Pressure on Provosts Webcast on Inside Higher Ed/Gallup Survey of Chief Academic Officers Thursday, February 22, 2018 2 p.m. Eastern

Presenters Scott Jaschik, editor, Inside Higher Ed scott.jaschik@insidehighered.com Doug Lederman, editor, Inside Higher Ed doug.ledereman@insidehighered.com

Background Information Responses from 516 provosts or equivalent. All responses anonymous, but some sorting by sector. Survey conducted at end of 2017. Thanks to sponsors: Jenzabar, Macmillan Learning, Portfolium, VitalSource and Wiley.

Free Speech

Is There a Problem? % Public Provosts Agree % Public Provosts Disagree % Private Provosts Agree % Private Provosts Disagree My campus hosts speakers from a range of viewpoints. 58% 22% 57% 21% Conservatives are treated with respect 90% 8% 79% 5% Liberals … 89% 2% 87% 1% Students on my campus respect free speech 77% 75% 3%

But Should Colleges Interfere? 35% of provosts at public institutions say that colleges should not interfere with invitations extended by student or faculty groups. 20% of provosts of private institutions say that colleges should not interfere.

All Higher Ed vs. Own Campuses On their own campuses, 19% said free speech was threatened. In higher education generally, 51% said it was threatened.

Intervention and Punishment A majority of provosts (55%) said colleges should try to remove those who disrupt speakers. Only a minority (31%) said such students should be punished, with the same proportion saying they shouldn't be punished.

Academic Freedom of Professors

A Threat to Professors? 59% of provosts believe that academics are being "unfairly attacked" by conservative websites and politicians. 29% said those attacks included professors at their own institutions. 36% said they fear professors at their own institutions could become targets of campaigns against their ideas.

Professors and Their Ideas 83% of provosts agree that professors sometimes do not pay enough attention to how their ideas may be understood or misunderstood on social media.

% Public Provosts Agreeing % Private Provosts Agreeing Civic Engagement % Public Provosts Agreeing % Private Provosts Agreeing My college works to promote civic engagement among students. 76% 88% My college is successful in ensuring civic engagement among most students. 59% 71% My college works to promote civil discourse by students. 66% 81% My college is successful in ensuring civil discourse among most students. 52% 68% Efforts to promote civic engagement and civil discourse are made more difficult by the national political environment. 85%

Inclusive Classrooms 68% of provosts said that conservative students "generally feel welcome" in classrooms on their campuses. 70% of provosts feel that minority students “generally feel welcome” in classrooms on their campuses.

Academic Health

Effectiveness: % Ranking Their Institutions ‘Very Effective’ at... Topic Private Public Community Colleges Providing quality undergraduate education 76% 65% 68% Preparing students for world of work 47% 55% Offering undergraduate support services 48% 43% 46% Assessing student outcomes 29% 27% 30% Using data 26% 33% Controlling prices 19% 35%

Budgets: More Cuts Ahead 32% of provosts at public institutions and 23% at private institutions say they will reduce the number of academic programs this year. 88% of provosts say financial concerns dominate discussions on adding programs. STEM, professional and online are more likely for new programs than are liberal arts.

The Liberal Arts

Tenure and Future of the Faculty Three-quarters of provosts agree that tenure "remains important and viable at my institution.” 60% of provosts said they would favor a system of long-term contracts over the existing tenure system. Very few provosts expect change in reliance on adjuncts.

Professional Development for Faculty Members Type of Professional Development % Who Say Their College Offers Teaching with technology 94% Promoting student success Promoting active teaching techniques 93% Using assessment systems 87% Measuring effectiveness of digital tools 60%

Teaching vs. Research

Paying for Textbooks

Questions Q&A Your suggestions for future surveys

With Thanks …