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COACHE logo and graphics representing teaching, administration and teamworkUNT aspires to emerge as an exceptionally diverse and inclusive institution dedicated to generating knowledge and innovations that will profoundly influence the future and cultivate excellence in the next generation of scholars and leaders. We acknowledge the pivotal role faculty members play in realizing this vision and are dedicated to ensuring that every faculty member feels included and valued.

In pursuit of continuous improvement, UNT actively engages in surveys to gauge faculty satisfaction. Among the comprehensive surveys we have undertaken, the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey is one of the most impactful initiatives in our journey toward enhancing the academic experience.

Update from the 2024 COACHE Steering Committee

Since receiving our 2024 COACHE survey results in late summer, the COACHE Steering Committee developed a three-pronged engagement process that places relevant data with stakeholders who can act on the results. This includes:

  • Creating college-level COACHE reports that allow deans and their faculty to understand the specific benchmarks that indicate improvement opportunities and areas where their faculty are satisfied. Estimated completion: Early December 2024.
  • Sharing COACHE survey data with stakeholders in the Budget Office, Human Resources, Academic Resources, CLEAR, Research and Innovation, and Toulouse Graduate School so they can explore how the data can inform President Keller’s Three Strategic Priorities and their respective areas. Stakeholders received data in early October 2024 and will provide quarterly status updates.
  • Focusing our Steering Committee inquiry around three areas faculty can influence and recruiting faculty to join our work. These areas represented lower faculty satisfaction compared to UNT's 2021 results and ranked in the lower 30% of our peer comparisons. The three focus areas and co-leads include:
    • Shared Governance and Leadership: Bill Joyner and Barrett Taylor
    • Promotion and Tenure: Jessica Napoles, Alex Barr and Jorge Aviles-Diz
    • Interdisciplinary Work and Collaboration: Majed Yaghi, Kevin Yanowski and Kim Williams

Community feedback and dialogue will occur between November 2024 and February 2025. Please get in touch with a faculty member involved in a focus area if you are interested in joining this work.

The COACHE Steering Committee will compile a comprehensive report in late spring 2025 informed through all three feedback mechanisms. The report will include a deeper understanding of the areas of dissatisfaction and recommendations for our community to address these areas.

How has UNT improved faculty work life with prior COACHE surveys?

UNT distributes the survey every three years, and we have made significant strides in addressing areas of concern while continuing to support the resources that faculty share that are helping them succeed. These include:

  • Implementing ongoing salary studies and market adjustments (every three years)
  • Launching a Workload Equity Initiative (AY24) and Academic Workload Policy adjustments
  • Improving climate and support for Professional Faculty: name change, increasing UNT Foundation award eligibility (ongoing; Professional Faculty FRG)
  • Hosting Crucial Conversations training for academic leaders and faculty
  • Expanding support for teaching — Faculty Director for Teaching Development (Faculty Success)
  • Expanding the UNT Faculty Mentoring Program for faculty across ranks
  • Development of a faculty dashboard (Insights 2.0) to track faculty advancement and retention and to share COACHE 2021 results  
  • Expanding faculty award eligibility and funding
  • Implementing faculty exit surveys and interviews
What is the COACHE survey and why does it matter?

The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey is a pivotal instrument employed by academic institutions, including the University of North Texas (UNT), to assess and enhance the experiences of faculty members. UNT, with its commitment to being a diverse and inclusive institution that fosters knowledge and innovation, utilizes the COACHE survey as a comprehensive tool to gauge faculty job satisfaction. Its importance lies in providing valuable insights into faculty perspectives, aiding continuous improvement efforts, and enabling the institution to tailor policies and practices toward a more supportive academic environment.

By participating in the COACHE survey, UNT seeks to align faculty experiences with its vision, ensuring that faculty members feel included, valued, and empowered to contribute to the university's overarching goals of excellence and diversity.

What does the COACHE survey measure?

