COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey
Assessing faculty satisfaction to plan for the future and improve outcomes in recruitment, development, and retention
About the COACHE Faculty Survey
In February 2025, Penn State will launch the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey, a national survey administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This effort is sponsored by the Office of the Provost in partnership with University Faculty Senate.
The COACHE survey was chosen because of its excellent reputation and record of success. COACHE conducts the Faculty Satisfaction Survey at hundreds of institutions nationwide and it is an effective tool that will help us identify areas of strength, and for improvement, in the experience we offer our faculty members. It will also help us understand how we perform in key areas relative to our peers.
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.
Goals
The survey is a commitment to the future. The results will help us identify areas of strength and for improvement, to make Penn State the best it can be as an employer and as a place where faculty can build rewarding, impactful careers.
The COACHE faculty satisfaction survey will help us to identify opportunities and challenges at the college, campus, and department/school level and to best plan for the future to improve outcomes in faculty recruitment, development, and retention.
Participation
The COACHE survey will be sent to:
- all eligible* full-time faculty — tenure-line, tenured, and non-tenure-line – across the University
- Includes: academic unit heads such as department heads, division heads, and school directors
- Excludes: college- and campus-level academic administrators such as directors of academic affairs/vice chancellors, assistant/associate deans, and deans/chancellors
* 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.
COACHE will send participants a confidential, individualized link to take the survey, which should take about 25 minutes to complete. Survey responses are confidential. The privacy of all participants is paramount, and will be upheld in all published results, including the analysis Penn State will receive from COACHE following the survey’s conclusion.
Timeline
Penn State has entered into an initial three-year partnership with COACHE.
Year One: Assess
- Form a team, attend workshop, identify strategic goals, engage faculty, launch survey
- February–April 2025: The faculty job satisfaction survey will launch in early February 2025 and faculty will have until April 2025 to complete the survey.
- Fall 2025: Penn State receives institutional results from COACHE
Year Two: Prioritize
- Attend workshops, evaluate findings, disseminate results, prioritize initiatives
Year Three: Implement
- Act upon priorities, engage with COACHE peers, evaluate progress
Committee
- Abby Diehl, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs, Office of Faculty Affairs; committee tri-chair
- Betty Harper, assistant vice provost for assessment, Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research; committee tri-chair
- Michele Stine, teaching professor of biobehavioral health, College of Health and Human Development; past chair, University Faculty Senate; committee tri-chair
- Stephen Cohen, assistant teaching professor of English, Penn State Abington; University Faculty Senate representative
- Ed Fuller, professor of education, College of Education; University Faculty Senate representative
- Peter Hopsicker, vice chancellor, academic affairs and professor of kinesiology, Penn State Altoona
- Roderick Lee, administrative fellow and associate professor of information systems, Penn State Harrisburg
- Jennelle Malcos, assistant dean for undergraduate students, Eberly College of Science
- Kerry Newman, director of strategic communications for Undergraduate Education and Faculty Affairs
- Josh Wede, teaching professor of psychology, College of the Liberal Arts; chair, University Faculty Senate
Frequently Asked Questions
Please see below for a series of updated FAQs.
What is COACHE?
COACHE is the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education, which is run out of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. COACHE administers the faculty job satisfaction survey, processes the data, and provides reports.
What is the purpose of the survey?
It is a third-party faculty job satisfaction survey, designed to provide eligible full-time faculty with a vehicle to share assessments of their experiences in their careers, including shared governance, engagement, collegiality, recruitment and retention, appreciation and recognition, interdisciplinary work, institutional leadership, resources and support, promotion and tenure, and more.
The survey’s purpose is to use the data collected to improve these areas.
I am not confident that Penn State will use these results to make meaningful change. Why should I invest my time in taking this survey?
Penn State’s administration and the University Faculty Senate are deeply committed to enhancing the faculty experience based on real insights from this survey. This University-wide effort is part of a larger initiative to understand employee job satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. The COACHE process is backed by a successful track record of generating meaningful, data-driven outcomes for faculty at peer institutions. Faculty participation will strengthen the data gathered, allowing Penn State to make informed, impactful decisions that truly reflect faculty voices and needs. Robust faculty participation is needed in order to build a strong foundation for meaningful changes that will benefit the entire Penn State community.
Who is sponsoring this effort, and who is on the committee leading the effort?
The COACHE survey is sponsored by the Office of the Provost in partnership with the University Faculty Senate. The COACHE committee can be found on the website.
Why did Penn State decide to conduct this survey?
The survey is a key priority of the University Faculty Senate that has been discussed across multiple years and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is supporting the recommendation to proceed with the survey.
Penn State is conducting the COACHE survey because it provides an ongoing process of feedback, conversation, and adjustment in partnership with our faculty. This is part of an overarching effort to gather data about employee satisfaction at Penn State.
When will the survey be conducted?
The survey will be open from February 2025 through April 2025 for faculty to complete. Specific dates will be announced when available. Please watch your email for further details.
Who is eligible to take the survey?
The COACHE survey is open to all full-time faculty—tenure-line, tenured, and non-tenure-line—at all campuses, 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 this survey be confidential? Who will have the raw data, and how will my data be protected?
Yes. The privacy of all participants is paramount. The COACHE team at Harvard will email participants a confidential, individualized link to take the survey.
The Harvard COACHE team will de-identify the data before providing it to Penn State’s Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research for additional analysis to supplement the reports provided by COACHE. All results will be reported in aggregate to protect the identities of individuals and small groups. Neither COACHE nor Penn State will report on groups with fewer than five respondents.
How long will the survey take to complete?
The average time to complete the survey is 25 minutes.
Can I leave the survey and return later to complete it?
Yes. If a participant needs to suspend the survey before completing it or experiences a technical issue, they will be able to resume the survey where they left off.
When will the results be made available?
Initial survey reports from the Harvard COACHE team will be provided to Penn State late in 2025. More information about the timing will be provided when it is available.
How does the COACHE survey differ from others that are conducted at Penn State, like the Living Our Values Survey?
The COACHE survey is only for full-time faculty and focuses specifically on concerns related to faculty job satisfaction. As part of the COACHE process, Penn State will be able to compare results with other peer institutions who have participated in the COACHE survey process and learn how they implemented changes and made improvements.
The Living Our Values survey is internal to Penn State. It assesses all Penn State faculty and staff and is connected to Penn State’s core values.
Penn State will be undertaking a staff survey in spring 2025, administered by the Modern Think group.
Did Penn State have the opportunity to add custom questions to the survey?
Yes, Penn State did have the opportunity to add custom questions to the survey and the COACHE committee developed those questions.
Will Penn State repeat this survey?
The COACHE survey is designed to be repeated to establish a cycle of continuous review and improvement. The COACHE team recommends that institutions use the results of their surveys and associated action plans to make improvements and then determine when it is appropriate to administer the COACHE survey. It’s too early in the process to determine if Penn State will repeat the COACHE survey in the future.
Why are part-time faculty not included?
The Harvard Graduate School of Education does not include an option for part-time faculty in the COACHE faculty satisfaction survey.
Why are staff not included?
Penn State is also conducting a separate third-party staff survey in Spring 2025.
How will the results be used to identify areas for improvement, and what process will Penn Who will be responsible for implementing changes that come from the survey?
Implementing changes will be a shared process across campuses, colleges, and University leadership. More information about the processes will be provided by the COACHE committee when it is available.
Will Penn State be receiving results for each campus? For each college?
Yes. Penn State will receive reports for individual colleges and campuses that will be shared with the respective deans and chancellors. More information will be provided when it is available.
How can I get involved in the change process?
Faculty are encouraged to participate in the COACHE process by completing the survey themselves and urging colleagues to take the survey. The COACHE team will be organizing opportunities to discuss results and develop action plans. In addition, the COACHE committee will invite additional volunteers to participate during years two and three of the process.
Contact
Interested in getting involved or have a question about COACHE? Please email us at coache@psu.edu.