UHPA Faculty Members: check your email and rate your vice-chancellor.
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Everyone has ideas on how to make the University of Hawaii a better place to teach, conduct research, and serve the community. Now, it’s time to bring those suggestions forward and share them in a formalized manner.
“During our recent visits to all of the campuses across the University of Hawaii system, it became very evident that faculty had a lot on their mind. They had great suggestions about how to improve their campus, but no one was listening,” said Kris Hanselman, who officially began as Executive Director on September 1, 2015. She recently completed a road tour of all the campuses with Christian Fern, Associate Executive Director.
“The faculty came through loud and clear. They needed a mechanism in place for a productive dialogue,” Kris said. “They spoke; we listened and are taking action.”
Assessing Administrators
Making the University of Hawaii a better place to teach, conduct research, and serve the community starts with faculty, who are on the front lines and see firsthand the possibilities for improvement. UHPA also believes that assessment at all levels within the institution is invaluable and will improve the overall functioning of the institution. That’s why UHPA will assess UH administrators at all levels, starting with the deans, vice-chancellors, chancellors, vice-presidents, and culminating with the UH president.
“We developed a new survey tool called, “Rate My Administrator,” which kicks off this month to capture the thoughts of faculty that we can then share with UH President David Lassner,” Kris said. “We hope to have a candid discussion about what’s working well and areas we can improve, all in a respectful, constructive manner.”
Upcoming Survey Schedule
UHPA believes that assessment at all levels within the institution is invaluable and will improve the overall functioning of the institution. All faculty will have the opportunity to evaluate all levels of UH administrators. This month, you’ll start with assessing your respective dean. In December 2015, you’ll have the opportunity to evaluate vice-chancellors; in January 2016, the chancellors; in early February 2016, vice-presidents; and finally, in early March 2016, UH President David Lassner.
Survey Mechanics
UHPA is collecting the information anonymously; no personally identifiable data is being stored in the databases at any time, hence individual faculty respondents cannot be identified by anyone at any time, including UHPA. Under no circumstances will personally identifiable responses be collected or disclosed in any form or manner. The results will be available for UHPA members, UHPA’s Board of Directors, and UH President David Lassner.
Separating Perceptions from Reality
One of the objectives of the survey is to separate perceptions from reality.
“We may have heard many things, both good and areas that need improvement, and this survey will help us sort through these issues,” Kris said. “It will also help us determine the facts surrounding various situations so that we can make informed, sound decisions and recommendations.”
Pathways to Progress
“The survey results will also allow us to separate contract and collective bargaining issues from curriculum development concerns,” Kris added. “Issues relating to curriculum will be the domain of the Faculty Senate, while contract and collective bargaining topics will squarely rest on UHPA.”
The UH Faculty Senate did not have a vehicle to discuss contract-related concerns, and now this process will create a constructive pathway to create positive change.
Creating a Better Public Institution for Higher Education
Making the University of Hawaii a better place to teach, conduct research, and serve the community is everyone’s goal. The faculty play a key role in initiating improvements and helping to implement them.
The participation and feedback from faculty in these upcoming surveys is critical because the results will be used to benefit the entire University of Hawaii system, including current and future students.
Q & A Regarding Survey
Q: I’m an UHPA member but why didn’t I get the survey?
A: One reason may be that we have an outdated email address on file for you. UHPA recommends that you register your personal email address and not use @hawaii.edu email addresses for privacy purposes. Contact the UHPA office to verify that we have your current private email address.
A: Another reason may be that you had opted-out of receiving surveys from Survey Monkey. If that is the case, you will need to opt back in by unblocking your email address.
Q: I’m a non-member of UHPA. Can I still participate in the survey?
A: First, you need to be an UHPA Member and it’s quick and easy to register online. Once we can confirm you are a member and you’ve given us the correct email address, we’ll add you to our next reminder email and you too can participate!
Q: Will the results of the survey be shared with participants? How/when may we expect to receive them?
A: “While we are still compiling the results and contemplating the best way to make the information available, our intent is to make all of the information available to all UHPA Members.