Gainesville Sun: Working climate at UF not good, union survey finds

Gainesville Sun, By , Staff writer, Published: Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

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Excerpt: Swamped by paperwork, mistrustful of an administration seen as unresponsive, frustrated by a lack of communication and fearful of voicing dissent, University of Florida faculty are an unhappy lot, according to a first-ever survey by the United Faculty of Florida.

On the other hand, the survey results show, the faculty overwhelmingly agree they are free to pursue their own research and enjoy a great deal of academic freedom in the classroom. Yet the faculty members are nearly evenly divided on whether they feel free to voice opposition to the administration.

The UFF-UF Faculty Climate Survey of 2013, released on its website June 1, received responses from 635 faculty in 10 different colleges and departments — 40 percent of the 1,670 faculty members covered by the collective bargaining agreement.

Noting the high response rate, UFF-UF President John Biro said, “It does indicate the faculty is interested and concerned about the climate on campus, their work and how they are supported by the administration.”

Read the article, permalink: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130608/ARTICLES/130609670

Full survey results

 

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily the positions of UFF-UF.