Faculty Outreach Survey

The Evaluation Division of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) was commissioned to evaluate all facets of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Lifelong Education Grant to Michigan Statue University. IPPSR was to assess faculty attitudes toward outreach, investigate faculty outreach practice, and place outreach into the context of all of the other demands facing faculty. It is important to understand attitudes, practices, and contexts because it is the faculty of MSU who will determine the degree to which outreach is woven into the fabric of the university.

A questionnaire was developed and sent to all faculty at MSU in order to assess the degree to which outreach attitudes, practices, and contexts vary across departments, colleges, disciplines, professions, and career paths. For about one-fourth of the items, historical data is available which can be used to determine whether the relative position of outreach has changed and, if so, to what degree. The analysis of faculty outreach activities serves as the capstone of the total grant evaluation and is used to frame conclusions and recommendations concerning the future of outreach at MSU.