Faculty Climate

UCSF conducted a survey of campus climate for faculty in the spring of 2017. Prior faculty climate surveys were administered in 2001 and 2011.  Between 2011 and 2017, the overall size of the faculty increased by more than 20% and the percentage of women faculty increased from 44% to 50%. Results from the 2017 Faculty Climate Survey demonstrated persistence of many positive aspects of the climate for faculty overall. However, progress that had been found in 2011 towards improving the climate for women and underrepresented minorities either stalled, or in notable ways, worsened

A Faculty Climate Task Force was convened to review the survey results, seek additional input from various stake-holders, identify problems that need to be addressed, and recommend specific actions. The Task Force report recommends a broad range of actions to improve the climate for all faculty and to address particular areas of concern for women and underrepresented minorities (URM)

Contact: Irené Merry (415) 502-0244

UCSF Faculty Climate Survey Task Force Report

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dan Lowenstein requested that Vice Provost Brian Alldredge convene and chair a Faculty Climate Task Force with broad representation to look at the issues raised in the fiscal year 2017 survey.

The charge of the Task Force was to:

  • review the survey report and propose any further analyses or data gathering that might be appropriate;
  • seek input from appropriate campus units (committees, organizations, offices) and individuals;
  • identify efforts that may already be underway to address issues of concern identified in the survey;
  • identify, by priority, problems that need to be addressed; and
  • recommend specific actions.  

The Report recommends a broad range of actions to improve the climate for all faculty and to address particular areas of concern for women and underrepresented minorities.

The Task Force submitted their report with the intent that campus leaders will engage collaboratively with faculty to consider and implement the recommendations. If left unaddressed, UCSF risks “turning back the clock” on faculty satisfaction with the climate and increasing challenges to recruitment and retention. By increasing our commitment to faculty climate, we reaffirm our PRIDE values and position UCSF to be a leader among academic health campuses in terms of faculty equity, opportunity, and well-being.

Announcement from the Chancellor and EVCP

UCSF Faculty Climate Survey

The fiscal year 2017 survey results indicate that overall, three-quarters of the faculty continue to express general satisfaction with their careers at UCSF. Intellectual stimulation, opportunities for collaboration and interactions with others especially contribute to satisfaction. However the 2017 survey also indicates that much of the progress in improving the climate for women and others that was evident between the 2001 and 2011 surveys appears to have stalled and in some cases worsened. Additionally, as the cost of living continues to rise in the Bay Area, the faculty perception of inadequate compensation, along with concerns about difficult commutes, are recurring themes in the survey results.

Previous Reports