The FORWARD team at NDSU has selected Metis Associates, an independent national research and evaluation firm located in New York, to conduct a program evaluation of all their initiatives. The evaluation will involve surveys, observations, focus groups, interviews and documentation reviews. In early December, Metis implemented a campuswide faculty worklife survey. The survey was developed to better understand issues related to quality of work life for faculty at NDSU.

NDSU recently instituted the Advance FORWARD program, which is funded through a five-year, $3.7 million National Science Foundation Institutional Transformation grant award. The program seeks to study and address issues of recruitment, retention and advancement of women faculty.

Lori Ramsey, a senior research associate at Metis Associates, sent an e-mail to the official NDSU faculty listserv inviting faculty to complete the Faculty Worklife Survey. Faculty members also can go to thinktank.groupsystems.com/opinio/s to complete the survey online.

The survey takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete. Responses to the survey will be anonymous and only reported in aggregate form. No data will be identified individually and Metis Associates staff will complete all analyses of these data. No one at NDSU will have access to individual responses. This research is essential to the continued funding of this National Science Foundation program.

If you have any questions about this survey, contact Ramsey at (614) 224-9397 or Lramsey@metisassoc.com.