2024 COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey
Let your voice be heard by participating in the 2024 Collaborative on Academic Careers in High Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey.
About the COACHE Survey
Since 2005, NC State has actively engaged in the national Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction survey, developed and administered by the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. The COACHE survey is a comprehensive, confidential, assessment tool that gauges satisfaction and engagement among both tenured/tenure-track and professional track faculty on a broad range of work-related experiences. Survey results provide benchmarks against institutional peers, as well as comparisons between groups of faculty at NC State, and trends over time. Results inform university leaders of trends and issues involving faculty satisfaction, with the data generated providing justification and evidence for updating policies and implementing initiatives.
Completing the survey is confidential and we encourage robust faculty participation to ensure continued valuable impact for both colleges and the university. The survey should take approximately 25 minutes to complete.
2024 Survey Participation
During the week of February 5, 2024, faculty at NC State who are eligible to participate in the survey will receive an email from COACHE (coachefaculty@opinioncast.com) that includes a unique URL to access the online survey. Between then and when the survey closes the week of April 1, COACHE will send up to five email reminders to non-respondents.
Please note that the URL in your email from COACHE is just for you; do not forward your email to others or use a URL intended for another faculty member. Once a survey has been submitted using a link, the link cannot be used again to access the survey. If you believe you are eligible to participate and do not receive an email, please check your spam folder. If you can’t find your email, please reach out to COACHE at coachefaculty@abtassoc.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re here to answer common questions about the COACHE survey.
Find the answers to your questions
COACHE’s Impact at NC State
COACHE survey results inform university leaders of trends and issues involving faculty satisfaction.
Learn how the survey makes a difference
Past COACHE Survey Results
Reports and an interactive dashboard with filterable COACHE trend data are available for your review.
See past results
Survey Response Rates by College/Unit
We strongly encourage all those invited to participate in the survey to do so. Higher participation means that the data better reflect a variety of faculty experiences, ensuring that the results are more representative and actionable.
College/unit with the current highest 2024 response rate is the Libraries with 71%. The 2024 data is as of April 5, 2024.
| College/Unit | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and Life Sciences | 39% | 28% | 41% |
| Design | 51% | 18% | 31% |
| Education | 53% | 35% | 44% |
| Engineering | 44% | 23% | 33% |
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 55% | 30% | 32% |
| Libraries | 53% | 37% | 71% |
| Management | 45% | 20% | 33% |
| Natural Resources | 51% | 34% | 45% |
| Sciences | 53% | 32% | 40% |
| Textiles | 47% | 33% | 63% |
| University College | 47% | 42% | 47% |
| Veterinary Medicine | 55% | 33% | 36% |
| NC State Overall | 49% | 29% | 39% |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is COACHE?
The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey is a national survey that collects information on areas identified as critical to faculty satisfaction and engagement, and therefore, to recruitment and retention efforts. It is the most comprehensive survey in which NC State asks our faculty to participate, covering topics such as: overall satisfaction with the university; tenure and promotion; interdisciplinary work and collaboration; mentoring; university leadership; shared governance; the nature of work as related to teaching, research, and service; and personal and family policies. NC State also includes a number of campus-specific questions for our faculty. Reports on results from the core COACHE survey provide benchmarks against peer institutions, comparisons between groups of faculty at NC State (e.g., by rank, tenure status), and trends over time. Learn more about results from past surveys and see examples of how NC State has used the results.
NC State has participated in the COACHE survey on a triennial basis since AY 2005-2006. We are now inviting faculty to participate in the spring 2024 survey.
Who is eligible to participate?
All full time pre-tenured, tenured, and professional track faculty, including librarians and extension faculty, are eligible to participate, with the following exclusions:
- Faculty hired after December 31, 2022
- Faculty in their terminal year (i.e., after being denied tenure)
- Faculty with senior administrative appointments (i.e., SAAO Tiers 1 and 2)
How can I participate in the survey?
During the week of February 5, 2024, faculty at NC State who are eligible to participate in the survey will get an email from COACHE (coachefaculty@opinioncast.com) that includes a unique URL to access the online survey. Between then and when the survey closes the week of April 1, COACHE will send up to five email reminders to non-respondents.
Please note that the URL in your email from COACHE is just for you; do not forward your email to others or use a URL intended for another faculty member. Once a survey has been submitted using a link, the link cannot be used again to access the survey.
If you believe you are eligible to participate (see above for eligibility criteria), and do not receive an email, please check your spam folder. If you can’t find your email, please reach out to COACHE at coachefaculty@abtassoc.com.
Am I required to participate?
We strongly encourage all those invited to participate in the survey to do so. The more faculty that participate the more representative and actionable our results will be. Higher participation better enables NC State to drill down to see results for specific population groups, such as by rank, tenure status, and college. However, participation is voluntary.
Who at NC State is responsible for COACHE?
At NC State, the Office for Faculty Excellence and the survey team in Institutional Strategy and Analysis (ISA) lead an advisory committee comprised of faculty and administrators to plan the spring 2024 COACHE survey, including developing campus-specific questions and developing and implementing a communication strategy. ISA is responsible for analyzing the survey data and preparing summary reports. After receiving the results of the survey, the advisory committee will identify key findings, develop recommendations, and identify and implement strategies to communicate the findings to the campus community.
How is confidentiality protected?
The survey is confidential. While each eligible faculty member is assigned a unique URL to access their survey, no personally identifiable information is included on the record of responses.
