NC State University
2006 Faculty Well-Being Survey
Introduction, Research Methods, and Response Rates

Appendix A: Project History Outline

• Fall 1995: NC State participated in the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) Faculty Survey.

• Fall 2002: At the request of Chancellor Fox, in response to student demand, the University administered the Classroom Climate Survey (Graduate and Undergraduate students). Undergraduate Affairs (UA) took the lead on the project, in consultation with an ad hoc committee. CUACS administered the survey and did the initial analyses. UA prepared and presented final reports.

• Spring 2004: The Campus Climate Survey (Graduate and Undergraduate students) was administered. This survey was seen as part of an on-going campus-wide assessment of the campus climate, to be followed by surveys of faculty and of staff. The VP for Diversity and African American Affairs (VPDAA) and Office of Institutional Planning and Research (UPA) took the lead on the project, working in consultation with the University Diversity Advisory Committee (UDAC). UPA administered the survey, analyzed the data, and prepared data tables of results. VPDAA presented (and continues to present) results to the campus community.

• Summer 2004: Then-Provost Oblinger agreed to UPA's request for funding to administer the proposed Campus Climate Survey for faculty. Provost and VPDAA then agreed with UPA's suggestion that it would be more cost effective to participate in the tri-annual HERI survey (Fall 2005). The HERI survey would collect information on a broader range of faculty issues than just campus climate, and allow for the inclusion of local questions. Nancy Whelchel from UPA took the lead on the project, working in consultation with an advisory committee consisting of VP DAA, VP EOE, a Faculty Senate representative, and the FCTL Director.

• Fall 2004: With approval from then-Provost Oblinger, NC State withdrew from the HERI Faculty Survey because HERI revised the survey instrument, adding several questions that the advisory group considered inappropriate.

• Fall 2004 - Spring 2005: Whelchel and the advisory committee moved forward to develop a "homegrown" faculty "well-being" survey. Through regularly scheduled meetings the group outlined the project's objectives, identified key concepts related to faculty well-being, began drafting questions, and established a timeline. The targeted field data for the survey was set for early Fall semester 2005.

• Spring 2005: The Provost's office contacted UPA about administering a pilot survey on Post Tenure Review for the UNC Office of the President (OP). Because of the delay in responding to OP's initial request, OP decided it was no longer necessary for NC State to administer the survey. However, Whelchel worked with Katie Perry, NC State Senior VP, and Betsy Brown, OP Associate VP for Faculty Support and International Programs, to identify key questions from the Post Tenure Review Survey to include on the NC State Faculty Well-Being Survey.

• Spring 2005: Based on input from campus Provosts, OP decided that all schools in the system would participate in The Study of New Scholars (COACHE), a survey of non-tenured tenure track faculty. The survey will be administered through the Harvard Graduate School of Education during Fall semester 2005. The Provost Office will be responsible for paying NC State's share of the registration fees ($8,750 a year for three years, for a total of $26,250). Whelchel, NC State point person for the project, worked with Betsy Brown and the project PI at Harvard to minimize potential conflicts between the administration of the COACHE Survey and the NC State Faculty Well-Being Survey.

• June 2005: The Faculty Survey advisory committee expanded to include the University Director for Assessment, the Associate VC for Human Resources, and the Director of Employee Relations and Training for Human Resources.

• June 22, 2005: Whelchel met with Katie Perry to give an update on the project, and suggested that the survey project be put on hold to give the new Provost an opportunity for input.

• July 15, 2005: Whelchel and Karen Helm meet with Provost Larry Neilson to give a history of the project, and to discuss and get feedback on proposed topics to include. The Provost fully endorses the project, and agrees to "promote" the survey. The Provost agrees to postpone the survey administration until Fall 2006. (see Provost.July15_05.mtg.doc for meeting summary)

• Summer 2005: The Faculty Survey advisory committee continues to meet throughout the summer, focusing on questionnaire development.

• August 30, 2005: Whelchel meets with Chair of the Faculty Nina Allen and Chair of the Faculty Senate Personnel Policy Committee Wayne Robarge. (see Nallen.Aug30mtg.summary.doc for meeting summary) Nina Allen appoints Aaron Clark to represent the Faculty Senate on the survey advisory committee.

• Fall 2005-Spring 2006: Faculty Survey Advisory Committee continues to meet throughout the year to develop the questionnaire.

• April 26, 2006: NW gets input from Deb Luckadoo, Director of Campus Activities, GLBT subcommittee regarding inclusion of a few GLBT-related questions on the survey.

• Early May, 2006: Advisory committee finalizes draft of survey.

• May 22, 2006: NW gives presentation on survey project to UDAC.

• June 1, 2006: NW gives presentation on survey project to Dean's Council.

• June 12, 2006: NW gives presentation on survey project to Vice Provosts.

• June 20, 2006: Pre-test (lecturers)

• June 21, 2006: Pre-test (lecturers)

• June 23, 2006: Pre-test (faculty)

• July 10, 2006: Pre-test (Department Head)

• July 11, 2006: NW gives presentation on survey project to Executive Officers

• July 13, 2006: NW & KPH meet with Provost and Katie Perry to follow-up on EO meeting.

• July 17, 2006: Get confirmation from Deb Paxton that faculty survey project does not require IRB approval.

• July-August, 2006: Work with David Drooz in Legal Affairs to address concerns with confidentiality.

• July-August, 2006: Revise survey based on pre-tests & input from Deans/VPs/EOs; Program/test online survey

• August, 2006: Get permission from Provost and Dean's to send pre-notification letter and initial email announcement over their signatures. Obtained electronic signatures.

• August, 2006: NW and KPH solicit and acquire donations for incentives (ARTS NC STATE, University Bookstores, Chancellor's Office [football tickets], University Club)

• August 22, 2006: NW meets with Debbie Griffith (Office of Public Affairs) and Keith Nichols (News Services) to discuss possible marketing for survey. (Decided against doing any pre-publicity to limit possible media attention and to avoid confusion over survey population. Will meet again to discuss releasing findings.)

• August 22, 2006: Get final population from Carol Gosselin, UPA.

• August 28, 2006: Passage of amendment to the program records retention and disposition schedule approved June 20, 1963 by adding item 47790. (See email stream and amendment document).

• August 29, 2006: KPH (filling in for NW on sick leave) gives faculty survey presentation to Faculty Senate.

• August 30-31, 2006: Pre-notification letters mailed via campus mail. (On Provost letterhead, over signature of Provost and Deans [by college]).

• September 6, 2006: Online survey goes live. Email announcements sent "from" Provost and Deans (by college), with return email address ncsu_surveys@ncsu.edu.

• September 6-October 1, 2006: Correct/resend undeliverable emails. NW responds to all phone and email queries about survey from population (and non-pop) members. Takes population members out of follow-up mailing lists if requested.

• September 12, 2006: First follow-up reminder email sent to non-respondents and 'partial' respondents "from" NW.

• September 12, 2006: Follow-up reminder email sent to racial/ethnic minority non-respondents. Email "from" Jose Picart and Marcia Gumpertz.

• September 13, 2006: Email from Nina Allen, Chair of the Faculty, sent to gencon and allvoters listservs encouraging participation in faculty survey. (Listservs include numerous people not in survey population.)

• September 19, 2006: Follow-up letters sent via campus mail to non-respondents. On UPA letterhead, from NW. Separate letters based on amount completed (less than half, half or more, all but final section).

• September 22, 2006: Second follow-up reminder email sent to partial respondents "from" NW. Separate emails based on amount completed (less than half, half or more, all but final section).

• September 26, 2006: Announced deadline for survey.

• October 3, 2006: NW emails winners of all incentive drawings with information on picking up prizes.

• October 10, 2006: Sent letters via campus mail to all incentive drawing winners who had not yet picked up prize.

• October 10, 2006: Close survey. Accept all submissions up to this day.

• October 10-25, 2006: Clean survey data; Response rate analysis.

• October 26, 2006: Clean SAS final datasets to use for all subsequent analyses. Destroy datasets as allowed by item 47790 in Program Records Retention and Disposition Schedule ("Destroy in office surveys and working papers and data (in paper or electronic formats), including records or other information or data that could personally identify survey respondents, when administrative value ends.")

• October 30, 2006. NW emails annotated questionnaire and final response rate information to committee members.

• October 30, 2006: NW telephones all incentive drawing winners who have not yet claimed prizes.

• November, 2006: NW/UPA working on demographic breakdowns and open-end coding.

• November 6, 2006: Advisory committee meeting to go over outcome of survey administration and discuss next steps. Committee to send NW initial reactions to overall findings by Nov. 13.

• November 13, 2006: NW meeting with new Faculty Senate committee reps, Janet Hudson and Bob Bruck.

• November 20, 2006: Betsy Brown, Special Assistant to Office of International Affairs, agrees to serve on Advisory Committee.

• November 21, 2006: NW meets with Chancellor and Provost to give basic overview of survey administration outcome and general findings, and to discussion plan for releasing results.

• December 6, 2006: Advisory Committee meeting. Discussion of reporting plan. Agreement that it was important to release overall results with executive summary, along with survey methods report ASAP (Goal = Dec. 15). Tables of results by sub-groups to be added to public report (and linked to from specific questions in the overall results) as soon as available. Committee will provide feedback on NW draft executive summary by 12/11.

• December 15, 2006: Provost emails all NCSU faculty informing them that the initial survey results will be posted online in early January.

Return to the 2006 Faculty Well-Being Survey: Introduction Methods, and Response Rates

For more information on the NC State University 2006 Faculty Well-Being Survey contact:
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: ncsu_surveys@ncsu.edu

Posted: January, 2007

Return to 2006 Faculty Well-Being Survey Table of Contents Page