Faculty Survey 2007-2008
Teaching Faculty Goals and Opinions
Prepared by Mary Ann Weaver and Max Shannon
April 30, 2009

Links to tables

Table 1: Goals for Undergraduate Students Table 5: Opinions on Issues
Table 2: Attributes Noted as being Very Descriptive of Institution Table 6: Importance of Personal Goals
Table 3: Agreement With Statements About Institution Table 7: Satisfaction with job
Table 4: Importance of Priorities at College  

 

 

Table 1: Goals for Undergraduate Students Noted as Very Important or Essential

 

Earlham professors

All Institutions
Peer Group

 

2007
2004

 2001

 1998

 1995
2007
2007

Develop ability to think critically
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
97.8
99.6
99.8
Promote ability to write effectively
96.9
92.9
N/A
N/A
N/A
96.4
98.4
Help master knowledge in a discipline
92.3
90.4
N/A
N/A
N/A
95.1
96.3

Enhance students’ knowledge of and appreciation for other racial/ethnic groups
90.8
78.6

75.0

84.3

N/A
75.2
78.9

Prepare for graduate education
86.2
78.5

73.1

71.9

46.8
75.5
80.3
Instill a basic appreciation of the liberal arts
86.2
73.8
N/A
N/A
N/A
72.8
90.6

Develop moral character
84.6
69.0

82.7

75.0

76.6
70.2
60.1

Enhance students self-understanding
84.6
78.6

76.9

87.5

72.3
71.8
72.2

Help students develop personal values
83.1
64.3

78.9

84.4

N/A
66.1
60.7
Develop creative capacities
81.5
71.4
N/A
N/A
N/A
81.5
85.7

Study a foreign language

81.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
54.2
70.3

Provide for emotional development
75.4
61.9

61.6

68.8

59.6
48.1
42.6

Prepare for employment
72.3
59.5

52.0

56.2

40.4
81.5
62.4

Instill in students a commitment to community service
64.6
50.0

40.4

50.0

39.1
55.5
44.8

Prepare students for family living
26.2
N/A

13.4

31.2

17.0
21.2
10.5

Teach students the classic works of Western civilization
21.5
N/A

32.7

37.5

26.1
34.7
35.6

Teaching faculty were asked to indicate the importance to them of each of the following education goals for undergraduate students. The most important goal for all teaching faculty at Earlham and elsewhere was to develop students' ability to think critically. And while 75.4% of Earlham teaching faculty felt that providing for students' emotional development was very important or essential, only 48.1% nationwide and 42.6% of our peer institutions placed much importance on this. A higher percentage of Earlham faculty considered helping students develop personal values, developing moral character, studying a foreign language and instilling in them a commitment to community service to be very important or essential goals, compared to teaching faculty at other institutions.

 

Table 2: Attributes Noted as Being Very Descriptive of Institution

 

Earlham
All Institutions
Peer Group

 

2007
2004

2001

1998

1995
2007

2007
 
%
%
%

%
%
%
%

Easy to see faculty outside of office hours
81.5
82.9

83.0

84.8

83.0
60.6

88.5

Faculty respect each other
72.3
80.5

62.3

84.8

70.2
47.6
52.9
There is respect for the expression of diverse values and beliefs
60.0
64.3
N/A
N/A
N/A
35.8
43.7

Faculty rewarded for good teaching
43.1
56.1

45.3

34.4

52.2
16.0
34.1
Faculty are rewarded for their efforts to work with under prepared students
15.6
17.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
5.7
5.9
Faculty rewarded for their efforts to use instructional technology
12.5
10.0
N/A
N/A
N/A
20.3
17.6

Faculty are typically at odds with the administration
7.7
0

7.5

0

23.4
19.4
17.2

Social activities overemphasized
6.2
2.4

3.8

0

0
8.3
12.8

Most students treated like numbers
1.5
0

0

0

0
3.8
.7

Teaching faculty at Earlham and at our peer institutions are more likely to feel that it is easy for students to see faculty outside of office hours compared to the national sample of teaching faculty. The notion of respect for all persons comes out strongly in the Earlham data. In the latest survey, many agreed that the statements "faculty respect each other" and "there is respect for the expression of diverse values and beliefs" were very descriptive of Earlham. This was less true in the national sample and in the sample from our peer group institutions. Also, a higher percentage of Earlham faculty indicated that "faculty rewarded for good teaching" was very descriptive of Earlham. Faculty being rewarded for efforts at using instructional technology was not as descriptive of Earlham as it was at other institutions.