The survey assesses 25 benchmarks of faculty job satisfaction within an academic workplace, including:

  • Clarity of the tenure and promotion process
  • Work-life balance
  • Support for teaching and research
  • Campus climate, culture and collegiality
  • Compensation and benefits  

Aggregated results pinpoint areas requiring attention and improvement, guiding academic leaders in shaping a more conducive and satisfying work environment. Moreover, the national scope of the survey allows institutions to compare their results with those of peers, fostering a collaborative approach to addressing challenges and enhancing the overall quality of academic experiences across the higher education landscape.

What is UNT's history in using COACHE to measure faculty job satisfaction?

The COACHE survey, initially administered to tenure-track faculty in 2008-2009 and subsequently to tenured faculty in 2010-2011, reflects UNT's dedication to understanding and addressing the evolving needs and experiences of its faculty. In 2018 and 2021, UNT expanded its commitment by including all full-time faculty in the COACHE survey — including lecturers, clinical, tenure-track and tenured faculty — in every college.

Overall, results from the 2021 COACHE survey indicated improvement over scores from the 2018 COACHE survey. 62% of our full-time faculty responded to the COACHE 2021 survey, and of those, 53% completed the survey for an 84% retention rate, which was higher than any of our five comparison universities: Louisiana State University, University of Central Florida, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, University of Tennessee, and University of Texas at Arlington (47%) and the larger COACHE cohort (43%). In 2024, our five comparison universities will be: University of Houston, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Tech University, Florida State University, and University of California-Irvine.

Who are UNT's 2024 COACHE peer institutions?

Based on the number of UNT faculty and other organizational characteristics, our comparison cohort includes 85 COACHE partners who identify as generally similar.

UNT selected the following five institutions to serve as "peers" representing the institutions most similar to us in the faculty labor market.

When did the 2024 UNT COACHE survey launch and what should I expect?

Eligible full-time faculty received an anonymous unique survey link in an email from COACHE in early February 2024. A few weeks before this, faculty heard about the COACHE survey in their faculty meetings, in UNT Today, and in emails from the provost and Faculty Success. The survey link remained active until early April, with Faculty Success monitoring the response rate and contacting units as needed to encourage faculty to participate.

We received our results in August 2024 and continue to work closely with the provost and the UNT COACHE Steering Committee to review, share, and collect additional data to get a more comprehensive picture of faculty job satisfaction.

Who will ensure the COACHE results are shared, reviewed and taken seriously by UNT leadership?

Our 2024 COACHE Steering Committee members represent a diverse set of faculty and staff who will review the results, engage faculty groups, and identify actionable suggestions to continue improving the work life for UNT faculty.

  • Holly Hutchins*, Vice Provost and Professor, Faculty Success (Chair)
  • Brian Richardson, Professor, Communication Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (Co-Chair)
  • William Joyner, Vice Chair, Faculty Senate; Associate Professor, Vocal Studies, College of Music
  • Kevin Yanowski, Associate Librarian, Department Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services, UNT Libraries  
  • Jesus Quevedo-Torrero, Clinical Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Amanda Fuller*, Associate Director, University Brand Strategy and Communications
  • Daniel Hubbard*, Director, Data, Analytics, and Institutional Research (DAIR)
  • Reynaldo Quiroz Heredia*, Business Intelligence Analyst, DAIR
  • Jessica Pamplin*, Business Intelligence Analyst, DAIR
  • Barrett Taylor, Professor, Counseling and Higher Education, College of Education
  • Jessica Napoles, Professor, Music Education, College of Music
  • Majed Yaghi, Clinical Associate Professor, Marketing, G. Brint Ryan College of Business
  • Kim Williams, Chair, Hospitality and Tourism Management, College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism
  • Alex Barr, Senior Lecturer, Physics, College of Sciencez
  • Jorge Aviles-Diz, Professor, Spanish, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

*Staff