Faculty voices help shape Binghamton’s future

In spring 2025, Binghamton University once again invited its faculty to participate in the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey.

Following the 2011 and 2016 surveys, this iteration of the COACHE reflects a sustained institutional commitment to understanding, supporting and strengthening faculty experience.

“At its heart, the COACHE survey is an act of listening,” said Nasrin Fatima, the associate provost for assessment and analytics. “For an institution like Binghamton University — where faculty are central to the mission of teaching, research and service — COACHE provides a rare and powerful opportunity to pause, reflect and hear directly from those who shape the intellectual life of the campus every day.”

The COACHE survey is a research-practice partnership to supplement decision-making with data that makes the recruitment and development of faculty, and their leadership, more effective.

Conducted between Feb. 5 and April 5, 2025 — during a period of presidential transition — this year’s faculty engagement was exceptionally strong. With a 56% valid response rate, Binghamton exceeded the national cohort average (45%) and the selected peer average (40%).

“The 2025 COACHE survey tells a remarkably affirming story — both in what faculty shared and in how many chose to participate,” Fatima added. “That level of engagement alone is meaningful: it signals a faculty community that believes its perspectives matter and trusts that the institution is prepared to listen and respond.”

Binghamton’s results were benchmarked against 85 institutions nationwide and a carefully selected peer group of George Mason University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Arkansas, the University of Tennessee Knoxville and the University of Texas at Arlington.

Of COACHE’s 25 benchmark categories, 21 were identified as areas of strength when compared to the national cohort, and none fell into the category of concern. In peer comparisons, Binghamton ranked first in 16 benchmark areas — a reflection of strong institutional alignment, effective governance, and a generally healthy departmental culture.

“The results from the 2025 COACHE survey are extraordinary and highlight the professional success and engagement of Binghamton University’s faculty,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Hall. “The University has worked consistently to create a culture of collaboration in our academic community and provide faculty with the resources they need to excel as teachers, as mentors, and as globally recognized scholars and researchers.”

When compared to results from the 2016 administration, as well, the university made improvements in 17 of the 25 benchmark areas, signaling a pattern of institutional learning and strategic responsiveness.

“We need to remember that the positive outcomes reflected in the 2025 results are not accidental. They are the product of years of intentional work informed by earlier COACHE surveys,” Fatima said. “One tangible example is the launch of a mid-career incentive program designed to support associate professors as they navigate the transition to full professor. Similarly, campus-wide investments in mentoring networks and interdisciplinary collaboration can be traced directly to prior COACHE findings.”

Developed and administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, COACHE is among the most comprehensive and trusted instruments for understanding faculty experience in higher education. It offers rigorously benchmarked, evidence-based insight into the full arc of academic life: teaching and research expectations, mentoring and collaboration, leadership and governance, departmental climate, and the often-unseen dimensions of recognition, belonging and trust.

“When Binghamton first participated in COACHE in 2011, it marked a turning point in how the institution approached faculty engagement. The early surveys surfaced both strengths and blind spots, helping to establish an understanding of faculty life,” Fatima said. “Since then, the story has been one of steady, meaningful progress.”

This year, faculty reported especially high satisfaction with institutional governance, trust in leadership, departmental collegiality and quality, appreciation and recognition, and clarity around tenure expectations. They also celebrated three core strengths of the Binghamton experience: engaged and talented undergraduate students, quality and support of faculty colleagues, and academic freedom and autonomy.

“These conditions matter. They are the foundation upon which innovation thrives, interdisciplinary work flourishes and students benefit from deeply engaged scholars in the classroom. High satisfaction speaks to a culture where intellectual exchange is valued and supported,” Fatima said. “At a time when many institutions struggle with faculty morale, Binghamton’s results stand out.”

Even at the school level, results depict a campus characterized by strong departmental climates. Importantly, no school or college reports scores below 3.5 (out of 5) in departmental quality or collegiality. These results affirm that, at the ground level, Binghamton’s academic units foster respectful, collegial and professionally fulfilling environments.

“These improvements reflect more than isolated initiatives; they signal a maturation of institutional practice. Over time, Binghamton has increasingly embraced the COACHE model as a cycle of change — surveying, planning, implementing and reassessing,” Fatima said. “This approach ensures that faculty feedback does not sit on a shelf but becomes part of an ongoing institutional conversation.”

The survey, however, also provided important nuance. Despite a high overall response rate by women, underrepresented minority (URM) and non-tenure-track faculty members, these groups reported lower satisfaction than their peers across nine benchmark areas. These findings do not diminish the institution’s successes; rather, they sharpen the institution’s understanding of where progress has been uneven and where targeted attention is most needed.

“It is also important to note that the 2025 results represent a midpoint, not an endpoint. The campus is currently in the dissemination and reflection phase, which will be followed by targeted action planning,” Fatima added. “Even with outstanding results, the data clearly point to areas — particularly around equity, mid-career support, and faculty leadership — where continued attention can strengthen an already strong institution.”

The willingness and honesty shared via these groups in the COACHE survey will impact the work of the administration going forward. The survey’s multiple-step, five-year cycle functions as a mirror, allowing the University to trace patterns, measure progress and assess whether institutional initiatives are making a meaningful difference, all while holding Binghamton University accountable to its values.

Binghamton University now stands at a powerful inflection point. The 2025 COACHE survey shows the university’s many strengths, but it has illuminated the path ahead.

“I want to thank all of the Binghamton faculty who participated in the COACHE survey,” added President Anne D’Alleva. “The results are instrumental in guiding strategic planning in further supporting the faculty experience and in gauging the University’s progress.”

By deepening its commitment to faculty leadership, mid-career development, equity in workload and strategic integration, Binghamton can transform data into direction and feedback into future. The task now is to honor that trust with action — and to ensure that Binghamton remains not just a place where faculty come, but a place where they belong, grow and lead.

“COACHE is ultimately a shared endeavor,” Fatima concluded. “The story it tells is one we are writing together — as faculty, administrators and staff — guided by evidence, shaped by dialogue and driven by a collective desire to make Binghamton not just an excellent university, but an equitable and inspiring academic home.”

For more details or school-specific results, reach out to Nasrin Fatima, at nfatima@binghamton.edu.