Summary Results: IBHE Faculty Responsibilities and Satisfaction Surveys

              Summary Results
IBHE Faculty Responsibilities and Satisfaction Surveys
January 16, 2002
Prepared by Center for Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University
Background
House Joint Resolution 19, a product of the 91st Illinois General Assembly,
asked the Illinois Board of Higher Education to “review the growing dependence
on part-time and nontenure-track faculty in Illinois colleges and universities….”
The IBHE contracted with the Center for Governmental Studies at Northern
Illinois University for assistance in compiling information related to the use,
compensation, and satisfaction of tenure-track and nontenure-track faculty at
Illinois public universities and community colleges.
This summary reports the results of surveys conducted in fall 2001 to investigate
the job responsibilities and job satisfaction of faculty at Illinois public universities,
as well as institutional policies regarding faculty hiring, retention, evaluation, and
compensation. The data reported in the first part of this summary are all from
university faculty members and university administrators; results for community
college faculty members and administrators are reported in the second section of
the summary.
Survey and Research Methodology
The research methodology for the survey portion of the project was developed
through the collaboration of IBHE staff, Center for Governmental Studies staff, an
IBHE project advisory group that includes ICCB staff, IBHE staff, human
resources professionals from universities, institutional research professionals
from colleges and universities, faculty members from colleges and universities,
union representatives, and academic administrators from colleges and
universities. CGS project staff also met with an advisory group from the
community colleges prior to producing final drafts of survey instruments. In all
cases, the general consensus was that it was necessary to separate out as many
faculty groups as possible for separate study through the surveys. After
balancing cost, analytical, and time considerations, it was agreed that the
university faculty should be split into three groups: tenured and tenure-track
faculty, part-time nontenure-track faculty, and full-time nontenure-track faculty.
Community college representatives indicated that the corresponding split for
community college faculty would be between tenured/tenure-track and part-time
nontenure-track faculty (i.e., full-time nontenure-track faculty are not a
significantly utilized group for community colleges). Due to the relative numbers
of faculty in each of the groups, universities were instructed to provide a
complete list of faculty in each of the two nontenure-track faculty groups and a
random sample of tenured and tenure track faculty (following a protocol provided
by the researchers). The community college faculty lists were provided through
the ICCB in cooperation with the community colleges. These lists were based on