2024 StandPoint Survey Highlights Faculty Engagement and Satisfaction

Dear Colleagues,

I’m pleased to share with you the highlights from our 2024 StandPoint Faculty Engagement Survey. As Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, I find it incredibly encouraging to see the progress we’ve made together. Your voices matter, and this year’s results reflect the strength of our community and the commitment we share to making UMMC SOM a great place to work.

Faculty Satisfaction Reaches New Heights

Faculty satisfaction with UMMC SOM as a place to work climbed to 80.6%, up from 75.8% in 2021 and exceeding both peer (69.6%) and national cohort (74.0%) averages. Satisfaction with departmental environments was even higher, at 86.3%. Notably, 83.3% of faculty said they would choose to work at UMMC SOM again, and 78.0% would recommend it to others.

It’s especially heartening to see that assistant professors reported the highest satisfaction (81.7%), and faculty with formal mentoring relationships had the highest satisfaction overall (89.0%). This underscores the importance of mentorship and support in our academic environment. While basic science faculty expressed slightly lower satisfaction (69.5%) compared to clinical faculty (82.2%), we’re committed to addressing these differences and ensuring all faculty feel valued and supported.

Engagement and Workplace Culture

Our overall engagement score rose to 81.2%, up from 76.4% in 2021 and well above the national average of 74.6%. Faculty reported strong relationships with supervisors (88.2%), high levels of collegiality and collaboration (86.4%), and satisfaction with their roles and autonomy (82.2%).

We also recognize areas for growth. While faculty wellness saw improvement, only 62.1% agreed that the workplace culture cultivates wellness. Transparency in medical school governance remains a challenge, with just 54.7% agreeing that senior leadership is transparent about finances. These are areas we’re actively working to improve.

Looking Ahead

The 2024 StandPoint results affirm our commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and engaging academic environment. As we move forward, we’ll continue to focus on mentorship, wellness, and transparent governance. Thank you for your dedication and for helping make UMMC SOM a place where faculty thrive.

Faculty members interested in exploring the full 2024 StandPoint Survey results—including data specific to their department—can visit the Office of Faculty Affairs intranet site. The results are available at: https://ushare.umc.edu/education/som/faculty_affairs/Faculty%20Forward/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Feducation%2Fsom%2Ffaculty%5Faffairs%2FFaculty%20Forward%2FSchool%20of%20Medicine%2FStandPoint%202024

Warm regards,

Patrick D. Smith, PhD
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs