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Faculty Affairs
Office of the Provost

COACHE 2016 Subject Areas and Action Items

COACHE Subject Areas (2016 Survey)

  • Appreciation and Recognition
  • Department Engagement, Quality, and Collegiality
  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Institutional Leadership and Shared Governance
  • Interdisciplinary Work, Collaboration, and Mentoring
  • Nature of Work- Research
  • Nature of Work- Teaching
  • Nature of Work- Service
  • Resources and Support
  • Tenure, Promotion, and Renewal

The Dean’s Working Group was composed of nominated representatives from each college and school that reports to the Provost. This Working Group was charged with providing insights from and to each of school/college’s dean and faculty. Upon receiving the results of the COACHE survey, each college/school also conducted its own analysis of its school/college-specific results. From this, action items addressing specific results were developed. Please contact the individual dean’s office for questions related to specific reports and action items.

Blair School of Music

  • The school’s Tenure Review Committee is working to clarify standards for promotion from associate professor to professor, particularly in the area of composition.
  • In order to ensure optimal faculty performance, the Faculty Review Committee will examine ways to improve post-tenure reviews. Several improvements have already been made since the time of the COACHE survey.
  • In order to preemptively address matters of shared faculty governance and unity of practices among tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, the school is activating its Faculty Advisory Committee. This body is elected and consisted of tenure-track, non-tenure-track, and part-time faculty. The chair of the committee is being assigned the title of Director of Faculty Affairs.

College of Arts and Science

  • Every department and program has recently developed a mentoring plan to ensure that faculty members receive strategic advice about faculty advancement.
  • The college has reorganized the dean’s office and appointed a dean to oversee each of three divisions: Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. The new structure enhances the capacity of the dean’s office to engage with faculty about academic planning.
  • The college is collecting information about professional development needs of non-tenure-track faculty and will convene a faculty working group to develop recommendations to improve communication about non-tenure-track faculty advancement.

Divinity School

  • The school is undergoing an $11.5 million renovation and 13,641 square-foot expansion. The improvements include better teaching and gathering spaces that will create a more collaborative environment.
  • The school has started a conversation about how the faculty can work together to strengthen faculty relationships, ensure a meaningful role in governance, and provide more support for mentoring.

Law School

  • The Law school will continue its highly-rated faculty mentoring program. The program includes a one-on-one match of each assistant and associate professor (tenure and non-tenure-track) with a full professor, annual mentoring plans and reports, and a mentoring committee overseen by the Associate Dean for Research.
  • The dean continues to give twice-yearly State of the Law School presentations to all faculty. The presentations cover all aspects of the law school and are open to questions from all faculty.

Owen Graduate School of Management

  • Owen will increase faculty engagement with undergraduate students through participation in the recently-launched undergraduate business minor.
  • Owen has developed a postdoctoral program with eight scholars in residence in 2017-18. Owen is also exploring the possibility of launching a revised Ph.D. program in collaboration with other schools on campus.
  • Owen is making significant infrastructure investments with renovations to the Walker Management Library and Owen courtyard, lobby, and third floor, which houses faculty offices.
  • The school plans to encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary work by continuing to build areas, such as healthcare business, that are naturally interdisciplinary.

Peabody College of Education and Human Development

  • Peabody is undertaking a multi-year, multi-building, massive maintenance and renovation project. This will include creating flexible classrooms, hoteling office space, and dedicated graduate student space, as well as making all Peabody buildings accessible. Plans are drawn and work will begin in 2018. The project is co-funded by the university and Peabody. The college is also completing cosmetic upgrades to One Magnolia Circle and the Susan Gray School.
  • While mentoring of junior tenure-track faculty has been ongoing, it has not been consistent across departments or over years. Peabody is initiating a more defined and systemic mentoring plan for junior tenure-track faculty. Peabody will also attend to the needs of those who are associate professors. Peabody also plans to create an effective and visible system of mentoring practice faculty, lecturers, and senior lecturers.
  • Peabody consistently recognizes faculty and staff achievements and the dean is diligent about submitting nominations for university and external awards. Peabody is also aware of opportunities for improvement in these areas, and plans to embark on a more intentional and purposeful nomination process.

School of Engineering

  • The school will continue its faculty recruiting efforts through the Emerging Scholars in Engineering Lecture series.
  • The school’s Faculty Development and Diversity Committee will expand its portfolio of faculty mentoring activities to include content designed for mid-career and non-tenure-track faculty.
  • The school’s Faculty Development and Diversity Committee will further investigate areas of concern identified in the COACHE survey by:
    • creating an internal online survey with the option for written comments; and,
    • conducting focus groups with representative faculty.

School of Medicine – Basic Sciences

  • The dean’s office has begun having conversations with department chairs regarding standard practices around mentoring and inclusion of non-tenure-track faculty in departmental activities.
  • The new Associate Dean for Faculty Development will meet annually with all tenure-track assistant professors, supplementing interactions they have with their chairs and mentoring committees, to ensure a uniform message regarding metrics of tenure and promotion.
  • The school has identified mid-career mentoring as an important need and the new Associate Dean for Faculty Development is creating a plan to provide coaching to associate professors so they feel better prepared to be promoted.
  • The newly-appointed Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has placed a concerted effort on finding ways to better recruit and retain URM faculty. The school is participating in the Academic Pathways Program. The Associate Dean supplements these efforts with other programs, including providing Culturally Aware Mentor Training for their faculty.

School of Nursing

  • The School of Nursing on-boarded a new Senior Associate Dean for Research and Assistant Dean for Clinical Scholarship. The focus of their initial work will be to establish processes for additional support and mentoring of junior tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty.
  • The School Life Committee has been revised to include broader membership of faculty, students, and staff to provide a forum for addressing issues and enhance faculty engagement in governance.
  • The School of Nursing is adding a five-floor building that includes advanced classrooms, faculty offices, and a simulation teaching lab.
  • Regular Town Hall meetings will be held to update faculty and staff on important issues and address concerns.

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