Committee Members
Steve B. Lem, Chair
Albert Fu
Dept. of Political Science & Public Administration 1
Jason Garcia
Keshav Gupta
Julia Hovanec
Michelle Kiec
Sharon Picus
David Reimer, Sr.
Wing Hong Tony Wong
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
Housing, Residence Life, and Dining Services
Department of Business Administration
Department of Art Education and Crafts
College of Education
Human Resources
Information Technology
Department of Mathematics
Charge
To recommend to the University Senate, (no later than April 15, 2016), practices and procedures to increase faculty and staff retention. The scope of this committee does not include any items specifically covered in any union contracts, nor recommendations to reduce teaching or advisement loads. The focus may explore resources, hospitality, collegiality, policy and procedure education, mentoring outside of the department, HR or faculty orientation training, etc.
1 Lem is the corresponding author (phone: 1 (610) 683-4471; email: lem@kutztown.edu
)

The Ad Hoc Faculty and Staff Retention Task Force analyzed exit survey and turnover data provided by Human Resources, conducted face-to-face interviews with faculty and staff members, and reviewed some of the literature on employee retention. After completing these tasks, the Task Force identified three areas of improvement and recommends the following solutions that could be used to address these challenges:
Challenge 1: Vertical Communication
(Particularly communication between administrators and faculty and staff members)
Solutions
 Open office hours for administrators and supervisors
 Town Hall Meetings
 Administrator visits/meetings with department/units
Challenge 2: Horizontal Communication
(Particularly mentorship and socialization across departments/units)
Solutions
 Creation of mentoring community
 Revisit faculty-staff-student luncheon
 Increase number of committees with mixed constituencies
Challenge 3: Professional Development for Faculty and Staff
Solutions
 Increase in-house training programs
 Increase employee recognition
 Cross-training of skills within units/divisions
2

HR collected employee turnover data for each fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) since 2009-2010.
The data include the last calendar day of employment, gender, personnel subarea (e.g., bargaining unit), and reason for employment termination.
Table 1
Reasons for Employment Termination, 2009-2015
Reason
Furlough/Retrenchment
Involuntary Separation
Unsatisfactory Performance
Non-contract Renewal
Involuntary Termination
Incentive Separation
Voluntary Resignation
Count
14
12
2
19
47
24
188
Percent
5.4
4.6
0.8
7.3
18.0
9.2
72.0
Voluntary Termination
Other
212
2
81.2
0.8
Total
Note: data for 2015 current through March 25, 2015
261 100
Table 1 reports the frequency distribution of reasons for employment termination from fiscal year 2009-2010 through the first quarter of 2015. Over the past five and a half years,
261 employees have left Kutztown University (KU).
The first half of the table shows data for involuntary termination including retrenchment, unsatisfactory performance, and non-contract renewal, which account for approximately twenty percent of KU’s turnover. Discounting incentive separations, voluntary resignations account for nearly two-thirds of faculty and staff turnover.
Table 2 shows the breakdown of employment termination by subgroup. APSCUF had the highest number of employees leave KU (87) closely followed by AFSCME (75).
Comparatively, far fewer SCUPA employees leave KU (22). With respect to voluntary resignations, more than two-thirds of AFSCME departures (52) and SCUPA departures (19) come from employees willfully resigning their position. For APSCUF, slightly more than half of those leaving KU resigned.
The average number of APSCUF employees (tenure track/tenured and non-tenure track faculty) was 501.5.
2 Over the five-year period, the total turnover rate for APSCUF was
2 Data on the number of faculty and staff were compiled from the KU Factbooks, Fall 2009 through Fall 2013 ( http://www2.kutztown.edu/about-ku/administrativeoffices/institutional-research/factbooks.htm
).
3

approximately 15 percent. The turnover rate from voluntary resignations was approximately
9 percent.
For the five-year period, there was an average of 308.7 staff members employed at KU.
Combining AFSCME, OPEIU, SCUPA, and SPFPA employees, the overall turnover rate was approximately 33 percent. The turnover rate from voluntary resignations was approximately 25 percent.
Table 2
Departures by Subgroup
Subgroup
AFSCME
APSCUF
Coaches
Management
OPEIU
SCUPA
SPFPA
Other
Resignations
52
45
31
29
2
19
6
4
Total
Departures
68
87
33
36
3
20
10
4
Of the 261 departures, 121 were female and 140 were male. An analysis of gender and type of departure (involuntary v. voluntary) does not yield a statistically significant relationship between the two variables (chi-square = 2.31, p = 0.13).
1.1. HR Exit Survey Data
In addition to turnover data, HR also deployed exit interviews between May 15, 2013 and
March 27, 2015. The survey consists of twenty-six closed-response questions and eight open-ended questions. The twenty closed-response questions are divided into six subcategories: (1) work activities; (2) recognition/opportunity; (3) relationships; (4) work/life balance and physical environment; (5) communication; and (6) other.
Given the possibility that respondents could be identified from the open-ended questions, the Task Force was only given access to the quantitative data generated from the closedresponse questions. Sixty-four (64) surveys were completed and returned to KU.
3
Table 3 reports responses to the HR Survey questions. “Agree” entries refer to the percentage of respondents that “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” with the question. “Disagree” entries refer to the percentage of respondents that “Strongly Disagree” or “Disagree” with the question. The questions were ranked (high to low) based on the percent that agreed.
3 A copy of the survey is presented in Appendix A.
4

Table 3
HR Survey Ranked by Percent Agreeing with Question
Question
I have not experienced sexual, racial, ethnic, or religious harassment or discrimination at the University.
Safe work practices were followed in my work group.
Agree Disagree
44
42
2
0
Overall, I was satisfied with my physical working conditions (e.g., space, desk, lighting, noise).
The amount of work I was expected to do was reasonable.
I had access to resources I needed to do my job effectively.
People in my department work well together.
42
41
41
39
6
8
5
3
I had the training I needed to do my job effectively.
My workload allowed me to have sufficient personal time outside of work.
My manager treated me with respect.
My manager recognized people when they did a good job.
I had the appropriate level of support to do my job.
36
33
31
31
30
30
6
8
11
9
9
16 My manager was an effective listener.
In my department, there was open and honest two-way communication.
In my department, the policies were clearly communicated.
30
30
14
9
I was involved in decisions that affected my work.
My manager kept his/her commitments.
I would recommend Kutztown University as a place to work to my friends and family.
My performance was evaluated fairly taking into consideration established goals and other responsibilities.
I received an appropriate orientation to the University when I was hired.
I received timely and helpful feedback regarding my performance on a regular basis.
I was satisfied with my overall compensation - including pay, benefits, and other incentives.
I was satisfied with opportunities for professional training/development at the university.
Throughout the University, the policies were clearly communicated.
I could express my opinion without fear of retaliation.
I was satisfied with opportunities to move into other roles at Kutztown University
Throughout the University, there was open and honest - two-way communication.
28
28
28
27
27
25
25
25
22
22
16
14
16
9
11
11
9
16
8
5
8
17
14
9
5

Although caution should be exercised when drawing inferences from a relatively small sample with a high degree of self-selection bias, the results help illustrate some of the challenges employees face at KU. Notably, none of the questions yielded a majority of positive responses (50 percent or greater of respondents selecting strongly agree or agree).
The three statements receiving the highest percentages of agreement pertained to (1) respondents not directly experiencing harassment or discrimination; (2) safe practices in the work group; and (3) satisfaction with the physical working conditions. Interestingly, the results of the HR survey and the Institutional Climate Survey raise questions about harassment and discrimination on KU’s campus with mixed results. The Task Force intends to examine these issues more closely in Phase 2.
The three statements receiving the lowest percentages of agreement (and relatively high levels of disagreement) pertained to (1) open and honest two-way communication at the
University-level; (2) opportunities for career advancement; and (3) ability to express one’s opinion without fear of retaliation.
