This document contains results of the 2002 Faculty Survey for the School of Computer & Information Sciences (7 faculty members responding). Results from the previous three Faculty Surveys in 1999, 2000, and 2001 are provided for comparison's sake (when possible).
Faculty were asked, on a scale of 1 to 5, to indicate their confidence in, or opinion of, the effectiveness of the following USA personnel. On the scale, 1 represented "very poor" and 5 represented "excellent." The higher, the better.
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| President | 4.23 | 4.53 | 4.43 | 4.8 |
| Vice-President for Academic Affairs | 4.00 | 4.38 | 4.29 | 4.8 |
| Vice-President for Medical Affairs | 3.00 | 4.00 | n/a | 4.7 |
| Vice-President for Financial Affairs | 3.67 | 4.00 | n/a | 4.2 |
| Vice-President for Student Affairs | 4.33 | 4.00 | 4.67 | 4.3 |
| Your Own Dean | 3.29 | 3.61 | 3.57 | 3.7 |
Indicate your opinion about how highly
you rate the university leadership in each of these respects
(1 indicates "very poor"; 5 indicates "excellent").
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| Honors all promises and commitments | 4.00 | 4.00 | not asked | not asked |
| Is impartial and professional in relations with faculty | 4.28 | 4.10 | not asked | not asked |
| Conveys administrative expectations in a clear and effective manner | 3.86 | 4.30 | not asked | not asked |
| Informs faculty of developments critical to the accomplishment of the mission of the university | 4.14 | 4.40 | not asked | not asked |
| Seeks and incorporates faculty input into decisions concerning matters vital to the mission of the university | 3.67 | 4.22 | not asked | not asked |
| Encourages new initiatives which further the mission of the university | 4.26 | 4.36 | not asked | not asked |
| Seeks and dedicates ample resources to fulfillment of university mission | 3.14 | 4.00 | not asked | not asked |
| Responds to crisis with appropriate
measures Yes |
100% 0% 0% |
100% 0% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
Faculty were asked, on a scale of 1 to 5, to indicate their opinion of their own college's dean. On the scale, 1 represented "very poor" and 5 represented "excellent." The higher, the better.
| Evaluate Your Dean on each of these matters | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| Honors all promises and commitments | 3.29 | 3.92 | 3.57 | 3.7 |
| Is impartial and professional in evaluating the performance of co-workers | 3.00 | 3.62 | 2.84 | 3.3 |
| Informs faculty of developments critical to the accomplishment of the mission of the unit | 3.29 | 3.92 | 3.71 | 3.7 |
| Conveys administrative expectations in a clear and effective manner | 3.14 | 3.77 | 3.43 | 3.6 |
| Seeks and incorporates faculty input into decisions concerning matters vital to the mission of the unit | 3.00 | 3.38 | not asked | not asked |
| Encourages new initiatives which are logical extensions of existing programs | 3.29 | 3.62 | 3.33 | 3.8 |
| Seeks and dedicates ample resources to assure success/completion of an assignment | 3.29 | 3.62 | 3.20 | 3.7 |
| Is a proficient and productive administrator, and should be retained | 3.29 | 3.77 | 3.57 | 3.4 |
| Teaching | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| At USA, how would you rate the importance
of teaching performance to your personal career satisfaction? (1="of no importance"; 5="very important") |
4.43 | 4.54 | 3.86 | 4.6 |
| How much emphasis do faculty leaders
and administrators at USA place on effective teaching for career advancement? (1="too little emphasis"; 5="excessive emphasis") |
3.71 | 3.15 | 2.17 | 3.0 |
| Are you provided with adequate and appropriate
resources to teach effectively at USA? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate") |
3.57 | 3.46 | 3.14 | 3.6 |
Will an additional course per semester added to faculty teaching loads have a damaging effect on the university's research mission? An additional course per semester added to faculty teaching loads have a damaging effect on the university's research mission (1 = "strongly disagree"; 5= "strongly agree") -- this was the format for this question in 2002, so the results are expressed as a mean and can't be compared with other years. |
4.57 | Yes 100% No 0.0% |
not asked | not asked |
| Research and Publications/Creative Work | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| At USA, how would you rate the importance
of research or creative work to your personal career satisfaction? (1="of no importance"; 5="very important") |
