We are happy to share the results of the 2021 Great Colleges to Work For survey. We are thankful to the 553 employees who participated in the survey last spring. As a reminder, this is Drake’s primary annual employee survey. The more employees who participate, the better informed and more reflective of our community the results will be.

Please take the time to review the University-wide results linked above. We believe sharing this information is important—and consistent with our Core Values which embrace transparency, communication, and accountability. The results also serve as a powerful resource as we reflect on what is working well and what needs improvement. Based on the survey results, we have identified three primary areas of focus for this year:

1. Facilitate re-connection and attend to our culture;
2. Ensure consistent and robust cascade of communication; and
3. Leverage internal, professional development opportunities for leaders.

You may ask, how do we proceed from here? At this point, we want to narrow the focus of feedback to determine how we make improvements in these three targeted areas. We will facilitate virtual brain-storming sessions and will follow up with short pulse surveys for each of the three areas. It may be that all three areas interest you or perhaps only one or two. You can pick and choose whether and how you provide feedback. Your feedback will help determine specific goals, programs, and other defined steps needed to make improvements in these three areas.

You may already be aware that campus leaders are provided with detailed survey results for their respective areas. In addition to university-wide focus areas, campus leaders are expected to adopt goals to address the more focused results from their areas. In this way, the Great Colleges to Work For survey is particularly helpful—it provides big picture feedback for institutional efforts, while also drilling down into the unique challenges that individual units may face.

We acknowledge that many employees offered thoughts on compensation. Please know that this topic is not being ignored or overlooked by senior leaders. However, that topic is one that heavily relies on a budgetary solution. For purposes of collaborative improvement, the three focus areas identified here are intended to be topics where we can collectively pursue cultural and operational improvements. We are already working diligently, across a number of areas, to address the budgetary solutions needed to improve compensation. President Martin addressed this in the June town hall and will again be providing an update on our budget later this semester.

As we identify ways to continuously improve and innovate, we also want to take time to celebrate the amazing efforts of the Drake community and its individual members, particularly over the past year. This has been a trying chapter and it has revealed areas for improvement. It has also highlighted tremendous strengths—including a caring and compassionate sense of community, flexible and dedicated employees, innovative leaders, and an unflappable resolve to pursue our institutional mission, despite the challenges of the times. Thank you for your efforts and hard work. Thank you for your dedication to our students. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ideas, and concerns through this survey. Please help us continue to make Drake an ever-better institution.

In the coming weeks, please watch for opportunities to help Drake address the three focus areas identified above. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions now, please reach out directly to Maureen De Armond or Nate Reagen.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources, and Nate Reagan, Office of the President