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Open-Ended Responses

Theme 2: Staffing for Effectiveness (Spring 2006 Campus WASC Survey)

In this document:

After selecting priorities from the forced-choice question on Theme 2, respondents were invited to respond to two open-ended questions on this subject. The first question asked respondents to suggest additional high priority strategies for effective staffing and the second question asked for methods to evaluate progress in this area.

A large number of comments were made by university employees concerning additional areas that need priority attention, and these are detailed in Table 2-12. A few typical open-ended comments made by each group are included below to provide more detail on each of these additional strategies. Very few comments were made concerning how to evaluate progress in this area, and so none are included below.

Affordable Housing

Not surprisingly, affordable housing emerged as a high priority for most campus employees though the open-ended comments on Theme 2. Typical comments are included here.

Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty

  • We may lose quality faculty because of unaffordable housing
  • In order to attract top faculty, we need to provide faculty housing

Lecturer Faculty

  • Helping to provide affordable housing or low interest loans
  • Faculty housing near campus would increase the participation of faculty in all aspects of campus life

Staff

  • New faculty will never be able to buy a house on what they make
  • Salaries are not adequate to attract quality people in an expensive housing area

Administrators

  • Continuing efforts to assist faculty/staff obtain housing in the area
  • One has to address the problem of housing for faculty and staff
Table 2-12. Additional Strategies for Staffing Effectiveness
Suggested in Open-Ended Responses
Category

 Number of Responses
Faculty Lecturer Staff Administrator
Affordable Housing
 21 5 6 3
Salary
 4 4 23 1
Professional Development
 2 4 8 2
Collaboration
 4 3 5 3
Administration
     13  
Employee Recognition
   3 7 2
Employee Workload
 9 2   1
Employee Retention
   1 8 2
Employee Accountability
 2 1 4 3
Faculty Divide
 4   5 1
Evaluations
 1 1 6  
Job Growth Potential
   4 4  
Employee Morale
 2   4  
Employee Diversity
 1   3 1
RTP Standards
 5      
Community Goals
   3 1  
Facilities Space
 2 1 1  
Communication
 2   1  
Parking
 1 1    
Research Support
   2    
Tenure
   2    
Library
 1      
Student Diversity
     1  
Technology Leadership
   1    

Salary

Many university employees mentioned salary in the open-ended comments, both under Theme 1 and under Theme 2. Salary was of especial concern to staff employees (Table 2-12). Typical open-ended comments are presented below.

Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty:

  • We will attract and keep good faculty if we have, for starters, market-competitive salaries
  • Attempts to attract and keep junior faculty by offering higher salaries and reduced workloads should not be done at the expense of senior faculty
  • Salary parity for faculty in the CSU system in comparison with other national salaries

Lecturer Faculty:

  • Lecturer salary is the same for the last 6 years
  • COLA wage increase vs. for faculty

Staff:

  • This is a problem created over the years when $ for salary increases was short or non-existent, but somehow must be corrected.
  • Give all staff annual raises to support and retain current staff.
  • We need to be paid to stay with the increases in standard of living in Long Beach.

Administrators:

  • Long-term employees often end up with lower salaries, inferior equipment, and less recognition than incoming employees