In January 2022, DU was reclassified as a “Very High Research Activity Institution” (R1). Most of its faculty are excited about the reputational and material benefits, as well as the possibilities for graduate education and contributing to the knowledge of the world. Their concerns about this transition, however, center around anxieties that DU’s commitment to the “teacher-scholar” model, where innovative research and transformative teaching mutually inform each other, may shift to one in which “scholars” are seen as mutually exclusive from “teachers” and valued more highly. According to the COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey and the 2020 “R1 Report” administrated by the VPFA and Faculty Senate, in addition to concerns about how teaching will be valued (and evaluated), faculty worry about their own and their colleagues’ workloads, especially in terms of teaching, mentoring, and student support. The transition to R1 has the potential to exacerbate concerns articulated in the COACHE data, such as that the worst parts of teaching at DU are “teaching load” and “service load.” It also connects to our identified areas for improvement: leadership, service, promotion, and departmental collegiality—all of which are addressed in the new multi-year initiatives below.

Since 2003, the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), a research-practice partnership (RPP), has been committed to improving the workplace, career and overall experience of faculty members. COACHE is based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has surveyed 20,000+ faculty members at more than 300 colleges and universities. Survey results are intended to be used to develop strategies to improve the professional lives of faculty members; the goal is to create an environment where faculty can do their best work.

In the spring of 2019, DU faculty members were invited to complete a survey in nine key areas. The survey results revealed diversity of opinions across campus and some significant concerns. We invite your participation as we move forward, building on these results to improve our working environments.