Dear Colleagues,
[TL/DR: Thanks for filling out the COACHE survey; results will be forthcoming.]
One of my overarching priorities is to foster a workplace valued by our faculty, students, and staff, especially in these challenging times. There is no doubt that the pressures of an academic career are significant—especially during periods of constraint such as those we have experienced in recent times. Nonetheless, it is important that we continuously strive to do more to support our community and periodically assess how we are performing and what further might be done at the department, division, or university-wide level.
Earlier this year, Clarkson was one of many institutions that joined the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which administered a job satisfaction survey to our faculty. Clarkson’s response rate was 55.6% (higher than the average of 48%!), and our completion rate was 47.6%.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who took the time to respond to the COACHE survey. I understand that time is a precious resource, and I am committed to ensuring that your contribution to this effort is worthwhile. Your participation is a testament to your dedication to improving our workplace, and I am truly grateful for it.
Survey responses are grouped into several themes, including the nature of the teaching, research, and service aspects of faculty work, the clarity and reasonableness of our tenure and promotion processes, satisfaction with personal and family supports, levels of climate and collegiality, and other aspects of your work-life.
Later this year, COACHE will send us a comprehensive report of the findings, including results at peers and among a large cohort of similar institutions. To effectively respond to these findings, I will be convening a task force. This group will be responsible for assisting me in interpreting the data and developing strategies to address any areas of concern. You may follow our progress here: https://intranet.clarkson.edu/academic/academic-affairs/coache-survey/. In the meantime, I welcome all comments and your suggestions on how we can organize the campus community around disseminating, discussing, and acting upon the survey results toward keeping Clarkson a great place to advance the work and success of all faculty.
Sincerely,
Christopher C. Robinson, Provost
Marc P. Christensen, President
Alex Cohen, Chair of the Faculty Senate
and The COACHE Survey Team
Ashley Sweeny, Ignite
Evan Brooksby, Reh School of Business
Karen Hoover, Occupational Therapy
Krista Larock, Reh School of Business
Laurel Kuxhaus, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Lauren Petley, Psychology
Santosh Mahapatra, Reh School of Business