In a process approved by Harvard’s and NC State’s institutional review board, COACHE will provide ISA with their summary analysis, as well as a confidential, de-identified unit-record database. The data will be received and kept on a secure server by the assistant vice provost for institutional survey research and analysis, Dr. Nancy Whelchel. No one outside the survey team in ISA will have access to the unit-record data. To protect confidentiality and guarantee that the results of this survey cannot influence personnel decisions about individual faculty members, ISA staff will disseminate results only with data aggregated in cells of five respondents or more so individual faculty cannot be identified.
What is the timeline for COACHE?
- September 2023: COACHE faculty satisfaction survey advisory committee forms
- February 2024: COACHE faculty satisfaction survey launches
- February – April 2024: COACHE dashboard updated regularly with college participation rates
- April 2024: COACHE survey closes
- Mid-summer 2024: COACHE sends reports and data to Institutional Strategy and Analysis
- Fall 2024: ISA and COACHE advisory committee prepare and distribute reports on results
What if I want more information?
At NC State, contact:
- Kimberly Grainger, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Policy, Office for Faculty Excellence
- Nancy Whelchel, Assistant Vice Provost for Institutional Survey Research and Analysis, Institutional Strategy and Analysis
At COACHE:
- Find information on their website: https://coache.gse.harvard.edu/about/contact
- See COACHE’s FAQ about the survey
- Email coachefaculty@abtassoc.com
Who is on the COACHE advisory committee?
| Name | Title | College/Division |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy Whelchel | Assistant Vice Provost for Institutional Survey Research and Analysis | Institutional Strategy and Analysis (ISA) |
| Kimberly Grainger | Associate Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Policy | Office for Faculty Excellence (OFE) |
| Hannah McQueen | Assistant Director for Survey Research | ISA |
| Kyle Miskell | Director of External Awards | OFE |
| Janet Del Pinal | Program and Communications Specialist | OFE |
| Sherry Bailey | Internal Faculty Awards Coordinator and Faculty Support Specialist | OFE |
| David Hinks | Dean | Wilson College of Textiles and Chair of the Faculty Well Being Advisory Committee |
| Marielle Pocan | Assistant for Communications | Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost |
| Melvin “Jai” Jackson | Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Engagement | Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity |
| Laura Nelson | Associate Dean and Director of Academic Affairs | College of Veterinary Medicine |
| Kathy Woodford | Senior Employee Relations Strategic Partner | University Human Resources |
| Josh Boyer | Department Head, User Experience | NC State Libraries |
| Herle McGowan | Teaching Professor and Faculty Senate | College of Sciences |
| Lincoln Larson | Associate Professor | College of Natural Resources |
| Courtney Thornton | Associate Vice Provost for Strategy, Implementation and Communication | ISA |
COACHE’s Impact at NC State
The COACHE Survey results inform university leaders of trends and issues involving faculty satisfaction. The data generated by the survey provide justification and evidence for updating policies and implementing initiatives. Just a few examples of the many ways the COACHE data have been helpful in the past are listed below.
- Awards and Recognition
- The Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence was created to award professional faculty for their teaching efforts in 2021.
- A dedicated position was created in the Office for Faculty Excellence in 2019 to support faculty applying for external awards.
- Interdisciplinary (Cross-Silo Work)
- A new university level unit, the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs was developed to create a centralized unit to address interdisciplinary work at the universit.y
- Mentorship
- The Office for Faculty Excellence has created online resources for mentorship and hosted several sessions on mentorship at New Faculty Orientation and throughout the year.
- Faculty Well Being Advisory Committee
- The Provost established the Faculty Well Being Advisory Committee, which uses COACHE data in making recommendations to the Provost.
- Learning Communities and Affinity Groups
- Establishment of the faculty learning communities and affinity groups based on shared demographics
- University Human Resources initiatives
- Improvements in spouse and partner hiring programs
- HR “Management Essentials” workshop for all supervisors
- Promotion and Tenure Policies and Practices
- Creating and clarifying policies and practices related to contract and promotion for professional track faculty
- Provost Faculty Fellow Carolyn Bird is developing a promotion and tenure mentoring program to support the success of faculty.
- Provost Faculty Fellow Daniel Monek is working with departments and colleges to create or revise standards and procedures rules for Professional Track Faculty.
- NC State’s Strategic Plan
- Track success for goals related to support for teaching, research, and interdisciplinarity
- NSF ADVANCE Grant
- COACHE data was included in NC State’s application for an NSF ADVANCE grant, and provided metrics to track the success of programming efforts after the grant was awarded.
- SEA Change Grant
- COACHE data was instrumental in evaluating and applying for the awarded SEA Change Bronze recognition.
Past Survey Results
There are multiple ways to learn more about the results of previous COACHE surveys.
Interactive Dashboard
Institutional Strategy and Analysis has developed an interactive dashboard with COACHE trend data (2011, 2015, 2018, and 2021 administrations), filterable by year, tenure track status (tenure track, professional track), tenure status (tenure track only; tenured vs pre-tenured), rank (tenure track faculty only; full, associate, assistant), gender and race/ethnicity. Also included are trend comparisons between NC State overall results and those of our aggregated COACHE peer group.
Reports
Reports with results from past COACHE surveys are available on the ISA website. Reports for each administration of the survey include: a summary overview of findings for NC State faculty overall and by tenure status, faculty rank, and various demographics; a summary overview by benchmark themes; data tables with breakouts by subgroups; data tables with peer comparisons; and a PowerPoint presentation.