To augment the quantitative analysis, the Task Force conducted a small number of retention interviews with faculty and staff during the Fall 2015 semester.
4 Interviewees were selected by convenience and were known to the interviewers. The Task Force was able to interview current employees as well as a handful of employees who left the institution at the end of the
2014-2015 academic year.
The Task Force asked respondents questions pertaining to the Early Experience at KU, their
Sense of Community, and perceptions of Professional Development. Respondents also provided recommendations on how to improve KU. Summaries of comments for each section are as follows:
2.1. Early Experience at KU
 Impressive facilities/good location
 Competitive salary
 Good reputation/community is proud of KU brand
 Welcoming faculty
 High student diversity
 Low support for scholarly research
 Units are highly political
 No mentorship
4 The Retention Interview script is included in Appendix B.
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2.2. Sense of Community
 Mentorship/guidance is available, but mentors must be sought out
 No one is actively checking in with new faculty
 Lacking a female faculty to mentor
 Generally good relationship with people at KU
 Minimal contact with administrators
 Committees are the main source of socialization
 Sense of community generally limited to own unit/difficult to engage socially outside of department
2.3. Professional Development
 Career advancement is limited, particularly for staff
 Need to build a better support network
 Need to increase face-to-face/personal interactions
 KU could provide more grant and travel funding
 Provide better mentorship/workshops for career advancement
2.4. Areas of Improvement/Recommendations
 Traffic flow
 More frequent/more direct communication with administrators
 Better/easier funding for student research
 Reduce bureaucratic obstacles
After reviewing the HR data, Retention Interviews, and examination of the literature on faculty and staff retention, the Task Force identified three challenged the University Senate could address within the parameters of existing union contracts.
 Challenge 1: Vertical Communication
 Challenge 2: Horizontal Communication
 Challenge 3: Professional Development for Faculty and Staff
For each challenge, the Task Force provides an overview of the problem and offers three recommendations below:
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Challenge 1: Vertical Communication
1.1.
Problem Definition
Vertical communication is held between or among people who are on different levels of authority within a workplace. For example, in any given college at Kutztown University there is the Dean, the Associate Dean, the department chairs then the faculty comprised of professors, associate professors, assistant professors and adjunct professors. There is a hierarchy and consequently a top-down communication flow results.
In order for vertical communication to be effective it is important for all stakeholders to feel as though they have a voice. Best practices involve the person or people in charge to be willing to delegate responsibilities and basically give up control and power. All individuals should be approachable, open, supportive, solution-oriented rather than control-oriented, be a willing, receptive and empathetic listener, and offer constructive feedback when necessary.
The antiquated ways of thinking about vertical communication result in slow-decision making, resistance to creativity, inflexibility, trust issues, counter productiveness, and low morale. Within a collaborative workplace with healthy vertical communication there is transparency, surprises are avoided, opportunities for concerns shared without fear and follow-ups to be provided are afforded, expectations are created that actually can be carried out, and there is a sense of consistency both in content and process.
Here at Kutztown University, ensuring an open and transparent environment is one of the three most pressing concerns listed in the President’s checklist of initiatives. In the one-onone interviews conducted by the task force, one complaint is that the contact with administration at Kutztown is minimal. This reflects several problems.
 The administration has the image that they are very distant from the Kutztown community. This does not help with creating an open and transparent environment

 at Kutztown University.
While faculty and staff are the professionals who interact with students on a daily basis, many feel that their input on how the policies should be set up to ensure the smooth running of the university is not sufficiently valued. This creates damages to the morale of faculty and staff.
Faculty and staff often have new ideas to improve the university, but such proposals often need to pass through a chain of people. Not only is this inefficient, many ideas eventually die off in this process.
1.2. Solution
In order to improve the situation, it is suggested that administrative staff provide more means to make themselves available to their constituencies. Here is a list of suggested actions.
