Frequently Asked Questions | Mission/Values Survey

Why is CSS conducting a survey of its faculty and staff?

CSS is committed to creating and maintaining an environment that attracts and retains world-class faculty and staff. Gathering faculty and staff perspectives on their work experiences and the College's functioning helps administration understand what currently works and what needs to be improved. Improvement occurs when we openly solicit candid and confidential feedback from all critical stakeholders and act upon this feedback. Disciplined follow-up on the survey findings will help us continue to drive CSS to future success.

Why is it important to complete the survey?

Part of CSS' strategic plan is to learn and improve upon your work environment as it relates to our institutional mission and values. We need to hear from you in order to address your concerns and reinforce our successes. Higher response rates also give a more accurate picture of the College and its individual departments.

Who is conducting this survey?

CSS has selected ModernThink to administer the survey. ModernThink is a nationally recognized organization specializing in surveys of this kind for higher education.

Does CSS collect survey responses? Can CSS identify my response?

CSS does not collect survey responses. The survey will be completed on ModernThink's secure website. Paper surveys are sent directly to ModernThink. ModernThink's confidentiality policy will not allow results to be reported in any way that would allow individual respondents to be identified. Summary data is only reported if there are at least five responses for any demographic category or group. If there are fewer than 5 responses in any demographic category or group, those survey answers will be included in the total but will not be identified by category or group.

Why does the survey include demographic questions regarding gender, age, race/ethnicity, job role, and department?

As is common in surveys of this nature, we include a series of demographic questions at the end of the survey. Examples of demographic questions asked include questions about department, gender, age and ethnicity. Collecting this data will help us better understand the findings as we analyze the data across the various demographic groups. Rest assured though that we are committed to ensuring the anonymity of your individual survey responses. At no time will anyone at CSS have access to individual survey records and demographic data will only be reported when there are five or more respondents in any particular demographic category. If there are fewer than 5 responses in any demographic category or group, those survey answers will be included in the college total but will not be reported to the college as by demographic category or group. While your responses to these demographic questions are optional/voluntary, we hope you will complete this information as it will enhance not only our analysis but also our ability to make meaningful changes. With creating a more inclusive Benedictine community being one of the college's strategic objectives, it is critical that employees identifying as being from historically under-represented communities participate in the survey even if you choose not to answer the demographic questions. If you have further concerns about this issue, please talk to Emily Johnson in the Department of Institutional Diversity for further information.

What areas will the survey focus on?

The survey will cover 15 dimensions such as job satisfaction and support, teaching environment, career development, compensation and benefits, leadership and internal communications.

Can CSS track who has responded to the survey?

No, CSS will have no knowledge of who has responded or not responded to the survey.

Can my individual responses be tracked back to me? Can I be singled out?

No. CSS only receives summary data for groups with at least five respondents. CSS will not have access to an individual's data.

Once the survey data is received, what's next?

Summary data is presented to the Board of Directors and is evaluated as part of the College's Key Performance Indicators (KPI). The data will then be presented to the President's Leadership Group and other supervisors and leaders in the College. Overall results will be posted on CSS's intranet for all to see.

How long will the survey take to complete?

The survey will take 15-20 minutes to complete. If you are unable to complete the survey after you begin, you will have the option to save your responses and access them later.

What is the format of the survey?

The survey consists of multiple choice questions and some open-ended questions which allow participants to write additional comments.

How have past survey results been used?

Feedback on the previous surveys was taken very seriously and actions were taken to address issues that surfaced from that survey, such as:

• More discussion about the One College concept and what this means to staff and faculty at extended sites.
• Creation of the President's Leadership Group to foster better dialog among the College's leaders.
• Increased sensitivity to faculty shared governance issues.
• More emphasis placed on internal communication to better inform and involve employees on key developments.
• More team building work within departments.
• Launch of an online performance management system for staff (coming in April).

Do I have to answer every question, even if I'm not comfortable answering?

No. If you are not comfortable answering a question, you don't need to answer it.

How do I complete the survey?

You will receive an email directly from ModernThink (surveys@modernthink.com) with the subject line "CSS 2011 Mission/Values Survey." The email address is only used to access the survey and to ensure that only one survey is completed per employee. The survey will be available beginning March 28 through April 11.

Some employees may receive a paper survey which will be distributed by your supervisor. An envelope will also be provided for paper surveys for direct submission to ModernThink.

Can I take time at work to complete the survey?

Yes. If you're uncertain when you can complete the survey during working hours, contact your supervisor.

Can comments be traced back to me?

At the end of the survey, you will be asked two general questions about work environment. These comments are not tracked to any demographic or department. Comments are only clustered into three categories: Faculty, Administration and Staff Comments.

Who can I contact with additional questions about the survey?

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding the survey and/or the survey process, please do not hesitate to contact:

• Lori Collard, VP of Human Resources, 723-6602 or lcollard@css.edu
• Iwa Else, Director of Institutional Research Assessment, 723-6583 or ielse@css.edu
• Suzi Schmittlein, ModernThink's project manager for the CSS Survey, 888-684-4658 or sschmittlein@modernthink.com