University of South Alabama , Library, 1999-2003-04 Faculty Survey Comparative Data

University Libraries

Faculty Survey

Comparison of Last Five Years of Faculty Senate Survey Results for this College

Number Responding:

2003/04=10

2002=16

2001=16

2000= 15

1999=14

Administrative Ratings

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.

	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
President	3.6	3.50	3.67	3.92	3.8
Vice-President for Academic Affairs	3.4	3.57	2.88	3.29	2.7
Vice-President for Medical Affairs	3.5	3.00	3.55	3.75	4.2
Vice-President for Financial Affairs	3.8	3.50	3.25	3.40	3.5
Vice-President for Student Affairs	4	3.56	3.42	3.75	3.7
Your Own Dean	2.1	2.36	2.53	2.36	2.1
Executive Director of Governmental And Alumni Affairs (W. "Happy:" Fulford)	3.67	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked

University Leadership (President, VPs)

Indicate your opinion about how highly you rate the university leadership in each of these respects
(1 indicates "very poor"; 5 indicates "excellent").

	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
Honors all promises and commitments	3.56	3.19	3.00	not asked	not asked
Is impartial and professional in relations with faculty	3.2	3.00	3.13	not asked	not asked
Conveys administrative expectations in a clear and effective manner	2.9	2.88	2.93	not asked	not asked
Informs faculty of developments critical to the accomplishment of the mission of the university	3.1	2.94	3.31	not asked	not asked
Seeks and incorporates faculty input into decisions concerning matters vital to the mission of the university	2.8	2.63	2.47	not asked	not asked
Encourages new initiatives which further the mission of the university	3.2	3.00	2.93	not asked	not asked
Seeks and dedicates ample resources to fulfillment of university mission	2.9	2.87	2.67	not asked	not asked
Responds to crisis with appropriate measures Yes No No Opinion	90% 10% Not Asked	54.9% 13.7% 31.4%	90% 10% not a choice	not asked	not asked

Dean of the University Libraries

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	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
Honors all promises and commitments	2.7	2.25	2.81	2.00	3.0
Is impartial and professional in evaluating the performance of co-workers	2.5	2.00	2.13	2.00	2.8
Informs faculty of developments critical to the accomplishment of the mission of the unit	2.2	2.06	2.63	2.36	2.7
Conveys administrative expectations in a clear and effective manner	2.5	2.00	2.63	2.31	2.8
Seeks and incorporates faculty input into decisions concerning matters vital to the mission of the unit	1.8	1.69	1.88	not asked	not asked
Encourages new initiatives which are logical extensions of existing programs	1.89	2.25	2.33	2.14	2.2
Seeks and dedicates ample resources to assure success/completion of an assignment	2.7	2.13	2.43	2.23	2.4
Is a proficient and productive administrator, and should be retained	2.4	2.19	2.38	2.08	2.3

D. Governmental Activities

1. Ability of the University to facilitate obtaining: (5=Excellent; 1=Very Poor)	2003-04
a. Federal funding for research and development	3.14
b. State funding for research and development	3.14
c. Private persons and foundation funding for research and development	2.83
d. State appropriations for operations and maintenance development	3.13

E. Sponsored Programs Support of Your Activities

1. Effectiveness of Sponsored Programs in support of: (5=Excellent; 1=Very Poor)	2003-04
a. Acquisition of extramural dollars for research and teaching infrastructure	3.00
b. Identification of relevant extramural funding opportunities in support of your personal research	2.80
c. Significant facilitation of writing grants and/or contracts for your personal research	3.0
d. Acquisition of extramural dollars for research and teaching infrastructure	2.75

2. Grant and Contract Writing Service in Support of your Research: 5=Excellent; 1=Very Poor	2003-04
a. Your feelings on the desirability of the University providing a professional grant writing team	3.50

F. Admissions/Financial Aid

1 Admissions (5=Excellent; 1=Very Poor)	2003-04
a. The level of quality produced through the admissions process provides for the most part students who are:	3.2

2. Financial Aid (5=Excellent; 1=Very Poor)	2003-04
a. The level of financial aid support to my students could best be described as:	2.5
b. The level of financial support to my students for graduate assistantship (level of support)	2.5
c. The level of financial support to my students for graduate assistantship (number of vs need)	2.5

Experiences at USA

Teaching	2003-04	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")	2.78	3.50	3.33	3.93	3.8
How much emphasis do faculty leaders and administrators at USA place on effective teaching for career advancement? (1="too little emphasis"; 5="excessive emphasis")	2.56	2.45	2.50	2.92	3.2
Are you provided with adequate and appropriate resources to teach effectively at USA? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate")	2.78	2.80	2.89	3.07	3.0
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.	3.67	4.44	Yes 71% No 29%	not asked	not asked

Research and Publications/Creative Work	2003-04	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")	3.1	3.06	3.20	3.07	3.1
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")	3.8	4.13	4.20	4.33	3.2
Are you provided with adequate and appropriate resources to conduct research or creative work at USA? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate")	2.6	2.07	1.93	2.00	2.7
Are you provided with adequate and appropriate resources to travel to meetings to present your work, and to partake in professional development activities? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate")	2.0	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you encouraged to participate in regional and national professional meetings? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate")	2.9	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you quickly and completely reimbursed for travel expenses? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate")	3.2	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked

Service and Leadership	2003-04	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")	3.56	3.19	3.56	3.80	3.7
How much emphasis do faculty leaders and administrators at USA place on institutional service for career advancement? (1="too little emphasis"; 5="excessive emphasis")	2.67	3.43	2.94	2.67	3.2
Are you provided with adequate and appropriate resources to engage in institutional service at USA? (1="very inadequate"; 5="very adequate")	2.78	2.60	3.14	2.80	3.4

Recruitment of President, VPs and Deans	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
Are you satisfied with the process of recruitment? (1="very Unsatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	2.25	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are the terms of the search honored as recruits come on campus? (1="Hardly at all"; 5="extremely well")	2.50	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you satisfied that the membership of search committees is credible? (1="not very credible"; 5="Very credible")	2.86	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are the recommendations of search committees being followed?(1="Hardly at all"; 5="Extremely well"	2.60	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked

Recruitment of Chairs and Faculty	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
Are you satisfied with the process of recruitment? (1="very Unsatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3.22	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are the terms of the search honored as recruits come on campus? (1="Hardly at all"; 5="extremely well")	2.67	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you satisfied that the membership of search committees is credible? (1="not very credible"; 5="Very credible")	3.75	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are the recommendations of search committees being followed?(1="Hardly at all"; 5="Extremely well"	3.00	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked

Tenure Promotion and Compensation	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
Are you satisfied with the mid-tenure review and feedback process? (1="very Unsatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3.67	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Is the tenure process in your college fair? (1="Extremely unfair"; 5="extremely fair")	3.40	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are the reasons and expectations for tenure clearly known and formally documented for your college?? (1="Not very well defined"; 5="Very well defined")	4.20	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Is the promotion process in your college fair?(1="Very unfair "; 5="Very fair"	3.56	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you fairly compensated with respect to your colleagues at USA? (1="Very unfair"; 5="Very fair")	2.67	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you fairly compensated with respect to national standards at USA? (1="Very unfair"; 5="Very fair")	2.44	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are maternal/paternal leave policies fair at USA? (1="Very unfair"; 5="Very fair")	2.67	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked

Computer Services Center

	2003	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")	2.9	3.07	2.88	3.20	3.1
How satisfied are you with the USA Computer Services Center in terms of the services provided? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3	3.25	3.13	3.53	3.1

Libraries

Faculty were asked to respond to these questions for the library (or libraries) they use.

