 Faculty Association |
May 13, 1999 |
Results of the 1998-99 Campus Climate Questionnaire
|
How would you describe your position at the University? (Check one of the following choices.) |
Full-time
teaching faculty |
34
8 15 |
| 1. In your opinion, which word best describes the University's efforts over the past year to maintain class sizes that are small enough to ensure quality instruction? | Excellent
Good Fair Poor NA |
8
26 15 5 3 |
| 2. Which word best describes your working conditions? | Excellent Good Fair Poor NA |
8
30 13 3 0 |
| 3. Which word best describes the University's efforts to provide appropriate computer technology to faculty and students? | Excellent
Good Fair Poor NA |
17
20 10 6 0 |
|
4. Over the past year, how often have your classes been small enough to ensure quality instruction? Lower Division |
Always Usually Sometimes Hardly Ever Never NA |
8
12 5 7 3 12 |
|
Upper Division
|
Always Usually Sometimes Hardly Ever Never NA |
11
16 5 4 1 7 |
|
Graduate |
Always Usually Sometimes Hardly Ever Never NA |
14
9 2 1 2 13 |
| 5. Over the past year, do you think the University has made strenuous efforts to maintain good working conditions for faculty? |
Always |
6
23 19 6 1 0 |
| 6. Over the past year, do you think the University has strived to create a more positive and progressive climate? | Always Usually Sometimes Hardly Ever Never NA |
13
21 8 9 1 0 |
7. Any additional comments:
CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY 1998-1999 COMMENTS
#3. I have been shuffled around in getting approval to use computers.
The classrooms throughout the campus need to be made more computer friendly.
Classrooms are not equipped with multimedia projections etc.
#5 No office space that is private for adjuncts.
More comments:
Climate control (heating, A/C) leaves MUCH to be desired.
Hard to find remote controls for TV!
Pine e-mail is an antique.
I feel the emotional climate is excellent. I must say, however, that something like getting office furniture, e-mail account, key, directory etc. were quite difficult for a new hire.
I teach in a limited access programs, so all classes within my department are smaller than average.
The university needs to be more aware of the need for smaller "quality" graduate class sizes. 30 students in a graduate course is actually quite large.
My only objection to working conditions has to do with classrooms (sometimes too small for my classes - normally 30 students) and the furniture. The student desks are uncomfortable and restrictive when one wants to do group work. I would recommend tables (for two or three) and adult chairs.
My primary concern is in adequate classroom space in evenings and PARKING. I wish growth of students could slow down until facilities catch up.
More support for research needed -- smaller class sizes, fewer courses.
Faculty parking.
Faculty parking would be great.
Being an adjunct faculty member, I have been at the low end of concern in the administration, as regards pay (not increased since the mid-70's!), benefits, professional development and respect. As I feel I am a professional in my field, such disregard is, to say the least, puzzling.
Would like office space for adjunct faculty.
In College of Health -- Martha Rader is open, direct, honest. Terry Tabor needs to be on the faculty and not the permanent chair. He makes a good interim chair.
With a new dean in the College of Health, the supportive caring and sharing is now being fully developed.
The University is going in the right direction. The State of Academics is strong.
My department head has always worked to make my conditions positive and progressive. Other personnel, library, and secretarial have also. My complaint is usually over room assignments that aren't made logically for example, I teach back to back classes and have to change our room each time.
The pressures to publish combined with high teaching loads result in problems being evaluated as an either "scholar " or "teacher." This is seen as a 50/50 proposition. Our minimum as a comprehensive university is to teach 75% of our time but we are evaluated poorly if we do that and don't publish an outstanding body of work.
I teach primarily in the older buildings - too small - crowded for 24 students -Bldg. 2 and 10. The university should offer faculty more classes in course preparation, syllabus outlining, and other related classes. I was pleased to see one was offered in the Fall. Unfortunately, the times were not as flexible. Also, adjuncts should have more opportunities to get together within their own departments and also on the outside/inter-office/discipline.
Professional development needs to be more available especially in the uses of educational technologies!
Does the UNF administration have any estimate of the number of hours the faculty have spent on/invested in the SACS review, and does the administration recognize the productivity costs - lost research time, reduced scholarship opportunities, lost classroom participation time - of this redirection of faculty time and energy?
Does the administration recognize that its handling of salaries is producing morale problems, and that its public statements about the distribution of so-called incentive monies has worsened morale?
Good upper-level administration in comparison to early 1990's. Recent expeditions on computer upgrades are appreciated. Computer training classes are valuable. Problem areas: parking, office space, library stacks. Need to expedite library expansion.
I am very hopeful that the change of administration will bring a much more concerned approach to faculty issues. As a faculty member I am tired of all the talk about putting resources into teaching, and look forward to new administration actually doing so.
David Kline's values are good and his heart is in the right place. He has done more good than harm (and of how many previous Academic VP's can you sat that?)
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of North Florida.
All Rights Reserved.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
Modified: April 12, 1999