Partial support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE IT Program under Award HRD1007978. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
WVU results compared to 13,634 tenured faculty
nationwide and to the following five peer institutions:
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Kansas State University
North Carolina State University
Purdue University
SUNY-Stony Brook University
University of Tennessee
42% response rate versus 51% for peers.
27% of Associate professors completed the survey
compared to 67% of Full professors. The rates at our peer
institutions were 50% and 51% respectively.
Major Areas of Strength
• Promotion Process
– Clarity and reasonableness of expectations;
culture
• Senior Leadership
– How decisions are made and communicated at
the upper administrative levels
• Departmental Engagement
– Professional interaction with colleagues
Five Major Problem Areas:
• Mentoring
• Health and Retirement Benefits
• Interdisciplinary Work
• Support and rewards
• Department thru institutional levels
• Departmental Leadership
• Personal and Family Policies
Policies/practices that were identified as important and effective by
our untenured faculty in the 2008-2009 survey:
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Travel money to present papers or conduct research**
Written summary of periodic performance reviews**
Periodic formal performance review
Informal mentoring**
Upper limit on teaching obligations #
** Indicates that at least 10 percent more females than males identified this policy/practice
# Indicates that at least 10 percent more males than females identified this policy/practice
Policies/practices that were identified as important and ineffective by
male and female untenured faculty:
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Tuition waivers
Childcare
Formal mentoring**
Spousal/partner hiring#
Upper limit on committee work for tenure track**
Modified duties for parental/family leave**
Financial help with housing
Professional help in obtaining external funding
Paid/unpaid research leave**
** Indicates that at least 10 percent more females than males identified this policy/practice
# Indicates that at least 10 percent more males than females identified this policy/practice
Actions Taken to Address Some of
These Concerns:
• Promotion and Tenure:
– Promotion and tenure workshops for Chairs and
faculty
– Meeting with University Deans to discuss
recurring and new issues around promotion and
tenure reviews
Actions Taken to Address Some of
These Concerns:
• Research Support: Increased funding for faculty senate support for travel,
research, and development
• Mentoring:
– Departmental mentoring plans
• Required for new positions
• In place for many others
• Sponsorship (External Mentoring/Networking) Program for underrepresented faculty across campus
• Kerry Ann Rockquemore ran July 2013 workshop for
administrators, deans, and chairs on Re-thinking Mentoring
• Maintaining/Adding Faculty Lines: 100 new lines committed and virtually
any vacated position is approved for re-filling.
Actions Taken to Address Some of
These Concerns:
• Work Life Satisfaction:
– Full time faculty effort defined (document)
– Parental work assignment procedure:PWAP (9 month
tenure track faculty and TAPs)
– Alternative work assignment procedure
– Lactation procedure
– Policy 51: extending the tenure clock now linked to
PWAP
– Faculty can reduce effort below full-time and retain
tenure
– Phased-retirement program
Actions Taken to Address Some of
These Concerns:
Dual Career Initiatives:
• Dual Career Coordinator, Jenny Robbins, hired
in Fall 2010
• Second dual career specialist, Chris Staples,
hired in Fall 2012
• Dual career assistance extended to nonacademic AND academic couples
• Assistance extended to 18 months
• Assistance offered to retain faculty