COACHE Survey

COACHE Faculty Survey to Launch Again in 2026 - Join the Next Chapter

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

I’m pleased to share that FGCU has renewed its partnership with COACHE and will launch a second Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey in Spring 2026. This decision follows thoughtful review and enthusiastic support from our cross-campus working groups. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to once again engage in this important work alongside our faculty through the COACHE initiative, and I remain deeply appreciative of the continued support from university leadership in advancing a culture of improvement and shared commitment to faculty success.

The first cycle of the COACHE initiative, conducted in 2023, resulted in tangible, university-wide improvements informed by your feedback. You may still review the dashboard and taskforce reports on the FGCU COACHE website. Highlights include:

• A comprehensive review of shared governance structures and the creation of a dedicated webpage to improve transparency and accessibility.
• The reinstatement of the Budget Council (now the Institutional Effectiveness and Accountability Council), restoring a faculty voice in financial planning.
• Faculty recognition and community-building events, including Fall Fest, Spring Jam, and athletic collaborations to celebrate faculty achievements.
• A significant increase in Excellence Award nominations and the launch of an online faculty recognition website.
• New transparent hiring procedures and ongoing efforts to enhance professional development funding and faculty well-being initiatives.
• Looking ahead, continued efforts are focused on initiatives that directly impact your experience, including refining leadership accountability, expanding professional development and recognition opportunities, and ensuring your voice remains central in decision-making through strengthened transparency and shared governance.

These outcomes reflect your voices, and we are grateful for your continued engagement.

What’s Next?

The 2026 survey will launch in February. Between now and then, we’ll be preparing our data files, confirming peer institutions, finalizing custom questions, and building communications to ensure another strong response.

We will again form two teams during the 2026–2027 academic year:

• A Priority-Setting Taskforce to identify key findings from the survey.
• A Strategy-Setting Taskforce to recommend actionable next steps.

If you are interested in participating in one of these groups or contributing ideas for custom questions, please be on the lookout for a call later this fall.

Together, we are building a culture rooted in transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Thank you for your commitment to making FGCU an exceptional place to work and thrive.

Andi Clemons, Director, Academic Affairs, Administration, and Budget

Updates on COACHE Implementation Team

Dear FGCU Faculty,

It is important for us to reflect on the progress made over the past several months to implement recommendations that came from FGCU’s 2023 participation in the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Survey.

As you may recall, members of the COACHE Strategy-Setting Taskforce and the President’s Cabinet formed an implementation team early in the summer, and the group was charged by President Timur to translate the taskforce’s recommendations into tangible advancements. As part of this effort, President Timur assigned individual Cabinet members, based on their area of expertise, to collaborate with taskforce members on the work plan. Together, Cabinet and taskforce members share a collective commitment to fostering a thriving and inclusive academic environment at FGCU, and listed below are some of the key accomplishments:

• Enhancing Shared Governance: We conducted a comprehensive review of committee structures, increasing transparency and ensuring diverse faculty representation. A centralized list of university committees is now available on the provost’s website to improve accessibility and communication.

• Elevating Faculty Recognition Initiatives: We expanded the Excellence Awards program, achieving a record number of nominations this year. We are incorporating new ways to celebrate faculty, such as recognizing faculty excellence at FGCU athletics games.
• Faculty Appreciation Events: This year, we introduced two events designed to strengthen the community and share an appreciation of faculty: the Faculty Fall Fest and an April 4, 2025, celebration at The Boardwalk (details will be announced in the spring term by Academic Affairs and Faculty Senate).
• Advancing Leadership Development: By adopting a new framework led by the firm, Center for Transformation and Innovation (CTI), FGCU is emphasizing tailored, professional development for academic and administrative leaders to align with the unique needs of the university.
• Reviewed Funding for Professional Development: We conducted a comprehensive review of professional development funding challenges, including identifying the need for a simplified, equitable funding process that reduces administrative hurdles and ensures meaningful support for faculty. A working group has been formed to draft actionable recommendations by March 2025 in preparation for the arrival​ of FGCU’s next provost.

These initiatives represent significant progress in creating a campus culture that values shared governance, collaboration, respect and faculty success. There is still more work to do, and we encourage you to stay engaged with these efforts and explore additional updates on the COACHE webpage.

Thank you for your ongoing contributions to FGCU’s mission.

Wings Up!

Aysegul Timur, Ph.D. |  FGCU President
Tony Barringer, Ed.D. |  Division of Academic Affairs
Eileen DeLuca, Ph.D. |  Division of Student Success & Enrollment Management
David Vazquez |  Division of Administrative Services & Finance
Kitty Green  |  Division of University Advancement
Lisa Jones, Esq. |  Division of Legal Affairs

COACHE Survey

Provost Mark Rieger and I met with the COACHE Strategy Setting Taskforce last Friday. The team provided such a comprehensive and thorough report with actionable strategies and objectives that align with Goal 4 of the strategic plan. I thank everyone who is involved in this process and appreciate the commitment of improving the two areas of selected priorities: (one) resources and support and (two) culture of leadership.

The team also presented an implementation plan with a detailed timeline. Now, the task force will add new members and continues to work with me to further prioritize these recommendations and start implementing them during the summer. We will move forward with these recommendations right away. On the other hand, once we get the results of the "Great Colleges to Work For" survey, we will analyze and merge strategies together even further. Stay tuned!

Aysegul Timur, Ph.D. |  FGCU President

COACHE Strategy Setting Taskforce Report

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Strategy Setting Taskforce, I am pleased to share the completed report outlining recommendations to address the priorities presented in the fall. The report has been shared with leadership, and the taskforce will meet with them on Friday to discuss the recommendations.

The taskforce diligently assessed the university's strengths, opportunities, and challenges presented in the COACHE survey data, coupled with feedback from faculty through multiple dialogue sessions, 13 one-on-one office hours, and an additional feedback form in which we gathered 72 responses.

Academic Affairs convened the COACHE Strategy-Setting Taskforce (CSST) in January 2024. They charged it with creating goals for continuous improvement to address the priority areas identified and disseminated by the COACHE Priority-Setting Taskforce (CPST) during fall 2023. These priorities, which emerged from specific areas of concern identified in the COACHE report, were: Theme 1: Culture of Leadership and Theme 2: Resources and Support.

The CSST report presents findings and proposals, resulting in actionable insights and goals to help shape the institution's path forward to achieve our strategic vision and foster continued growth.

Information about COACHE at FGCU can be found on the FGCU COACHE website, including an interactive results dashboard and the accompanying summary report. Faculty can access the data through the dashboard using their SSO.

Questions about the COACHE survey can be directed to Andi Clemons at aclemons@fgcu.edu

Thanks,

FGCU COACHE STRATEGY-Setting Taskforce

Ms. Andi Clemons, AA

Dr. Lyndsay Rhodes, CAS

Dr. Tony A. Barringer, AA

Dr. Ann Cary, TWS

Dr. Eileen DeLuca, AA

Dr. Christina Dzioba, MCHHS

Dr. Billy Gunnels, CAS

Dr. Katie Johnson, CAS

Dr. Joe Leah, LCOB

Dr. Jan Martijn Meij, CAS

Dr. Bill Reynolds, Lucas Center

Dr. Jennifer A. Sughrue, COE

COACHE-Now What? Provide feedback on next steps

Share your Voice! We would like to hear from you.

The COACHE Strategy-Setting Taskforce has been charged with creating goals for continuous improvement to address concerns. We want your input on the findings and how we can make FGCU the best place to work. 

There are 3 ways to share your thoughts. 

The two key findings put forward as priorities from the results are Culture of Leadership and Resources and Support.

Option 1: COACHE Dialogue Session

Option 2: Want to talk one-on-one? Open Office Hours

Option 3: Anonymous Survey

How to attend:

Option 1: COACHE Dialogue Session 

Attend a COACHE Dialogue Session to discuss how we may address concerns. There are 4 sessions scheduled, 2 for each topic. One will be virtual and one in-person.