 

Table 3: Agree Strongly or Agree Somewhat with these Statements about your Institution

 
Earlham
All Institutions
Peer Group

 

2007
2004

2001

1998

1995
2007

2007
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

Faculty strongly interested in student’s acad. problems
96.9
97.6
N/A
N/A
N/A
87.8
97.1

Faculty are interested in students problems
95.4
95.2

98.1

100.0

95.7
83.2
92.1
My values are congruent with dominant institutional values
95.4
92.8
N/A
N/A
N/A
72.6
75.3
My teaching valued by faculty in my dept
95.2
95.1
N/A
N/A
N/A
89.6
93.3
Faculty sufficiently involved in decision-making
90.8
90.4
N/A
N/A
N/A
52.9
70.7

Students strongly committed to community service
89.2
88.1
N/A
N/A
N/A
51.0
72.7
Criteria for advancement/promotion is clear
83.1
73.8
N/A
N/A
N/A
72.1
76.4
Adequate support for faculty development
80.0
68.3
N/A
N/A
N/A
67.6
78.6

My research valued by faculty in my dept
79.4
74.4

76.9

80.6

N/A
73.7
83.7

Faculty feel that most students are well prepared academically

78.5
85.4

47.2

72.7

63.8
44.2
79.1
Adequate support for integrating technology in my teaching
78.5
82.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
84.2
86.8
My department does good job mentoring new faculty
72.3
80.0
N/A
N/A
N/A
69.2
78

Racial and ethnic diversity should be more strongly reflected in the in curriculum
60.0
64.3

75.0

N/A

N/A
58.5
66.6
Institution takes responsibility for educating under prepared students
53.8
66.7
N/A
N/A
N/A
63.4
56.6
Institution should not offer remedial education
21.5
29.3
N/A
N/A
N/A
28.2
47.4

There is a lot of campus racial conflict
15.4
2.4

9.4

12.5

10.6
10.6
22.0
Most students I teach lack basic skills for college level work
15.4
2.4
N/A
N/A
N/A
36.4
9

Notably, 90.8 percent of Earlham teaching faculty felt sufficiently involved in the decision making process. It is encouraging to see that a much higher percentage of Earlham teachers agreed that the students they taught are well prepared academically compared to the national sample. While 21.5% of Earlham faculty and 28.2% of the national sample agreed that their institution should not offer remedial education, 47.4% of the faculty from our peer institutions did not agree with that philosophy.

 

Table 4: Indicate how important you believe each priority is at your college

Mean Scores
Earlham
Peer Group
1=Low Priority 2=Medium Priority 3=High priority 4=Highest Priority

 

2007
2004
2001

 
2007
To promote the intellectual development of students
3.7
3.78
3.42
3.7
To develop a sense of community among students/faculty
3.2
3.51
3.49
2.8
To create a diverse multi-cultural campus environment
3.2
3.41
3.15
2.8
To develop leadership ability among students
3.0
3.0
2.87
2.7
To help students learn how to change society
3.0
3.37
3.32
2.2
To promote gender equity among faculty
3.0
3.05
N/A
2.7
To increase the representation of minorities in faculty/administration
2.9
3.05

N/A
2.7
To increase the representation of women in the faculty/administration
2.9
2.68
N/A
2.4
To recruit more minority students
2.8
3.05
3.13
2.8
To enhance the institution's national image
2.6
3.05
2.55
3.0
To increase or maintain institutional prestige
2.4
2.48
2.13
2.9
To create and sustain partnerships with surrounding communities
2.2
2.44
N/A
2.1
To provide resources for faculty to engage in community-based teaching or research
2.2
2.13
N/A
2.1
To pursue extramural funding
2.1
2.33
N/A
2.4
To hire faculty "stars"
1.5
1.38
1.30
1.7

Earlham faculty sense a high priority given to promoting the intellectual level of their students, developing a sense of community between students and faculty and creating a diverse multi-cultural campus environment. Maintaining institutional prestige and national image have seemed a lower priority at Earlham than in our peer group and received a lower rating than in 2004.

Faculty members were asked to rank parts of their job by importance. The majority (98.5%) of Earlham teaching faculty respondents said that teaching was "very important" or "essential" while only 67.7% said the same for research. Teaching faculty at our peer institutions valued research more; 99% said their teaching was important and 82.6% considered research very important or essential.  Nationally, 97.7% of teachers value teaching and 71.4% value research as well.

Table 5: Opinions on Issues

Percentages are those answering that they “agree strongly” or “agree somewhat” with the statement given.

 
Earlham
All Institutions
Peer Group

 

2007
2004

2001

1998

1995
2007

2007
 
           

Diverse students body enhances educational experience
100.0
97.6

98.1

100.0

N/A
93.6
95.7
Colleges have a responsibility to work with surrounding communities to address local issues
98.5
92.7
N/A
N/A
N/A
87.9
84

Colleges should encourage students to be involved in community service
95.4
97.6

98.1

100.0

97.8
87.9
83

Colleges should be actively involved in solving social problems
76.9
85.3

83.0

90.6

87.2
71.0
65.7
Colleges should be concerned with undergraduate students' spiritual development
65.6
57.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
36.6
18.6

Western civilization should be the foundation of undergraduate curriculum
33.8
27.5

43.4

54.8

33.3
57.5
47.3

Colleges have right to ban speakers with extreme views
30.8
22.5

34.0

34.4

15.6
27.6
19.8

Tenure is an outmoded concept
29.2
22.5

34.0

28.1

40.4
32.0
20.1

The chief benefit of college is increase in one's earning power
18.5
14.6

13.2

15.6

6.5
28.9
11.3

Promoting diversity leads to the admissions of too many under-prepared students
15.4
2.4

30.2

15.6

23.4
23.7
17.7
Realistically, an individual can do little to bring changes in society
13.8
12.2
N/A
N/A
N/A
18.8
18.6

Unlike Earlham responses in some earlier years and unlike faculty from other institutions, Earlham teaching faculty in 2007 have a somewhat different opinion about Western Civilization being the foundation of a college curriculum. Only 33.8% agreed somewhat or strongly that this is true, compared to 27.5% in 2004 and compared to 47.3% of the peer group respondents and 57.5% of the nationwide sample. While 65.6% of Earlham teaching faculty felt that colleges should be concerned with facilitating undergraduate students' spiritual development, only 18.6% of the peer group respondents and 36.6% of the national sample felt the same.