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1.2.1. Solution: Open Office Hours for Supervisors and Administrators
Administrative staff can consider setting up open office hours every week. Such office hours should be posted to all members in their constituencies. The rationales behind such suggestion are as follows.
 This shows the efforts of all administrators to strengthen communication with every
 member of Kutztown University. Such efforts can build a positive image for the administration.
The practice of office hours allows junior faculty and staff to develop a stronger tie with the rest of the Kutztown community.
 Ideas can flow more freely at Kutztown University, where new proposals can be discussed directly. This is the most precious environment needed in an academic institute.
1.2.2. Solution: Town-Hall Meetings
The idea of a Town Hall Meeting is nothing new but an idea worth revisiting at Kutztown
University.


Town Hall Meeting is an organization-wide meeting in which an executive report is made, and stakeholders have an opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussions with leaders. The idea is that all stakeholders get one message in a lively forum.
If a Town Hall Meeting is held once a semester by policymakers to address issues and/or concerns that arise, all stakeholders would have a clear understanding of these issues and a sense of transparency is created.
 Attendees would know that they are allowed and even encouraged to ask questions and that they have a voice.
Here are some suggestions on how Town Hall Meetings can be held.
 Town Hall Meetings can be held in large conference rooms, auditoriums, or virtually.
 Effective Town Hall Meetings begin with a focused report by the President or state of affairs and includes a great deal of time allotted for questions and answers.
 It is important to moderate the questions so everyone there feels as though their voice is heard and their questions are answered. The questions need to stick to the topic presented and be fair and just questions.
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 Using a "Round Robin" moderated format ensures that each attendee gets the full attention of president with ample time to ask questions and to add follow-up questions when necessary and appropriate.
 For a successful Town Hall meeting it is important to have clear objectives, create a detailed agenda, and be well organized with a project coordinator and moderator overseeing the meeting.
 When employees have the opportunity to ask questions and to see and hear a live presentation, a Town Hall meeting comes alive in a way that can yield productive results because attendees become vested.
1.2.3. Solution: Administrator Meetings with Departments/Units
Administrative staff may visit their respective units more often.
 For example, the Dean of each college can attend department meetings from time to time, so that faculty members can reflect their needs and concerns directly to the administrators.
 Through attending department meetings, the Dean may better understand the uniqueness and characteristic of each department. The Dean may also share some good practices of each department, so that the whole college can be more united and run more smoothly.
 One important note is that such visits aim at improving communication, and should be done in a manner so that no extra pressure is added to the units they visit.
1.3. Conclusion
In higher education a functional comprehensive vertical communication system model as a tool for supporting effective collaborative communication is paramount. Successful communication is key in keeping a university as a system of individuals working collaboratively for the betterment of the students and all stakeholders.
Challenge 2: Horizontal Communication
2.1. Problem Definition
Horizontal communication is held between people, departments, or divisions within the same level, position, rank or status of a workplace. This form of communication decreases misunderstanding thereby increasing efficiency and productivity. It may result in better implementation of top-level decisions because employees on lower levels can coordinate directly with each other in the implementation of decisions made at the top.
Advantages of horizontal communication:
 Easy exchange of ideas, knowledge and thoughts
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 Enhances mutual understanding
 Creates employee empowerment
 Creates link with different areas of expertise
In sum, horizontal communication makes an atmosphere where employees are comfortable to talk to people in different departments and essential in the workplace to increase job satisfaction and motivation.
2.2. Solution: Faculty/Staff Mentorship Program
Mentoring is all about learning. The value and purpose of a mentoring program for new employees is to increase employee retention and transition new employees into an organization. Networking, whether formal or informal, is key to the transitioning and retention of employees. Employees who have mentors are more likely to have greater job satisfaction. Mentoring programs can help eliminate obstacles, difficulties, or stumbling blocks new employees might encounter. Effective mentoring programs should allow new employees to freely ask questions and express themselves in order to gain the information necessary to effectively perform their jobs.
