Academics@UCSD Survey

In April 2024, 2,080 academic employees were invited to participate in the second administration of the Academics@UCSD Survey. The survey closed on May 10 with a 35% response rate (N=736).  

In addition to the survey questions and categories from the previous iteration (with modifications), academic employees were asked questions related to the implementation of the new labor contracts (Academic Senate faculty only), and experiences as a new hire (if applicable). 

The 2024 Academics@UCSD survey was analyzed by Tritonlytics, which generated automated reports for participating VC areas, schools, departments and other units with at least 5 respondents. In November 2024, unit leaders and designees were granted access to unit reports. If you think you should have access but are not sure where to find your reports, please email vcedi-faculty@ucsd.edu. A campus-wide report is accessible HERE. 

A Note about Verbatim Comments 

Comments provide valuable insight into the thoughts and feelings of academic employees. To ensure anonymity and preserve the trust that academic employees demonstrated in providing candor, comments are only shared in themes.

Which Vice Chancellor Units participated in the survey? Academic Affairs, Marine Sciences, and Research and Innovation.

Who was invited to take the survey? It was distributed to Senate Faculty, Non-Senate Faculty (represented and non-represented), Academic Coordinators & Administrators, Academic Researchers (represented and non-represented) and Librarians in participating units. The following titles/groups were not included: Extension, Preuss School, Postdoctoral Scholars, Visiting and Non-Salaried Titles, Graduate Student Instructors, and Emeriti/Recall.

How is anonymity being maintained?  The Academics@UCSD survey is anonymous, made possible through the following:

• The distribution of Response IDs were randomized, eliminating the possibility that a specific user's response could be identified based on survey or alphabetical order.
• Respondent IP addresses, email addresses, and other identity-related information was not logged or stored (i.e., no cookies.). Outside of the emailed invitation itself, there’s no record correlating a specific user with a specific response.
• Using a uniquely generated passphrase per Response ID, each invitee was sent a unique survey link to complete the survey. 
• Lastly, a secure SSL certificate was utilized for all online survey activity, preventing others from "listening in" on the survey responses.

How is confidentiality being maintained? Although the survey is anonymous, we want to ensure that respondents cannot be identified based on demographic data and/or qualitative responses. To protect individuals and ensure confidentiality, responses will only be reported in a summary format. Furthermore, results will only be reported where n is greater than five.

What about academics with joint or split appointments with multiple departments?  Academic appointees with joint or split appointments were asked to complete the survey based on their primary, or “home”, department, which was pre-determined based on a set of criteria, e.g. hiring department, percent appointment, etc.

The Academics@UCSD™ survey instrument may be reproduced and used for non-commercial research and educational purposes without seeking written permission. Any other type of reproduction or distribution is not authorized. If you refer to, use or reproduce this survey in any way, including for educational and research purposes, please cite and attribute to University of California, San Diego (2020 or 2024). For questions about permissions, email acadsurvey@ucsd.edu.

If you are interested in conducting this survey or a customized version at your Institution, the Tritonlytics Team at UC San Diego can help. Tritonlytics offers in-house survey tools, system application and data, and statistical reports designed to help unit leaders identify opportunities for improvement and optimize operational effectiveness. If interested in full or partial-service deployment, please visit Tritonlytics online or email tritonlytics@ucsd.edu.

   ➔ 2020 Academics@UCSD™ survey instrument

   ➔ 2024 Academics@UCSD™ survey instrument

On May 5, 2020, the Center for Faculty Diversity & Inclusion (C-FDI), a unit of the Vice Chancellor’s Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion launched the first Academics@UCSD™ survey to better understand and improve the experiences of academic employees at UC San Diego. The survey closed on June 1, 2020 with a 44% response rate (N=818). The Center for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion, Institutional Research, and Tritonlytics collaborated to analyze the survey results in two phases.

Phase 1

The first phase of analysis was led by Tritonlytics and generated automated reports for participating VC areas, schools, departments and other units with at least 5 respondents. In November 2020, all unit-level reports were distributed to unit leaders. A campus-wide report is accessible HERE. 

A Note about Verbatim Comments 

Comments provide valuable insight into the thoughts and feelings of academic employees. To ensure anonymity and preserve the trust that academic employees demonstrated in providing candor, comments are only shared in themes. 

Phase 2

The second phase of analysis was led by Institutional Research (IR) and the Center for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion (C-FDI). After a deeper analysis of the data using an intersectional lens, we identified five key themes: Academic Workload, Perceptions of Underrepresented Academic Appointees, Institutional Transparency, Academic Performance Review, and Impact of Covid-19. Academic appointees were invited to participate in roundtable discussions on each theme during winter and spring of 2021. Each roundtable started with a brief overview of the survey and key findings related to the theme, and then invited participants to share their reflections, additional insights, and recommendations for improvement. These discussions were not recorded. 

IR and C-FDI also met with key administrative units who provide support to academic employees, including Academic Personnel Services, Teaching and Learning Commons, and Research and Innovation, to better understand how the survey findings aligned with their understanding of institutional strengths and opportunities for improvement.  

A final summary report integrated these qualitative findings and conversations to reflect a richer understanding of the results and to provide contextually appropriate solutions. 

Download the 2020 Academics@UCSD Survey Report

(Full screen mode recommended)

COVID-19 Related Results

Given the overlapping timeline of the survey launch and the COVID-19 crisis, a series of 6 questions—5 quantitative and one open-ended—related to the impact of the pandemic on academic appointees was included at the end of the survey.

Of the 818 respondents, 90% answered the supplemental questions related to COVID-19. Institutional Research prepared an executive summary outlining high-level findings.

In AY 2017-2018 the Center for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion launched the HERI Faculty Survey with the intent to establish a cyclical practice for tracking longitudinal trends in the faculty experience and perceptions of campus climate. Our goals were to understand the academic work climate and to promote improvements for faculty to thrive at UC San Diego.

The initial survey findings indicated that overall, the faculty experience at UC San Diego is positive and faculty are generally satisfied with their affiliation to campus. However, there are challenges for many, and experiences of inclusion and perceptions of equity are inconsistent.

As a whole, our faculty reported good job satisfaction but also considerable work-related stress. We noted that faculty perceive that the institution values increasing prestige over civic and community engagement, an imbalance that can be of concern to many. On the topic of inclusion, faculty reported that instances of discrimination are rare, but that campus could be doing better to cultivate a culture of equity and inclusion and to demonstrate our institutional commitment to diversity.

We also noted challenges facing specific groups within our community. For example, survey responses indicated that women of color, in particular, experience our campus climate differently from other groups. We also found that the experiences of LGBTQ+ faculty are mediated by intersections with ethnicity and gender. However, the small n for these underrepresented groups limited our ability to draw conclusions. No statistical tests were performed.

All deans had access to their survey results with breakdowns by gender and race/ethnicity and were asked to consider their unit data in the EDI accountability process and to address any gaps with plans for improvement.  

The HERI Faculty Survey was an important first step to in assessing faculty experiences and needs. However, it was a research-based instrument designed only for instructional faculty.  The Academics@UCSD survey, developed specifically for and by our campus, was designed as an institutional tool to give leaders access to actionable data and to include other non-instructional academics who play a critical role in our educational and research mission.