 

Table 6: Importance of personal goals

"Very Important" or "Essential"
Earlham
All Institutions
Peer Group

 

2007
2004

2001

1998

1995
2007

2007
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
Helping others who are in difficulty
74.4
70.0
69.8
69.7
59.6
65.2
58.5
Developing a meaningful philosophy of life
72.3
70.7
79.2
78.8
83.0
72.5
69.4
Helping to promote racial understanding
66.2
78.0
77.4
84.4
72.3
53.8
62
Raising a family
56.4
63.4
75.0
72.7
72.3
69.2
72.1
Becoming involved in programs to clean up the environment
47.7
40.0
37.7
39.4
38.3
35.1
32.2
Influencing social values
46.2
45.0
45.4
51.5
57.4
39.8
35.7
Integrating spirituality into my life
43.1
46.3
58.5
54.5
N/A
47.5
33.1
Becoming an authority in my field
35.9
26.8
37.7
42.4
42.6
60.0
55.3
Influencing the political structure
28.2
14.6
15.1
18.2
23.4
19.0
16.4
Being very well off financially
23.1
31.7
24.5
33.3
19.1
32.6
22
Obtaining recognition from my colleagues for contributions to my special field
13.8
39.0
47.2
42.4
40.4
47.5
45.2

Earlham faculty had a significantly lower percentage of faculty that considered "raising a family" and "obtaining recognition from my colleagues for contributions to my special field" to be very important or essential when compared to both the national sample and the peer group. However, compared to our peer group, Earlham had a higher percentage of faculty indicating that helping others who are in difficulty, being involved in programs to clean up the environment and influencing the political structure was very important or essential.

 

Table 7: Aspects of One’s Job Noted as Very Satisfactory or Satisfactory

 

 
Earlham
All Institutions
Peer Group

 

2007
2004

2001

1998

1995

2007
2007
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

Autonomy and independence
93.8
92.7

96.2

93.9

95.7
85.0
92.8

Quality of students
90.8
82.5

66.1

84.8

87.2
57.1
83.1

Competency of colleagues
90.8
90.2

81.1

96.9

89.4
78.2
85.6

Overall job satisfaction
86.2
90.0

81.1

78.8

74.5
74.8
82.8

Relationships with administration
79.7
75.6

69.2

75.0

31.9
58.3
64.6

Professional relationships with faculty
78.5
85.4

83.0

87.9

87.2
77.6
80.1
Clerical/administrative support
76.6
72.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
60.8
66.6

Social relationships with other faculty
75.0
77.5

65.4

69.7

55.3
67.4
71.5
Office/Lab space
70.8
72.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
67.3
80.6
Prospects for career advancement
66.0
67.7
N/A
N/A
N/A
54.6
64.7

Teaching load
61.0
59.0

54.7

54.5

69.6
57.7
59.2

Opportunity for scholarly pursuits
58.7
56.1

59.6

66.7

46.8
54.1
62.9

Visibility for jobs at other institutions
52.1
53.8

32.2

63.2

31.0
53.8
56.7

Salary and fringe benefits
49.2
51.2

28.8

36.4

14.9
46.2
62
Availability of child care
26.1
18.2
N/A
N/A
N/A
30.9
40

A greater percentage of Earlham faculty are satisfied or very satisfied with their salary and fringe benefits package compared to the faculty respondents in many of the prior years. Their satisfaction level is somewhat greater than the nationwide sample but remains lower than the peer group. Earlham faculty were least satisfied with the availability of child care. However 86.2% of Earlham teaching faculty indicated being satisfied or very satisfied with their overall job.

If faculty were to begin their career again, would they still want to be a college professor? While 82.9% of the Earlham faculty said they probably would or definitely would be a professor, 89.2% of the faculty at our peer institutions and 88.4% of the faculty nationwide said the same.

Additional Faculty Survey reports

Teaching faculty demographics

 Characteristics of the teaching faculty respondents and their sources of stress. Includes national and peer group comparison data.

Teaching faculty activities
Includes national and peer group comparison data relating to teaching methods, experiences, and hours per week spent on various activities

Administrative faculty

 Responses from administrative faculty regarding personal goals, institutional attributes, and job satisfaction. Includes comparison data from private 4-year colleges.

Administrative/teaching faculty comparisons

 Compares responses of Earlham teaching faculty with Earlham administrative faculty.

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Created by Mary Ann Weaver
April 30, 2009