COACHE Survey
Providing an environment through which faculty find satisfaction and success continues to be a high priority for Baylor University. As part of that work the University has partnered with Harvard to administer the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey. This survey, administered every fourth year, helps us assess faculty needs and provides data from which we can work collaboratively to develop solutions that support faculty satisfaction. This partnership began in fall 2019 when Provost Nancy Brickhouse formed a task force to assess faculty satisfaction and identify strategies to enhance the faculty experience, retention, and productivity. The task force recommended implementation of the COACHE survey, and the first survey of all faculty was conducted in spring 2020.
COACHE is a research-practice partnership and network of peer institutions dedicated to improving outcomes in faculty recruitment, development, and retention. Under COACHE, more than 300 colleges and universities have strengthened their capacity to identify the drivers of faculty success and implement informed changes.
Baylor is preparing for the COACHE survey to be administered again in February 2024. Once again, all faculty will be invited to participate in the survey, and the results will be shared publicly and used to inform meaningful improvements in areas identified by our results.
Actions and Impacts of the 2020 Survey
The 2020 COACHE survey identified opportunities for growth in four areas: underrepresented minority (URM) faculty experiences, decision-making across all levels, barriers to interdisciplinary research and teaching, and mid-career uncertainty.
The Task Force on Faculty Satisfaction, joined by four dedicated faculty working groups and the Office of the Provost, further analyzed the data from our 2020 COACHE survey and engaged faculty in conversations to develop data-driven initiatives that would increase faculty job satisfaction and strengthen shared governance.
Among the initiatives recommended by these working groups, the actions below reflect the faculty-driven improvements that resulted from broad participation in the COACHE survey process.
Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Faculty
Dr. Stephen Reid was appointed Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity & Belonging. In addition, the Deans have each appointed someone to lead efforts to support growth in diversity and belonging in their schools/colleges. Baylor's most recent cohort of new faculty is its most diverse ever. Dr. Reid continues to work to promote mentoring opportunities for URM faculty and initiate collaborations that will enhance faculty belonging and inclusion. Additional insight into URM experiences will be gleaned from the upcoming COACHE survey.
Promoting and Facilitating Interdisciplinarity
The Provost Newsletter and school-level communication channels aim to disseminate, connect, and promote interdisciplinarity across campus. Discussions are underway about how to integrate interdisciplinary research into promotion guidelines and train department chairs to evaluate interdisciplinary work. The University centers and institutes, such as the Academy for Teaching and Learning and the Institute for Faith and Learning, continue to connect faculty across the disciplines in workshops and seminars and foster collaborative research and teaching.
Clarifying and Communicating Decision-Making Processes
Many governance concerns require university, unit, and departmental solutions. A comprehensive review of committee structures has been completed and approved through the Faculty Senate. Academic units and departments have written bylaws and procedures for decision-making. Required training has been instituted for division directors and department chairs. The provost continues to confer with deans, chairs, and faculty members to see what changes in governance processes might promote faculty flourishing.
Facilitating the Development and Advancement of Mid-Career Faculty
New procedures for promotion to the rank of Professor are being implemented across academic units. Scaffolded promotion processes that encourage associate professors to pursue promotion are included in requisite division director and chair training. A third tier of promotion opportunities is being finalized for Senior Lecturers. Additional training and mentoring opportunities have been instituted across administrative and academic units.
News
Read More NewsThis week, you will be invited to participate in an important faculty survey that will help us better understand faculty job satisfaction – areas of faculty concern, areas of success and challenges facing our faculty as a whole.
Baylor University will participate in Harvard’s Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey beginning the week of February 5, 2024. Completion of the web-based survey is expected to take approximately 25 minutes. Survey participation and responses are confidential and managed by Harvard’s COACHE team.
The COACHE Committee, which is comprised of faculty from across the University’s schools and colleges, will be instrumental in preparing for the survey, recommending supplemental questions that further assess and build upon findings in 2020, and communicating with peers regarding the survey timeline and importance of participation.
I am pleased to share with you that Stephen B. Reid, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Scriptures with Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, has been selected to serve in a new position as the University’s Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity & Belonging.