
Senior
Leadership
3.4
UR
All
3.8
Departmental
Leadership
3.8
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
Department
4.0
Departmental
Collegiality
4.0
UR
3.7
Departmental
Engagement
All
3.7
3.8
Departmental
Quality
3.9
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
Appreciation and Recognition
UR
Appreciation
and
Recognition
3.5
All
3.4
1
Lowest
Score
2
3
4
5
Highest
Score
HOW WE USE
COACHE RESULTS
Changes Made
• Parental leave policy and sick child care service added
• Increased starting salaries by rank and reduced salary
compression through significant Spring 2012 faculty salary
market adjustment
• Continued benchmarking of faculty salaries to ensure that we
stay competitive
• Created the Faculty Enrichment Advisory Group with Mellon
Foundation Grant support
• Support for cross-school, interdisciplinary and team teaching
through FYS, University Seminars, and new majors
• Support for faculty research, including research incentive
accounts
Continued Focus
• Faculty mentoring and development
• Clarity of tenure and promotion
expectations
• Interdisciplinary and cross-school
opportunities
• Diversity
Next COACHE Administration
• Fall 2015
• Will include full-time pre-tenure and
tenured faculty
• One tool, but an important one in
assessing faculty satisfaction and
concerns
QUESTIONS