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Statement Paper:

Improving Campus Work Culture in Higher Education

Kimberly Wojturski

Northern Arizona University

CCHE 690: Masters Seminar

Dr. Maureen King

April 28, 2023

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Improving Campus Work Culture in Higher Education

The Covid-19 pandemic has had lasting effects. Aside from a multitude of health

repercussions, it has caused an ongoing economic trend of employee resignations. In April of

2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey recorded more than 4 million resignations,

spanning a broad range of industries, including education services (Schmiedehaus et al., 2023).

While some quit the workforce completely as part of the Great Resignation, many others found a

new job with a new employer who was offering better pay and/or a better schedule. There are

also those who have engaged in Quiet Quitting. Those who engage in Quiet Quitting do not

actually quit or leave the labor force, but stop prioritizing work and seek more work-life balance,

including fewer hours (Lee et al., 2023).

In May of 2021, associate professor Anthony Klotz from the University College of

London, coined the term “The Great Resignation”. He used the term to describe the sudden wave

of people quitting their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led many to re-think where,

how, and why we work (Smith, 2023). In 2022, a staggering 50.5 million people across the

country quit their jobs (Iacurci, 2023). Higher education is no safer from this trend compared to

other industries. According to the College and University Professional Association for Human

Resources, a recent survey of higher education employees found that more than half of

respondents said they were likely to look for other employment within the next 12 months

(Moody, 2022). The survey indicated that many respondents will exit for such reasons as seeking

increased pay, remote work options, or more flexible schedules. This is disheartening

considering the effects faculty and staff members have on an institution's students. This paper

will look at some factors affecting campus culture and ways to improve them.
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Faculty members in particular can positively or negatively correspond with the student

experience. Scholars such as Edward Hebert have found correlations between faculty and staff

morale and student learning outcomes and perceptions of their overall experience (Freeman &

Brunn, 2022). As cited by Freeman & Brunn (2022), Edward Hebert writes, morale influences

faculty behavior, productivity, and quality of teaching- ultimately affecting student learning and

program quality. The goal in higher education is to provide a positive student experience and

academic outcome. Knowing that faculty members play a significant role in the student

experience, leaders must explore ways to create a better campus work culture.

Sadly, the academic profession has moved away from full-time and tenure-track

employment to a part-time, adjunct, contingency based model which has caused job and financial

insecurity for faculty members (Schmiedehaus et al., 2023). According to the Foundation for

Individual Rights in Education, three out of every four faculty are employed off the tenure track,

and more than half are part-time faculty, who work on short-term contracts with no guarantee of

renewal (Magness, 2021). The tenure system provides job security and stability to faculty

members. As defined by the Academic Association of University Professors, tenure is an

indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary

circumstances such as financial exigency and program discontinuation (AAUP, 2023). Without a

tenure appointment, faculty lose their academic freedom. Part-time and adjunct faculty members

have the constant fear that they may lose their positions due to their speech, research findings, or

publications. This hinders their ability as an instructor to properly convey knowledge to their

students.

The tenure system plays an important role for faculty, students, and their universities.

Tenure is in place to protect academic freedom. Free inquiry, free expression, and open dissent are
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critical for student learning and the advancement of knowledge (AAUP, 2023). In addition to

protecting academic freedom, the tenure system promotes stability. Faculty who are committed

and devoted to their university develop profound connections with their students and surrounding

communities. According to Benjamin (2002), contingent faculty, on average, spend fewer hours

outside of classes working with students and are less likely to hold office hours. As of the

2018-2019 school year, only 57.4 percent of colleges and universities use tenure in their hiring and

employment systems, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2019).

