During 2008 - 2009 the University assessed the quality of university life (QUL) for students, faculty and staff.  For the purposes of the survey, QUL was defined as the impact of the university’s academic, administrative, cultural, physical and social environments on students, faculty and staff.

The surveys were administered to the following populations:

·         Teaching and research faculty

·         Administrative and professional faculty

·         Classified staff

·         Hourly staff

·         Adjunct faculty

·         Students

The results of the student survey are being compiled.     Summary reports for each target population can be accessed from the Institutional Research and Assessment webpage http://www.odu.edu/ao/ira/assessment/reports/.  All reports will be posted by the end of December.  You will need your Midas log-in to view the reports. 

The QUL Committee will provide regular updates on actions and initiatives taken to address recommendations and concerns raised during the QUL process.  There were common themes that emerged across the survey groups.  The majority of the respondents across populations rated their quality of university life good or excellent.  Most responded “yes” to recommending working at ODU to others.  Most cited relationship with co-workers as being the most positive influence on their quality of university life.

The desire for more input on decisions that affect University life, better access to the upper administration, and more feedback on issues raised in town hall and departmental meetings surfaced.  At the time of the survey the Strategic Planning and the Enrollment Management initiatives had not begun.  Both were highly visible and inclusive processes.  It is possible that if the survey had been administered afterwards, then the desire for more inclusion in decisions that affect work may not have emerged as a theme.

In response to this concern, President Broderick began the Monarch Morning initiative.   Monarch Mornings are brief, informal meetings where President Broderick shares campus updates and responds to questions or concerns raised by faculty and staff in attendance.  There have been 19 Monarch Mornings at various buildings on campus and one that was broadcast to the distance learning sites.  Approximately 800 faculty and staff have participated in these meetings.  As concerns were raised the issues were documented and follow up actions are underway to address them.  For example, some employees asked why ODU did not offer pre-tax parking benefits.  Based on good timing,  Payroll and Parking Services implemented pre-tax parking benefits this fall.  Other issues will take more time to address and the QUL Committee will continue to provide feedback on the outcomes.  President Broderick plans to continue the Monarch Mornings on a regular basis.

The QUL process identified the need to improve management and supervision by enhancing professional development opportunities and support to improve campus QUL.  As a start, a Manager’s Toolkit was developed and posted on the Department of Human Resources’ Webpage.    It includes “how to” information, policies and forms related to managing and supervising  AP faculty, classified and hourly employees.  The Manager’s Toolkit is located at http://www.odu.edu/ao/humanresources/managertool/index.shtml .

The Department of Human Resources’ newsletters, Management Notes and The ReSource will include articles on an on-going basis that address issues from the QUL survey results.  The July 2009 issue of Management Notes included the article “You Are Doing a Good Job”, which included suggestions and resources for providing employee recognition.

The QUL process revealed the need for enhancing initiatives to build a more inclusive campus community which celebrates diversity and recognizes that diversity is much broader than race.  The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity expanded their staff to include a diversity coordinator position to assist with these initiatives.

Salary and benefits were a main concern for several groups.  The survey results indicated that there is also confusion about compensation.   In an effort to communicate more effectively about AP Faculty compensation, the Department of Human Resources developed AP Faculty Pay Practices and posted them on its website at http://www.odu.edu/ao/humanresources/forms/APFacultyPayPractices.pdf.

We recognize there are aspects of QUL that will take longer to address such as workload and infrastructure as these topics require further study. The QUL committee will continue to communicate the progress and results of implementing the QUL recommendations.  A QUL website is under construction to post QUL updates and to provide the university community with an opportunity to make QUL recommendations at any time.  Construction will be complete by the end of December.

The University is committed to enhancing QUL.   Enriching the quality of campus life is one of the six strategic goals of the Old Dominion University Strategic Plan  2009- 2014 and implementing the approved recommendations from the 2008-2009 QUL surveys is included as an action item.  If you have any suggestions or additional recommendations to enhance the quality of University life, please contact one of the QUL Committee members, listed below: