Employee Comments Report By UNC Job Category Appalachian State University UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Spring 2018 Prepared by: 2 Mill Road, Suite 102 | Wilmington, DE 19806 Phone: 888.684.4658 | Fax: 888.684.4659 www.modernthink.com © 2018 ModernThink LLC. All rights reserved. 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Appalachian State University Employee Comments Report About the Employee Comments… The Employee Comments Report conveys the experiences of your employees, provided by the employees themselves. When your faculty, administration and staff completed the 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey they were asked two open-ended questions: 1. What do you appreciate most about working at this institution? 2. What would make this institution a better place to work? Responses to these two questions are detailed in this report. To encourage honest, candid feedback and protect the anonymity of individual respondents, we advised employees not to include any self-identifying information. Additionally, comments have been suppressed for UNC Job Categories with fewer than five respondents. We have presented the comments exactly as they were provided to us. The responses in this report are sorted by UNC Job Category as follows: SAAO Tier 1 ..................................................................................................... pages 2 - 3 SAAO Tier 2 ..................................................................................................... pages 4 - 15 Faculty ............................................................................................................. pages 16 - 93 EHRA IRPS ...................................................................................................... pages 94 - 128 SHRA Exempt .................................................................................................. pages 129 - 150 SHRA Non-exempt .......................................................................................... pages 151 - 225 If you have any questions about this report, please contact Karen Kukulka at 888-684-4658 or [email protected]. 1 ModernThink LLC | 2 Mill Road, Suite 102 | Wilmington, DE 19806 | Phone: 888.684.4658 | www.modernthink.com 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Appalachian State University Employee Comments Report SAAO Tier 1 What do you appreciate most about working at this institution? A clear vision for the future and depth of buy-in throughout the community. Being able to contribute to the mission in meaningful ways. Faculty, staff and administration works respectfully and collegially. A very supportive environment. I appreciate that my colleagues "want" to be at AppState. They are a part of the community and take advantage of living in this beautiful mountain area. The faculty seem to be very student- centered and they care about the individuals they are teaching. I appreciate the support received from the Provost and Chancellor. They do their best to keep morale up and have created a good solid team. I have tremendous respect for our upper administration. This is one of the clearest and transparent institutions of higher education I have ever observed. People and commitment to the university. Support from senior leadership; mission and focus of the institution. The people What would make this institution a better place to work? Continued clarity on processes and examination of resources/allocations. Improved health insurance 2 ModernThink LLC | 2 Mill Road, Suite 102 | Wilmington, DE 19806 | Phone: 888.684.4658 | www.modernthink.com 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Appalachian State University Employee Comments Report Lack of resources to achieve is an issue. If plans were made to address these issues, that would be helpful. Facilities are a problem, as well as enough staff assistance to do our work well and reduce stress. More clarity in regards to the hiring and firing processes. More administrative support from HR. More efficient processes. Quicker turnaround time on review of contracts with outside agencies. Smarter choices on business processes that don't require multiple levels of sign-offs and more and more documentation on low cost, routine items. More resources to build on our proven success. Pay attention to the facilities- there is not enough office space to go around. We need designated buildings and more space on campus to be able to accommodate our growing student population. Proper state of the art equipment for research. 3 ModernThink LLC | 2 Mill Road, Suite 102 | Wilmington, DE 19806 | Phone: 888.684.4658 | www.modernthink.com 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Appalachian State University Employee Comments Report SAAO Tier 2 What do you appreciate most about working at this institution? Ability to contribute new ideas (though the pressure to fix often counteracts that), some very nice people. Met very interesting and cool faculty and staff, community connection to the Town and the school is cool. My supervisor supports my independence, I believe my pay is good, but do believe I am underpaid given my volume of work. I enjoy the challenge of my work, and my staff. I appreciate the opportunity to work with partners across campus and students who are very vocal and committed advocates. Appalachian is a community of educators, staff, and administrators who genuinely care about students. Appalachian is a great place to work with awesome colleagues. Everyone cares about each other and that's seen in how everyone interacts on a daily basis. Appalachian State University is a place like no other. On campus and in downtown Boone, the culture is such that you look others in the eye and respect them as individuals. The administration, staff and faculty at Appalachian are dedicated to our students and the community, and the institution is absolutely making the world a better place. Our focus on sustainability as become a complete part of my life. When traveling "off campus" or "down the mountain" I'm always surprised when I can't find a recycling bin! It seems like a small thing, but I believe it's part of something big - our graduates leave Boone and go... everywhere!... with a deep respect for their environment. A place of constant innovation, it's amazing to watch and be part of the ever-evolving learning taking place at Appalachian. Beyond the friendly and hard- working people, the beauty of Boone and the surrounding area makes Appalachian my forever home! Appreciate the care in which people invest in our students. Being able to make a difference in the lives of students, faculty and staff. Working in a wonderful geographic location. Strong bonds between all levels except senior leadership. I used to be proud of its commitment to sustainability, but now under new leadership, it's nothing but green washing. When really challenges come up, the path of least resistance is now taken, and the heck with sustainability. I know with a change of leadership Appalachian will be able to regain its footing as a progressive and up and coming Masters Level University Colleagues, culture, environment 4 ModernThink LLC | 2 Mill Road, Suite 102 | Wilmington, DE 19806 | Phone: 888.684.4658 | www.modernthink.com 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Appalachian State University Employee Comments Report collegiality; appreciation of the community/region; strong affinity of the institution by it's campus (students-fac-staff-admin) and it's alumni constituent base; a caring and compassionate employee base; strong reputation for caring for student experience; Commitment to students. Commitment to an accessible, transformative educational experience -- the socio-economic diversity is rich. Students who come to Appalachian want to be here. diverse setting and sharing of ideas Employees are proud of their institution. Family atmosphere, pride in our institution, friendly Flexibility and freedom to do my work Good people. Hard to say. We use to have a family culture where everyone was on the same page, and cared about each other.. We may have all been walking backwards, but at least we were all walking in the same direction. We no longer have an identity. We don't know which university, that our leaders came from, that we want to be. Now we only worry about getting our paycheck. Nobody cares about the institution anymore. I appreciate most how much every faculty and staff member genuinely loves Appalachian and wants what's best for it. I appreciate that we work in an environment that stands for doing what is right. Throughout our institution, there seems to be a consistent set of ethics that at its core, everyone understands and promotes. I appreciate the fantastic people and the shared sense of purpose. I appreciate the location and culture within and around Appalachian. I feel that Appalachian routinely surpasses expectations and that we continue to add significant value to the UNC System and the state of North Carolina. I feel honored to be a part of our mission and our ability to execute that mission. 5 ModernThink LLC | 2 Mill Road, Suite 102 | Wilmington, DE 19806 | Phone: 888.684.4658 | www.modernthink.com 2018 UNC System Employee Engagement Survey Appalachian State University Employee Comments Report I appreciate the opportunity to come to work and make a difference in the lives of people (the students, visitors, faculty and staff)! I appreciate the opportunity to work in a safe environment to better the lives of students. I appreciate the professional development opportunities and campus collaboration my academic