4.00 | 3.77 | 3.29 | 3.9 |
| How much emphasis do faculty leaders
and administrators at USA place on research or creative work for career
advancement? (1="too little emphasis"; 5="excessive emphasis") |
4.29 | 3.23 | 3.17 | 4.2 |
| Are you provided with adequate and appropriate
resources to conduct research or creative work at USA? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate") |
2.33 | 3.08 | 2.17 | 2.7 |
| Service and Leadership | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| At USA, how would you rate the importance
of institutional service to your personal career satisfaction? (1="of no importance"; 5="very important") |
3.00 | 3.23 | 3.33 | 3.2 |
| How much emphasis do faculty leaders
and administrators at USA place on institutional service for career advancement? (1="too little emphasis"; 5="excessive emphasis") |
3.14 | 2.85 | 2.33 | 3.3 |
| Are you provided with adequate and appropriate
resources to engage in institutional service at USA? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate") |
2.33 | 2.91 | 3.00 | 2.7 |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| How satisfied are you with the USA Computer
Services Center in terms of its ability to keep abreast of the latest technologies? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
2.29 | 2.83 | 1.83 | 2.6 |
| How satisfied are you with the USA Computer
Services Center in terms of the services provided? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
2.33 | 3.00 | 2.17 | 3.0 |
Faculty were asked to respond to these questions for the library (or libraries) they use.
| University Library | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| How satisfied are you with the USA Library
in terms of its ability to keep you abreast of the latest trends and developments
in the field of your research? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
4.00 | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.1 |
| How satisfied are you with the services
provided by the Library faculty and staff? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
4.00 | 4.09 | 4.17 | 3.9 |
| How satisfied are you with the electronic
library and Internet-based services provided by the Library? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
5.00 | 4.09 | 4.33 | 4.0 |
| Biomedical Library | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| How satisfied are you with the Biomedical
Library in terms of its ability to keep you abreast of the latest trends
and developments in the field of your research? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 5.0 |
| How satisfied are you with the services
provided by the Library faculty and staff? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 5.0 |
| How satisfied are you with the electronic
library and Internet-based services provided by the Library? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 5.0 |
Figures for 1999 were rounded to the nearest 10% when originally reported and are reproduced as approximations here.
| If you had a variety of professional options, would you prefer to: | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| Remain at USA with little or no change in duties | 57.1% | 69.2% | 71.4% | ~60% |
| Remain at USA with significant change in duties | 28.6% | 15.4% | 0% | ~20% |
| Move to another institution | 14.3% | 15.4% | 14.3% | ~10% |
| Move to non-academic employment | 0.0% | 0% | 14.3% | ~10% |
| No Opinion | 0.0% | not a choice | not a choice | not a choice |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| How satisfied are you with opportunities
currently provided by USA to concentrate on what you do best? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.29 | 3.31 | 3.14 | 3.3 |
| How do you feel about your degree of
academic freedom within the classroom? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
4.14 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 3.9 |
| How satisfied are you with the amount
of freedom you have at USA to express your opinions regarding University
policies and procedures? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.29 | 3.42 | 3.57 | 3.4 |
Note: the single question used prior to the 2000 survey regarding the Faculty Senate was divided into two parts beginning in 2000 and thus cannot be directly compared. The previous question read "The Faculty Senate serves as an effective representative body." In the 1999 survey, this question received a mean response from Computer & Information Sciences faculty members of 2.4.
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| The organization and administration
of the University allow the Faculty Senate to serve as an effective representative
body (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.33 | 3.30 | 3.33 | not asked in this form |
| Members of the Senate work hard and
concentrate on the proper issues to promote faculty interests effectively (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.67 | 3.36 | 3.00 | not asked in this form |
| The USA Board of Trustees serves as
an effective governing body for the institution (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.29 | 3.78 | 3.33 | 2.9 |
| The USA Foundation Board serves as an
effective body in managing USA's endowment (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
1.14 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.2 |
| Please rate the USA Bookstore in terms
of providing adequate and affordable services, materials, and texts to your
students (1="very poor"; 5="excellent") |
3.00 | 3.55 | 3.17 | 3.0 |
| Please rate the USA Bookstore in terms
of providing faculty with timely notification of materials which have to
be back ordered or requested texts which are found to be out of print. (1="very poor"; 5="excellent") |
3.60 | 2.88 | not asked | not asked |
| Please rate the idea of establishing
a conference center on the main campus for meetings, seminars, retreats,
etc. (1="very poor"; 5="excellent") |
4.83 | 4.25 | 4.33 | not asked |
| The availability of cultural activities
on campus is: (1="very poor"; 5="excellent") |
3.57 | 3.60 | not asked | not asked |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| Do you consistently have difficulty
finding parking on the main campus? Yes |
28.6% 71.4% 0.0% |
0% 100% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| If yes, do you believe greater control
is needed in issuing parking permits? Yes |
42.9% 14.2% 42.9% |
16.7% 83.3% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| If yes, do you believe a significant
increase in the parking fee would solve the problem? Yes |
0.0% 71.4% 28.6% |
0% 100% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| If yes, do you believe only one permit
should be issued per family member? Yes |
28.6% 42.8% 28.6% |
14.3% 85.7% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| Do you believe that zoned parking for
students on the main campus should be initiated? Yes |
57.1% 0.0% 42.9% |
66.7% 33.3% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
What type of Health Plan do you have? USA Health Plan family coverage |
85.7% 14.2% 0.0 % 0.0% |
not asked | not asked | not asked |
| How satisfied are you with your ability
to make timely appointments with your primary care physician? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.57 | 3.63 | 3.00 | 3.1 |
| How satisfied are you with your ability
to make timely unscheduled (emergency) appointments with a physician? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.60 | 3.60 | 2.50 | 3.4 |
| How satisfied are you with the speed
with which you are seen (time in waiting room)? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.17 | 3.57 | 2.80 | 3.4 |
| If you have had problems with the administration
of the USA Health Plan, please rate the handling of appeals and resolution
of your problems. (1="very poor"; 5="excellent") |
2.00 | 1.80 | 2.00 | 2.8 |
| How satisfied are you with the overall
provision of services under the USA Health Plan? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.17 | 2.56 | 2.50 | 3.1 |
| How has the overall quality of USA medical
services changed over the last five years? (1="declined"; 5="improved") |
2.80 | 2.38 | 2.20 | 2.7 |
| What is your interest level in switching
your health insurance carrier (from Prime Health to Blue Cross) (1="no interest"; 5="great interest") |
not asked | 4.20 | not asked | not asked |
| Regarding the switch from Prime Health to Blue Cross
as a health insurance carrier, do you feel that your situation is better
or worse now? (1="much worse"; 5="much better") |
3.43 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| What is your interest level if changing
health care providers significantly decreases revenue for USA Hospitals
and the College of Medicine? (1="no interest"; 5="great interest") |
not asked | 2.70 | not asked | not asked | With the USA Health Plan, I have an adequate choice
of primary care doctors. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.57 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate
for physician copay. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.20 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate
for drugs. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
2.40 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate
for USA Hospitals.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.80 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate
for non USA Hospitals.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
2.75 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate
for USA emergency care.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.80 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate
for non USA emergency care.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
2.75 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| Have you had occasion to be treated in a non USA
emergency room?
Yes |
14.3% 71.4% 14.3% |
not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The USA Health Plan
adequately covered the cost of the above treatment. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
n/a | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| Have you had any preventative medical services?