University Library	2003	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")	3.67	3.50	3.67	3.61	3.1
How satisfied are you with the services provided by the Library faculty and staff? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	4.33	4.14	3.92	4.33	4.1
How satisfied are you with the electronic library and Internet-based services provided by the Library? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	4.11	4.00	4.15	4.08	3.7

Biomedical Library	2003	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")	4.25	3.71	4.80	4.00	2.8
How satisfied are you with the services provided by the Library faculty and staff? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	4.25	4.29	4.60	4.25	3.4
How satisfied are you with the electronic library and Internet-based services provided by the Library? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	4	4.50	4.80	4.00	3.0

Faculty Morale

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:	2003-04	2002	2001	2000	1999
Remain at USA with little or no change in duties	70.0	43.8%	53.3%	53.3%	~60%
Remain at USA with significant change in duties	0.0	12.5%	13.3%	0.0%	~20%
Move to another institution	20.0	25.0%	26.7%	33.3%	~10%
Move to non-academic employment	10.0	12.5%	6.7%	13.3%	~10%
No opinion	not a choice	6.2%	Not a choice	Not a choice	Not a choice

	2003	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")	2.89	2.88	2.88	2.87	3.3
How do you feel about your degree of academic freedom within the classroom? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3.89	3.50	3.22	3.80	4.1
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")	2.88	2.69	2.64	2.93	3.5

Miscellaneous

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 University Libraries faculty members of 3.9; in the 1998 survey, the question received a mean response of 3.6.

	2003	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")	2.89	2002.94	3.27	3.29	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")	3.88	4.13	4.13	3.92	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")	2.88	3.07	3.00	3.00	2.9
The USA Foundation Board serves as an effective body in managing USA's endowment (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	1.3	2.13	1.20	1.79	1.4
The USA Foundation Board serves as an effective body in supporting the USA mission and goals (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	1.2	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Please rate the USA Bookstore in terms of providing adequate and affordable services, materials, and texts to your students (1="very poor"; 5="excellent")	2.71	2.64	2.55	2.67	2.9
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	1.67	3.00	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")	3.66	3.85	3.71	3.86	not asked
Does the Brookley facility satisfy your meeting requirements? (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2.6	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you satisfied with Brookley meeting charges? (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2.6	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
Are you satisfied with Mitchell Center meeting charges? (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2.75	not asked	not asked	not asked	not asked
The availability of cultural activities on campus is: (1="very poor"; 5="excellent")	2.75	2.64	2.73	not asked	not asked

Parking on Campus

	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999
Do you consistently have difficulty finding parking on the main campus? Yes No No Opinion	20 80 not asked	12.5% 75.0% 12.5%	12.5% 87.5% not a choice	not asked	not asked
If yes, do you believe greater control is needed in issuing parking permits? Yes No No Opinion	33.3 66.7 not asked	12.5% 25.0% 62.5%	60.0% 40.0% not a choice	not asked	not asked
If yes, do you believe a significant increase in the parking fee would solve the problem? Yes No No Opinion	0.0 100 not asked	56.3% 0.0% 43.7%	0.0% 100% not a choice	not asked	not asked
If yes, do you believe only one permit should be issued per family member? Yes No No Opinion	20 80 not asked	25.0% 6.3% 68.7%	60.0% 40.0% not a choice	not asked	not asked
Do you believe that zoned parking for students on the main campus should be initiated? Yes No No Opinion	85.7 14.3 not asked	37.5% 18.8% 43.7%	55.6% 44.4% not a choice	not asked	not asked