The lack of tenured faculty can impact an institution's students. Studies have correlated the

effects of adjunct faculty on student success. In a working paper done for the Center for Analysis

of Postsecondary Education and Employment, faculty in this study were classified into four

categories: tenured instructors, tenure-track instructors, long-term adjuncts, and short-term

adjuncts (Ran & Xu, 2018). This study examines whether adjunct faculty versus tenured faculty

impacts student academic outcomes. The findings suggest that adjunct faculty have positive

impacts on introductory course grades but negative impacts on subsequent course enrollment and

performance (Ran & Xu, 2018). While the pass rates were not negatively affected, this study

specifically noted that the negative effects on subsequent enrollment are driven by results in math

courses. Additionally, the results from a faculty survey done for that paper suggested that

part-time faculty had less institutional knowledge than the full-time faculty regarding both

academic and nonacademic services. The paper concluded it appears more likely that inferior

working conditions for part-time faculty, rather than inferior instructional practices, are driving the

negative effects on students’ subsequent course enrollment (Ran & Sanders, 2020). One can also

argue that there are fewer meaningful interactions between students and adjunct faculty and

thereby students become less integrated into the campus academic culture (Rossol-Allison &
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Alleman Beyers, 2011). Frequent and meaningful contact with faculty members seems to increase

students' involvement and motivation (Rossol-Allison & Alleman Beyers, 2011).

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed people’s perception of work. Workers are shifting

their focus to find a better work-life balance. So what does this mean for the future of faculty

members in higher education? How can leaders create a better campus culture? According to a

new report from the American Council on Education, one of the biggest concerns among higher

education workers is pay (Spitalniak, 2022). College leaders need to address employee salary

concerns. Even with the largest average salary increase in more than 30 years, recent data shows it

still wasn’t enough to overcome inflation. According to preliminary data from AAUP for the

2022–23 academic year, the 6.5 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index was enough to turn

the 4.1 percent average salary increase into a 2.4 percent drop in real wages—the third

consecutive year of real-wage declines for all full-time faculty (Quinn, 2023). Adjunct faculty

members are beginning to turn to labor unions to use collective bargaining to improve their pay

and working conditions (The Change Leader, 2023). This is a start considering how many

part-time adjunct faculty make up for the higher education workforce. The inadequate salary and

benefits of part-time faculty are cause for serious concern even if we focus our attention solely on

the consequences for student learning and ignore the implications for the quality of life of

part-time faculty and the future of the profession. (Benjamin, 2002).

In addition to pay, work schedule is another concern among higher education workers.

Institutions need to work on ways to allow flexible schedules. According to a 2021

PricewaterhouseCoopers report, only 22 percent of 1,200 United States office workers surveyed

wanted to return to the office full time, and 74 percent wanted to work remotely two or more days

per week (Brantley & Shomaker, 2021). Higher education workers echo this sentiment. However,
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it can be difficult to maintain the culture of an institution with staff all having different schedules.

In an interview with Natalie McKnight from Boston University, she states “How do you

coordinate unit meetings if you never have a single day of the week when everybody is all

together?” (Lederman, 2022). One answer for that is virtual meetings. We have proven that this

can be done during the pandemic. Leaders in higher education may need to get creative about

ways to connect and engage faculty and staff (Vinson, 2022). Additionally, Vinson (2022) offers

the suggestion for remote meetings by ending meetings early to leave time for informal

conversation. This allows staff and team members to connect.

Lastly, in order to improve campus culture, higher education professionals need more

support in order to avoid burnout. A 2022 Gallup poll found that educators reported the highest

level of burnout of any industry (Edelman, 2022). Many faculty and staff members have taken on

additional responsibilities from other positions that have not been filled. Workers in higher

education are often plagued with an expectation that they are always working or always need to be

available, which is a significant cause of burnout. Faculty members are often checking emails

outside of their normal workday. In higher education, it will become harder for institutions to rely

on staff motivation to support students and passion for student success without also providing

adequate resources and use of technology to better support the team (Rogers, 2022).

There are too many higher education institutions that do not reflect positive workplace

cultures. To remedy this, leaders must first address employee pay and flexibility of their schedules.

To allow flexibility, higher education leaders need to find creative ways to connect and engage

their teams. Faculty and staff must be provided with the support and resources they need to not

only help them, but also their students. By doing this, the proper balance can be found to keep the

passion for education and student success burning rather than letting faculty and staff burnout.
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