Yes |
57.1% 42.9% 0.0% |
not asked | not asked | not asked |
| The USA Health Plan
adequately covered the cost of the above services. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.00 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| My health care costs have not gone up significantly
under the new USA Health Plan.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
3.57 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| If you experienced an increase in health care expenses, how much per month has it averaged? Please use integer values, no non-numeric symbols. If you have experienced an average decrease, preface your response with a minus sign (e.g. -25) | 67.00 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| To play for increased health care expenses indicate
which options you might prefer. (1="increase in covered benefits"; 5="decrease in covered benefits ") |
4.33 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| To play for increased health care expenses indicate
which options you might prefer. (1=uniform increase in monthly premiums"; 5="uniform increase at time of service") |
4.33 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| To play for increased health care expenses indicate
which options you might prefer. (1="increase in copay to discourage use"; 5="increase in monthly premiums to cover costs") |
2.00 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| To play for increased health care expenses indicate
which options you might prefer. (1="increased coverage for preventative solutions including screenings, weight management, etc."; 5="coverage of costs resulting from lack of preventative solutions") |
4.50 | not asked | not asked | not asked |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| Did you attend Spring 2000 Graduation?
Yes |
85.7% 14.3% 0.0% |
not asked | not asked | not asked |
| Did you attend Fall 2000 Graduation?
Yes |
85.7% 14.3% 0.0% |
not asked | not asked | not asked |
| If graduation were shorter, would you
feel better about attending? Yes |
71.4% 0.0% 28.6% |
90.0% 10.0% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| If graduation were organized with individual
ceremonies for each college, would you feel better about attending?
Yes |
71.4% 14.3% 14.3% |
54.5% 45.5% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| How important is Internet access to
your teaching? (1="not important"; 5="very important") |
4.71 | 4.62 | 5.00 | 4.6 |
| How important is Internet access to
your research? (1="not important"; 5="very important") |
4.83 | 4.83 | 4.57 | 4.8 |
| How important is it in your teaching
and lecturing to utilize technology in the classroom? (1="not important"; 5="very important") |
4.43 | 4.77 | 4.86 | not asked |
| How satisfied are you with your technology
resources in the classroom? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.71 | 3.92 | 3.00 | not asked |
| How satisfied are you with your computing
resources at work? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.86 | 3.54 | 3.00 | not asked |
| The University should institute a plan
to replace faculty office computers at 3-year intervals in order to keep
pace with technology (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
4.83 | 4.83 | not asked | not asked |
| I support the University decision to
adopt Microsoft as a standard for word processing/ spreadsheet software (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
4.80 | 3.92 | not asked | not asked |
| The University should maintain site
licenses such that programs can be purchased (by faculty and students) for
a nominal fee (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
4.83 | 4.75 | not asked | not asked |
| How satisfied are you with Novell Groupwise/
USAMAIL (USA's e-mail system)? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
2.71 | 3.00 | not asked | not asked |
| The University should increase Internet
bandwidth to support the increased number of users on campus (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
2.67 | 4.92 | not asked | not asked |
| How satisfied are you with your access
to help on technology issues? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied") |
3.20 | 3.73 | 2.86 | not asked |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| Are you currently involved in distance
learning? Yes |
28.6% 71.4% 0.0% |
8.3% 91.7% not a choice |
not asked | not asked |
| There are adequate supports for developing
distance learning courses (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
2.75 | 2.13 | 2.00 | not asked |
| There is adequate time allotted to develop
and to teach distance learning courses. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
1.00 | 1.38 | 1.33 | not asked |
| There are adequate rewards for developing
distance learning courses. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
1.00 | 1.14 | 1.50 | not asked |
| Distance learning is important and should
be a priority for USA. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
1.57 | 3.20 | 2.86 | not asked |
| I am satisfied with the services provided
by my College in support of distance learning. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
2.67 | 2.83 | not asked | not asked |
| The university has a systematic plan
for developing distance learning courses. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
1.83 | 2.25 | 2.25 | not asked |
| Faculty should retain intellectual property
rights to distance learning courses and materials they develop. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree") |
5.00 | 3.90 | 5.00 | not asked |
Back to the 2002 USA Faculty Survey Home Page
 |
University
of South Alabama - Faculty Senate - HUMB 344 - Mobile,
AL 36688-0002 / (251) 460-7610 |