COACHE Survey Results
As part of strategic goal of strengthening our status as an employer of choice, the University of Arkansas gathers feedback from our faculty every three years through The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey. This effort is coordinated through the Harvard Graduate School of Education to receive faculty feedback on areas of institutional strength and areas of improvement. The COACHE survey helps the university gauge faculty satisfaction and allows us to make sure we are meeting the needs of our faculty.
The COACHE survey was administered in early 2025 and measures faculty perceptions and experiences across key aspects of academic work, including climate, support, workload, leadership, governance, mentoring and recognition. The survey results are summarized below.
Actions Plans for Areas of Improvement
The university has started to address many concerns identified by the survey and has already made progress across the university to support our faculty and their success. In addition, the university has created action plans to continue to make progress in these areas, which are outlined below. These action plans focus on improving facilities, research support, workload and culture, compensation, departmental quality, mentorship, and recognition.
- Enrollment growth has not kept pace with classroom, office, and research infrastructure.
- Office space shortages—especially for non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty—affect student engagement and professional work.
- Aging facilities, outdated lab equipment, and inconsistent maintenance hinder research and recruitment.
- The Office of the Provost partnered with SmithGroup, a consultant specializing in space and design planning, to assess classroom, research, and office space use.
- The Division of Research and Innovation created a Research Infrastructure Director position to coordinate planning and investments.
- The Office of the Provost is implementing recommendations from SmithGroup to better align facilities with enrollment and research demands.
- The Division of Research and Innovation is working to improve coordination and support for shared research facilities and equipment.
- The Division of Research and Innovation is working to strengthen collaboration with Facilities Management to address maintenance needs.
- Grant support and research administration need improvement.
- Humanities and non–grant-intensive fields lack adequate support.
- Purchasing and administrative processes slow research progress.
- Streamlining IRB processes to improve review timelines.
- Planning to appoint DRI Research Fellow to focus on Social Sciences and Humanities.
- Piloted and expanded new business process models to improve coordination between departments and central administration.
- Increased cooperation among research, finance, and procurement teams to reduce bottlenecks.
- Faculty workloads are uneven.
- Evaluation and promotion systems are unclear or misaligned with actual roles.
- High-quality work is not always recognized; accountability is inconsistent
- Conducting a comprehensive faculty performance framework study with Segal, a national consulting firm with experience in higher education performance frameworks and human resources initiatives.
- Revised promotion and evaluation policies to improve clarity and alignment across roles.
- Updated college and departmental guidelines to better reflect faculty contributions.
- Salaries fall behind peer institutions over time, particularly at mid- and senior-career levels.
- NTT faculty report wages that are not competitive or sustainable.
- Salary compression and cost-of-living pressures remain concerns
- Increased compensation for associate and full professors through the faculty compensation study in AY24-25 and AY25-26.
- Implemented higher promotion salary increments for promotions to associate and full professor.
- Improved compensation and promotion pathways for NTT faculty. Created centrally funded promotional increments for instructor promotions.
- Continued monitoring of salary compression and inversion.
- Placed greater emphasis on merit-based pay growth.
- Department-level leadership and climate need improvement.
- Faculty raised concerns about unresolved conflicts and unprofessional behaviors
- Expanded leadership development programs.
- Appointed a Provost’s Faculty Resource Fellow to help address faculty concerns, identify practical solutions for resolving personnel and workplace issues, and conduct workshops on managing conflict, having difficult conversations and other related skills.
- Enhanced training and support for department chairs and heads to strengthen leadership and improve departmental climate, including a Department Chair/Head Training Academy.
- Short-term appointments create instability.
- Expectations are sometimes misaligned with assigned roles.
- NTT faculty seek stronger voice and inclusion
- Expanded multi-year, merit-based appointments for NTT faculty.
- Clarified NTT roles and expectations in university and departmental policies.
- Updated policies to include NTT faculty participation in peer reviews.
- Established an NTT Advisory Council to guide ongoing improvements.
- Department-level mentoring is inconsistent.
- Established the Bridge Program to support new faculty.
- Added peer mentoring opportunities for associate professors (Peer Mentoring Circles).
- Appointed the Provost’s Fellow for Mentoring to create more mentorship opportunities for faculty.
- Recognition for research accomplishments is inconsistent
- Appointed a Provost’s Fellow for Honorific Awards.
- Launched Honorific Awards website.
- Introduced new recognitions for external research funding in 2026, including the annual EXCEL-AR Pinnacle and Distinction Medallions.
- Continued recognition of excellence in teaching and mentorship.