USA Health Plan

	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999
What type of Health Plan do you have? USA Health Plan family coverage USA Health Plan single coverage Non USA coverage No opinion	44,4 55.6 0.0 not asked	25.0% 50.0% 25.0% 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	3.58	3.38	3.50	3.3
How satisfied are you with your ability to make timely unscheduled (emergency) appointments with a physician? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	2.57	3.22	2.70	2.89	3.0
How satisfied are you with the speed with which you are seen (time in waiting room)? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3.44	3.25	3.23	2.90	3.0
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")	3	2.25	1.67	2.50	2.7
How satisfied are you with the overall provision of services under the USA Health Plan? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	2.89	2.75	2.93	3.10	3.1
How has the overall quality of USA medical services changed over the last five years? (1="declined"; 5="improved")	2.5	2.64	2.88	2.88	2.9
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	not asked	3.77	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")	2.86	2.00	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	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")	3.11	2.90	not asked	not asked	not asked
The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate for physician copay. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	3.88	2.91	not asked	not asked	not asked
The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate for drugs. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2.5	1.45	not asked	not asked	not asked
The copay under the USA Health Plan is adequate for USA Hospitals.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	3.5	3.22	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")	1.25	1.89	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")	3.25	3.38	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	2.00	not asked	not asked	not asked
Have you had occasion to be treated in a non USA emergency room? Yes No No Opinion	25 75 not asked	12.5% 62.5% 25.0%	not asked	not asked	not asked
The USA Health Plan adequately covered the cost of the above treatment. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	1	2.50	not asked	not asked	not asked
Have you had any preventative medical services? Yes No No Opinion	77.8 22.2 not asked	50.0% 18.8% 31.2%	not asked	not asked	not asked
The USA Health Plan adequately covered the cost of the above services. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	4	3.33	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")	2	1.42	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)	96.86	94.44	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 ")	4.40	3.71	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")	3.71	3.88	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")	2.40	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")	4.33	3.86	not asked	not asked	not asked

Graduation

	2003		2001	2000	1999
Did you attend Spring 2001 Graduation? Yes No No Opinion	not asked	25.0% 68.8% 6.2%	not asked	not asked	not asked
Did you attend Fall 2001 Graduation? Yes No No Opinion	not asked	25.0% 68.8% 6.2%	not asked	not asked	not asked
If graduation were shorter, would you feel better about attending? Yes No No Opinion	not asked	62.5% 12.5% 25.0%	75.0% 25.0% not a choice	not asked	not asked
If graduation were organized with individual ceremonies for each college, would you feel better about attending? Yes No No Opinion	not asked	31.3% 25.0% 43.7%	55.6% 44.4% not a choice	not asked	not asked

Technology

	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999
How important is Internet access to your teaching? (1="not important"; 5="very important")	4.9	4.86	4.71	5.00	4.3
How important is Internet access to your research? (1="not important"; 5="very important")	4.8	4.79	4.54	4.80	4.3
How important is it in your teaching and lecturing to utilize technology in the classroom? (1="not important"; 5="very important")	4.88	4.82	4.69	4.93	not asked
How satisfied are you with your technology resources in the classroom? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3.44	3.55	3.17	3.50	not asked
How satisfied are you with your computing resources at work? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3.77	3.87	3.81	3.67	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")	4.7	4.40	4.19	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")	3.2	3.15	3.29	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")	4.55	4.15	4.53	not asked	not asked
How satisfied are you with Novell Groupwise/ USAMAIL (USA's e-mail system)? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	2	3.20	2.33	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")	3	3.08	4.73	not asked	not asked
How satisfied are you with your access to help on technology issues? (1="very dissatisfied"; 5="very satisfied")	3	3.29	3.23	3.47	not asked

Distance Learning

	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999
Are you currently involved in distance learning? Yes No No Opinion	28.6 71.4 not asked	6.2% 68.8% 25.0%	23.1% 76.9% not a choice	not asked	not asked
There are adequate supports for developing distance learning courses (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	3.5	2.25	2.00	2.29	not asked
There is adequate time allotted to develop and to teach distance learning courses. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	3	1.67	n/a	2.00	not asked
There are adequate rewards for developing distance learning courses. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2	1.67	1.50	2.00	not asked
Distance learning is important and should be a priority for USA. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	3	3.27	2.27	2.60	not asked
I am satisfied with the services provided by my College in support of distance learning.. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2.33	3.29	2.71	not asked	not asked
The university has a systematic plan for developing distance learning programs. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	2	2.33	1.50	2.63	not asked
Faculty should retain intellectual property rights to distance learning courses and materials they develop. (1="strongly disagree"; 5="strongly agree")	5	4.17	4.14	4.00	not asked

End of Survey Results

University of South Alabama - Faculty Senate -
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