Mentoring is also a critical component in the retention and success of women and minorities. A mentor can help a new employee discover how to survive in an environment that may not be entirely welcoming to him/her. Mentoring is a valuable tool which can be used to build an effective and diverse organization as it assists to ensure that all employees are equally given the opportunity to be successful.
The goals of new employee mentoring are to:
 Accelerate an employee’s understanding of the university and adaptation to a new


 position
Increase employee loyalty
Promote diversity
Connect employees with one another (formal and informal/professional and social networking)
 Open the lines of communication
 Look after new employees’ welfare and provide employees with a person to listen to concerns as well as successes
 Safeguard the university’s new hire investment
 Enable employees to feel welcome and to believe they have a career or career path
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Recommendation: Creation of Senate Standing Committee; recommendations for mentees by college/unit
(PILOT) Faculty/Staff Mentorship Program
Purpose: To assist new employees in getting acquainted with the vast network of people and resources that makes Kutztown University a great place to work at.
Qualifications for Mentor:
· Mentors should be recommended by their division.
Qualifications for Mentee:
· Must be a newly hired fulltime employee
Timeline:
Each collective Bargaining unit will identify 5 mentors. These five mentors will be given 1 mentee to work with for 6 months. This would require at least 6 mentor/mentee interactions averaging one a month. 2 of the 6 interactions would be group mentor/mentee meetings from each bargaining unit.
Month 1: Group meets and discusses purpose and objectives of the program.
Month 2-5: Mentor/Mentee 1-1
Month 6: Group meets to close out the program and discuss successes and areas of development.
Each Month Mentors and Mentees would receive an email of discussion points that should be brought up during the meeting time.
Discussion Points Timeline:
· Month1 – Break the Ice – Get to know your Mentor/Mentee
· Month2
· Month3
· Month4
· Month5
· Month6 – Time to leave the nest but you’re always welcomed back
2.3. Solution: Increase Number of Committees with Mixed Constituencies
Faculty and staff reported that committee work was where they were most likely to meet people outside of their department/unit. The Task Force recommends, where applicable, the number of committees with mixed constituencies be increased.
2.4. Solution: Revisit Faculty-Staff-Student Luncheon Social
In previous years, the Provost’s office encouraged faculty, staff, and student interaction by offering free lunch vouchers. Interested faculty, staff, and students were placed into groups
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of three (one faculty, one staff, and one student), who then coordinated independently on a meeting time and location.
The Task Force believes the luncheon social was a worthwhile endeavor and that the administration revisits it as a strategy to encourage horizontal communication. However, the
Task Force believes that increasing the group size to include multiple staff, faculty, and student members would encourage the likelihood of participation and quality of the interactions.
Challenge 3: Professional Development for Faculty & Staff
3.1. Problem Definition
The rapid expansion of the university, economic conditions, and demographic changes have, however, resulted in widely divergent definitions, attitudes and perceptions regarding professional development. Broadly, speaking we use notion of growth and improvement to discuss professional development.
Following an examination of HR Exit Survey data and in-person interviews, the Task Force identified career progression as a chief concern among faculty and staff. In particular, staff members reported that contractual limitations as well as KU’s procedures for filling vacancies make it difficult for staff members to advance into higher ranking positions. For staff, opportunities for professional growth are important. Accommodation for continued training and career advancement are integral for retaining loyal and hardworking staff members. Many staff report working more due to budget constraints from the last recession, but at the same time have fewer opportunities for career advancement. While there are bureaucratic barriers, we found that professional development and growth should be recognized and valued much more. Through our interviews, we found concerns regarding mentorship, funding, unequal distribution of resources, lack of time, and support for faculty.
In line with the above recommendations on mentoring, there needs to be a culture - as well as a structure - that encourages professional growth.
As such, the Task Force makes the following recommendations:
3.2. Solution: In-House Training Programs
 At present, many opportunities for in-house professional development (e.g. grants, workshops) are distributed via email. One interviewee noted that we rely on email too much. A centralized database, website or calendar with professional development opportunities would help. This would help publicize the work of the Center for the
Enhancement of Teaching (CET), and the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects.