Topic: Culture of Leadership

Session 1:

Date: 1/18 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location: Virtual 

Session 2:

Date: 1/23 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Location: In-Person AB9 113

Topic: Resources and Support

Session 1:

Date: 1/22 3:00  - 4:00 pm

Location: Virtual 

Session 2:

Date: 1/24 10:00 - 11:00 am

Location: In-Person Lucas Center

Option 2: Want to talk one-on-one? Office Hours

If you prefer one-to-one conversations, you may meet with one of the taskforce members during open office hours.

Katie Johnson:

1/24, 10:00 - 11:00 am, SH 212

1/31, 10:00 - 11:00 am, SH 212

Eileen DeLuca

1/23, 3:00 - 4:30 pm, EH 319

1/25, 9:00 - 10:00 am and 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, EH 319

Christina Dzioba

1/18, 9:00 - 10:00 am, MAR 329

1/24, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, MAR 329

Ann Cary

1/25, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Virtual

1/29, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, AB9 446

Billy Gunnels

1/23, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, WH 246

1/25, 2:30 - 3:30 pm, WH 246

Option 3: Anonymous Survey

Faculty can provide feedback through a brief 3-question survey.

Information about COACHE at FGCU can be found on the FGCU COACHE website, including an interactive results dashboard and the accompanying summary report. 

COACHE Strategy-Setting Taskforce

Dr. Jennifer Sughrue

Dr. Bill Reynolds

Dr. Christina Dzioba

Dr. Ann Cary

Dr. Katie Johnson

Dr. Jan-Martijn Meij

Dr. billY Gunnels

Dr. Eileen DeLuca

Dr. Joe Leah

Helping Our Faculty Succeed through Participation in COACHE's Job Satisfaction Survey

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you of an important opportunity you will be offered in the coming days to participate in a survey of faculty job satisfaction. This survey research is part of a national program called the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), which has been operating from the Harvard Graduate School of Education since 2003. Participation will entail completing a 25-minute, web-based survey; your unique link to the survey will be emailed to you from COACHE in the coming days. COACHE will not use any name or email address for any purposes except for this research.

While there are many surveys that faculty are asked to complete, this one was designed entirely to determine their current job satisfaction compared to faculty at peer institutions. Your views are especially important to us as we strive to attract and retain the best and brightest scholars and teachers, increase the satisfaction of all faculty, and to make Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) a great place to work.

In a process approved by Harvard’s and FGCU’s institutional review board, COACHE will provide our campus with their summary analysis, as well as the confidential unit-record database, stripped of names and e-mail addresses. The data provided to FGCU will be received and kept on a secure server by Dr. Sangki Min, Assistant Vice President, Planning and Institutional Performance. Neither I, nor any other administrator, staff or faculty member outside Planning and Institutional Performance at FGCU will have access to the unit-record data. Planning and Institutional Performance will explore and analyze broad patterns in the data to assist with planning and developing improved academic policies and practices across campus. To protect confidentiality and guarantee that the results of this survey cannot influence personnel decisions about individual faculty members, Planning and Institutional Performance staff will disseminate survey results only with data aggregated in cells of five respondents or more, so that individual faculty and individual departments cannot be identified.

We welcome this opportunity to learn from an independent, research-driven, comparative study. We believe that FGCU has the potential to be one of the best places for faculty to work, and with your help we can learn how best to support that goal. However, data from the Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey will be meaningful only if we have broad participation.

Within a week, you will receive an e-mail from COACHE (coachefaculty@opinioncast.com), directing you to the online survey. The survey is easy to complete. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Andi Clemons at aclemons@fgcu.edu, or COACHE at coachefaculty@abtassociates.com.

Thank you in advance by helping us through participation in this study.

Mark Rieger, Executive Vice President and Provost

Anna Carlin, Faculty Senate President