Skip to main content
Official, accurate, and unbiased information and analysis

Faculty and Academic Surveys

The Academic Work Life Survey asks tenured and tenure-track faculty and other academics about their work loads, their feelings about the work they do and how Cornell does or does not support it, perceptions of departmental climate, intentions to stay at Cornell, and the ways in which life outside of Cornell meshes with faculty responsibilities.

2022 Academic Work Life Survey

The 2022 AWL included all employees in academic positions hired prior to April 1, 2022. A total of 1,630 Cornell academics completed some portion of the survey, yielding an overall response rate of 53%. Tenured and tenure-track faculty replied at a slightly higher rate of 56% relative to research, teaching, and extension (RTE) academics, who replied at a rate of 51%.

2016 Academic Work Life Survey

The AWL Survey included all employees in academic positions hired prior to November 1, 2015 and holding at least a 50% appointment. There are three major constituencies in the AWL survey: tenured and tenure-track faculty, academic professionals, and academic short-term employees. A total of 1,602 academics completed some portion of the survey, yielding an overall response rate of 55%. Response rates differed significantly across titles, with 60% of faculty, 55% of academic professionals (excluding librarians), and 40% of academic short term responding.

2010 Faculty Work Life Survey

Of the 1,514 tenured and tenure-track faculty invited, a total of 989 participated in this survey for a 65% response rate.  The survey instrument is provided below, as is the first of several reports to be derived from survey results.  This initial analysis examines overall satisfaction with being a faculty member, and satisfaction with various aspects of work responsibilities and resources.  Subsequent reports examining other facets of faculty work life will be posted here as they become available.

2005 Faculty Work Life Survey

The first FWL survey grew out of the efforts of the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Faculty Work Life.  This initial survey placed a special emphasis on examining the experiences of women faculty.  Of the 1,486 tenured and tenure-track faculty invited to participate in the survey, a total of 962 did so, for a response rate of 65%.  Links to survey results, and to themes derived from faculty focus groups, are provided below:

Subsections included in the above can be accessed separately below:

The survey was developed after a series of seven focus groups with faculty. Selected “voices” from the groups speak to the issue of integration among faculty.

Survey of Faculty Interaction with Undergraduate Students

This survey was administered to Cornell faculty in the spring of 2004. The survey asks faculty about the nature and frequency of their out-of-class interactions with undergraduate students, the factors that support or inhibit these interactions, and the impacts of these interactions for faculty members.