A climate survey gathers feedback from faculty to better understand their experiences and satisfaction in areas relevant to faculty development. The objectives of the faculty climate surveys at the University of Arizona are:
- To gather comprehensive information and insights about current experiences and perceptions in areas critical to faculty success.
- To develop well-informed strategies that highlight strengths and identify areas for improvement, fostering a positive and supportive working environment for faculty at the University of Arizona.
At the bottom of this website you can find reports from the 2023 UofA Faculty Climate Survey and the 2024 Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Survey.
Climate Survey History at UofA
- The UofA has been involved with the COACHE survey since 2005, with participation in 2005, 2013, 2017 and 2024.
- The Organizational Health Index was completed in 2018. Subsequently in Spring 2019, a strategic initiative was created to address next steps for campus, Our Best Work Environment (OBWE) Strategic Plan Implementation Initiative 5.1A. Nineteen Praxis workshops were held with 247 faculty and staff in attendance. Through this process it was indicated that there was an interest for the University of Arizona to create our own internal survey to regularly assess work environment with a focus on motivation, leadership, and fostering a respectful workplace. The OBWE Subcommittee Assessment team worked with local experts and Faculty Affairs to develop and pilot test a climate survey in Spring 2020. This work was paused and then after strategic initiative funding was stopped, the responsibility moved to other offices where reviews and editing of the survey was continued, but not implemented until Fall 2023 by Faculty Affairs.
Reports
In November 2023, Faculty Affairs emailed all tenure/tenure-eligible, continuing status/continuing-eligible, career-track and adjunct faculty to invite them to participate in the survey. The report highlights significant aspects of the faculty experience and their working environment with particular insights into the faculty climate and informed strategies that can enhance a positive and supporting working environment.
The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey is a national initiative administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It gathers insights from faculty on a range of critical issues impacting their success with peer comparisons.
The COACHE survey was administered at UofA between February and March of 2024. It was distributed to all tenure/tenure-eligible, continuing status/continuing-eligible, and career-track faculty through email from the COACHE team at Harvard.
The university received the survey results in Fall 2024 from the COACHE team. In Fall 2024, Faculty Affairs requested faculty working group nominations from Faculty Senate and from Deans of all 21 colleges in order to examine the results and prepare a report with action items. Regular meetings in Fall 2024 were coordinated between the working group members, Faculty Affairs, and University Analytics & Institutional Research with the following objectives:
- Review COACHE survey results to ensure they are shared with the campus community in a clear and accessible way.
- Identify and recommend action items to address areas needing improvement, highlight University strengths, and discuss ways to sustain and build on those strengths.
For more Information on Climate Surveys with Students, Staff or Faculty Subgroups:
To read more about the University of Arizona Campus Climate Survey assessing the career-track experience please visit this website.
To read more about the University of Arizona Campus Climate Survey assessing the student experience visit this website.
To read more about the University of Arizona Campus Climate Survey assessing the staff experience visit this website.