UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In early February 2025, Penn State will be launching a nationally recognized satisfaction survey for all eligible full-time faculty, as part of a joint effort between Penn State’s Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and the University Faculty Senate. Administered by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) at Harvard University, the survey will provide critical insight into the lived experiences of Penn State’s full-time faculty and identify areas of strength and for improvement.
Penn State Human Resources will be launching a separate survey for full-time staff next spring as well, with more information about that effort to be shared in the coming months.
Penn State joins hundreds of other participating colleges and universities nationwide that also have administered the COACHE faculty satisfaction survey. The University has entered into an initial three-year partnership with COACHE, which entails not only administration of the survey in year one, but guidance and support in years two and three as University and faculty leaders review the results, have meaningful conversations, set priorities and track progress.
Learn more: Learn more about the COACHE effort by visiting this link. This website will be updated as the COACHE process continues over the next three years and will act as a resource for the University community.
“Our faculty are at the very core of our academic mission, and I am personally committed to their success and to the effective shared governance of our University,” said Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost. “This partnership with Faculty Senate will provide critical insight into the lived experiences of our faculty, including bright spots and challenges, as they support our institutional mission in important ways. Getting a clear sense of the needs of our faculty will help us to identify and prioritize opportunities to better support our faculty in achieving their goals and foster an environment in which our faculty can thrive.”
Topics covered by the survey will include shared governance, engagement, collegiality, recruitment and retention, appreciation and recognition, interdisciplinary work, institutional leadership, resources and support, promotion and tenure, and more.
Josh Wede, chair of the University Faculty Senate, said participation by eligible full-time faculty members will be critical to the effort’s success and will help to identify areas for focus at all levels of the organization.
“The COACHE survey is a key priority of Faculty Senate that has been discussed across multiple years. The results will allow us to have meaningful conversations about the full-time faculty experience and allow us to all work together to improve the working conditions across the university,” Wede said. “For this to meaningfully impact change, it is important that we all engage across the entire process. And this starts with completing the survey.”
Langkilde said the survey is designed to provide a broad view of trends across Penn State, but also will provide opportunities to generate discussion and affect change at the campus and department levels.
“When the survey launches in February, I strongly encourage all eligible faculty members to participate. By taking the survey, faculty members will directly inform our understanding of faculty experiences and provide data-driven insight into opportunities for action,” Langkilde said. “Understanding the needs and experiences of our faculty members is critical to our continued ability to recruit and retain our brightest scholars, and to identifying key to support our faculty in excelling in their chosen careers.”
The COACHE faculty satisfaction survey will be open from February through April. All eligible full-time faculty -- tenure-line, tenured, and non-tenure-line – at all campuses will receive additional communication as the launch date approaches. At launch, all active full-time faculty who have been employed for at least one year in a faculty role at Penn State and who are not in their terminal year after being denied tenure will receive a confidential, individualized link to take the survey, which should take about 25 minutes to complete.
Penn State expects to share results in fall 2025, and then move into the discovery phase, which will involve interpreting results and developing recommendations and strategies in response. More information about the discovery phase, which will involve representation from across colleges and campuses, will be shared in 2025.
Visit Penn State’s COACHE website for additional information, including timelines, committee membership, eligibility requirements, frequently asked questions and more, and to follow progress over time. Questions can be sent to coache@psu.edu.