Other suggestions include developing formalized research writing groups, working papers talks, etc.
 Workshops were mentioned by several interviewees. Workshops that allow faculty and staff to learn from each other can resolve the connected problem of mentorship and professional development. Such collaboration also builds a sense of community that help retain faculty and staff.
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 o For example, the expansion of software training workshops beyond
Microsoft Office to include Adobe products, ARCGIS, or open-source software would help as well. Such projects, however, should ideally include interdisciplinary and faculty-staff collaboration.
For faculty, having mentors that can guide junior and mid-career faculty in the areas of research, teaching, and service are important. While mentorship is addressed above, those we interviewed frequently connected mentorship with professional development. It is worth noting that the topic of “research” is highly contentious on our campus. This is a cultural phenomenon that is difficult to solve. However, many of those interviewed noted recognition within their field as an important component of professional development.
3.3. Solution: Increase Employee Recognition
Professional activities should be recognized much more.
 In the past, the university published in its website a list of scholarly and professional contributions that were submitted to the Council of Trustees. This is no longer the case, and it should be re-instituted.
 There should be junior faculty research recognition, or possibly an award. Junior faculty are often the most mobile.
 In addition to publishing a list of scholarly and professional contributions, the establishment of an institutional repository would help in the recognizing the hard work of faculty and staff on campus.
 Community service from faculty and staff should be publicized more. Service
(broadly speaking) is an important part of professional development, but it is often ignored.
3.4. Solution: Cross-Training within Division
 Employees within divisions could be cross-trained to better understand the work of colleagues and/or supervisors.
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Appendix B: Retention Interview Script
I. Introduction
The charge of this committee is to recommend to the University Senate, practices and procedures to increase faculty and staff retention. The scope of this committee does not include any items specifically covered in any union contracts, nor recommendations to reduce teaching or advisement loads. The focus may explore resources, hospitality, collegiality, policy and procedure, education, mentoring outside of the department, HR or faculty orientation training, etc.
II. Consent
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. We expect the interview to take approximately 20 minutes. Your participation in this interview is voluntary. If you do not wish to participate, you may stop at any time. Responses will be anonymous and your name will not appear anywhere in the final write up. Any identifying information/responses will be redacted to protected your anonymity.
Your responses will only be recorded as coming from a particular division on campus e.g. APSCUF (e.g. College), AFSCME, SCUPA.
III. Interview Script
III.A. Early Experiences at KU
What made you want to work at KU?
What was your initial impression of KU? Can you name a few things that you find very different at KU than at other schools?
III.B. Sense of Community
How do you define mentorship? What are your experiences with mentorship/and or guidance (e.g. orientation) on this campus?
How is your relationship with people (including fellow colleagues in the department, department chair, administration, staff, and students) at KU? How is your work valued by: coworkers, supervisors, university administration, etc. ?
Do you believe your hard work is being recognized?
Do you feel like you are part of community?
How does your family like KU? Are they happy with living in the region? Are they satisfied or proud of you working at KU?
15

III.C. Professional Development
How do you define academic, scholarly, or professional excellence?
Do you believe that there are resources at KU for you to satisfy those criteria for academic, scholarly, or professional excellence? What could KU do to better support its employees?
What is the best and worst part of working for KU?
III.D. Future
Given what you have said about your life before you worked at Kutztown
University and given what you have said about your work now, how do you feel about the work that you do here at Kutztown University?
If you have a good friend deciding whether to take up a position at KU, what will you tell them about KU?
How do you see your future at KU? How do you think of the evaluation system on your work at KU?
What do you like to see to be changed at KU?
Have you ever considered leaving? What made you stay?
III.E. Recommendations
Do you have any recommendations for the committee? Anyone we should interview?
Interviewer, please record:
Bargaining Unit of Respondent:
Date of Interview:
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