Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative

Faculty asked to participate in Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey

Katarina Benson — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:49:41 +0000

Faculty asked to participate in Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey Katarina Benson Mon, 02/10/2025 - 11:49

In This Story

This spring, ��AV full-time faculty can once again make their voices heard by participating in the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey, a national survey designed specifically to understand the job satisfaction of instructional and research faculty. The survey launched in early February and will be open until early April.

Results from prior cycles of the COACH survey (2019, 2022) allowed George Mason to focus on areas of growth around promotion and tenure, recognition and appreciation, faculty mentoring, and salary and compensation. Headway continues to be made on these efforts in part due to the robust data from the COACHE survey.

In the 2025 survey, all full-time tenure-line and instructional faculty will report their satisfaction with their experiences at George Mason across several domains including reappointment, promotion and tenure; the nature of their work, inclusive of teaching, research, and service; shared governance; and the general climate, culture, and level of collegiality.

“It is critical that we continue to gain insight into how faculty feel that we are doing, as an institution, in helping them meet their professional goals,” said Kim Eby, vice provost for faculty affairs and development and cochair of the Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative. “Our strong response rates in the past not only gave us confidence in the findings, but quite frankly served as a call to action to make improvements in several areas. George Mason cannot meet our strategic goals and aspirations for student success and R1 growth without continuing to support and invest in our faculty.”

The confidential survey is administered by COACHE, a national research-practice partnership in the Harvard Graduate School of Education that dedicated to improving outcomes in faculty recruitment, development, and retention. Under COACHE, more than 250 colleges, universities, and state systems have strengthened their capacity to identify the drivers of faculty success and implement informed changes, including multiple Virginia schools and R1 institutions.

Harvard COACHE will provide a summary report and findings to George Mason in the summer. The Mason COACHE Leadership team, a group of faculty and administrators from across the campus—including representatives from multiple colleges and schools—will facilitate engaging the George Mason community in reviewing the findings and drafting those action plans.

Supriya Baily, a professor in the College of Education and Human Development, is cochair of the COACHE Leadership Team. “Our action plans have provided tangible ways for departments, local academic units and university administrators to change practice and update policy,” she said. “In this critical time, hearing from faculty members about what matters to them can have a profound effect on how George Mason shapes priorities moving forward.”

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Faculty and Staff News

Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative

Mason faculty urged to participate in new Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey

Colleen Rich — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:28:16 +0000

Mason faculty urged to participate in new Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey Colleen Rich Mon, 02/07/2022 - 08:28

��AV faculty have a new opportunity to share their opinions of their professional environment and experiences in a new Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey launching Wednesday, Feb. 9.

In the 2022 survey, tenure-line and term full-time faculty will evaluate their experiences at Mason regarding promotion and tenure, the nature of their work, policies and practices, and the general climate, culture and level of collegiality. They will also have the opportunity to share their opinions on several items related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The faculty’s strong 63% response rate to the Spring 2019 Harvard COACHE Faculty Survey led Mason to focus on areas of growth around promotion and tenure, recognition and appreciation, support for interdisciplinary work, faculty mentoring, and salary and compensation, with significant gains in many of these areas.

“The COACHE survey is a powerful tool to gain insight into the quality of work/life/career experiences for our faculty, who are the central pillar of Mason—shaping the quality of education we provide, serving as the repository of our history and culture, and driving the university’s future,” Provost Mark Ginsberg said. “The COACHE survey is an important part of Mason’s commitment to its faculty, to a healthy campus climate, and to the ongoing assessment and improvement of the university. I encourage that members of our community participate in the survey.”

The confidential survey is administered by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), a national research-practice partnership in the Harvard Graduate School of Education that dedicated to improving outcomes in faculty recruitment, development, and retention. More than 250 colleges, universities, and state systems—including multiple Virginia schools and R1 institutions—have used COACHE to strengthen their capacity to identify the drivers of faculty success and implement informed changes.

“It is critical that we continue to gain insight into how faculty feel that we are doing, as an institution, in helping them meet their professional goals. Our strong response rate in spring 2019 not only gave us confidence in the findings, but quite frankly served as a call to action to make improvements in a number of areas,” said Kim Eby, vice provost for faculty affairs and development and co-chair of the Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative. “Mason cannot meet our strategic goals and aspirations for student success without continuing to support and invest in our faculty.”

Harvard COACHE will provide a summary report and findings to Mason this summer. The Mason COACHE Leadership team, a group of faculty and administrators from across the campus—including representatives from multiple colleges and schools, will then develop a strategy for engaging the Mason community in reviewing the findings and drafting those action plans.

COACHE will email unique links to all full-time instructional and research faculty around the Feb. 9 start date, and the survey will be open until early April.

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Faculty and Staff News

Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey

Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative

COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey highlights Mason’s strengths, provides roadmap for improvements

Colleen Rich — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000

COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey highlights Mason’s strengths, provides roadmap for improvements Colleen Rich Fri, 12/06/2019 - 05:00

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Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey

Faculty

Mason COACHE Faculty Engagement Initiative

Faculty and Staff News