Dear Faculty Colleagues,

As sponsors of the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey project, we would like to extend our deep appreciation to all faculty members for their remarkable participation in the winter 2024 survey. The final response rate of 57% far exceeded the national average of 41% for participating institutions, showcasing your deep commitment to shaping our university’s future. In addition, with the incentive defined for completing the survey, $15,500 was raised for Social Justice Centers emergency student support.

A bit of background: GVSU decided to join the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) for the 2023-2026 cycle, based on a recommendation from our Network of Advisors for Racial Equity, a group of faculty, staff, students and alumni commissioned by President Mantella in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd. The COACHE survey provides us with critical insights into faculty satisfaction and workplace conditions, assisting and informing us as we work together to create an environment where all faculty can thrive.

Thank you to the many faculty who have helped lead and guide this project, including two steering committees composed of faculty representatives designated by the University Academic Senate and representing each college. The current steering committee has reviewed the results and has provided the independent memo below that joins the release of the Preview Report. Their leadership will continue to provide important guidance in identifying areas for improvement and innovation as we continue our shared mission of creating a more equitable and supportive academic environment.

The Senior Leadership Team and the Provost’s Cabinet, along with the Steering Committees, are also reviewing the COACHE survey results. We invite all faculty to review the results and deeply engage with this feedback. While there is much to be proud of, the survey results also identify areas of concern, representing rich opportunities for improvement. University leadership is committed to working collaboratively with faculty to deepen our collective understanding, recognize and celebrate our strengths and improve our community. Ultimately, we all seek to foster a people-centered culture by deepening the care for our community and cultivating an inclusive environment. Enhancing relationships between and among faculty, staff, students, and administrators is central to improving our institutional climate and driving better learning outcomes.

Thank you again for your participation, and we look forward to working together to make GVSU an even better place to teach, learn, and grow.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Drake, Acting Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Jesse M. Bernal, Vice President for Inclusion & Equity

Dear GVSU Faculty and Staff,

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to all of you who took the time to complete the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction survey. We recognize the significant time it took to share this important feedback. Your insights are critical to understanding and improving faculty experiences at Grand Valley. Please find more information about GVSU’s COACHE administration through the Office of the Provost website.

COACHE Steering Committee 2.0 Responsibilities

The COACHE Steering Committee 2.0, which includes faculty members from each college and administrators from across campus, has been charged with responding to the survey (administered in Winter 2024 semester) findings and report. This includes sharing findings broadly and directly with specific stakeholders, ensuring that action items are identified and that ongoing working teams are created and effective.

GVSU COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Report Preview Results

We are pleased to share the GVSU 2023-2024 Faculty Job Satisfaction Preview Report. This abbreviated report offers a glimpse into the larger, interactive report (Chief Academic Officer Report), which will be released later. The reports offer comparisons to a set of five GVSU-selected peers and to the larger 2023-2024 COACHE Cohort, which includes 85 institutions. We encourage readers to review the information on pages 2-4 thoroughly for a helpful introduction and detailed guidance for reading the report. Fifty-seven percent of eligible faculty completed the survey, and findings revealed the following areas of strength as defined by the COACHE Team:

Areas of concern were also identified:

These identified areas of strength and concern represent a current snapshot of faculty experiences across our Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses. We look forward to engaging directly with faculty about these results to craft an action plan to both learn more about concerns raised and leverage strengths identified. GVSU has committed to assessing progress with the 2027 COACHE administration.

Next Steps

Our next steps include:

Thank you again for your commitment to making GVSU a better place to work and grow.

Sincerely,
COACHE Steering Committee 2.0

Faculty:

Administration: