The UIUC Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), which reports to Chancellor Aiken, surveyed 561 academic professionals in 1997. The chief issues of concern identified in the 1997 survey were similar to those from a 1976 survey of academic professionals. The response rate for the 1997 survey was 71 percent. The top four concerns were as follows.
Salary. Some respondents felt that pay inequities and insufficient pay increases had a negative impact on morale.
Opportunities for advancement. Respondents who had received recent promotions reported higher levels of personal morale than did respondents who felt their opportunities for advancement were limited or nonexistent.
Retirement package. Fifty-two percent of respondents listed the retirement package as a concern in 1997, compared to 30 percent in the 1976 survey.
Job security. Respondents were more likely to feel valued in their positions than secure in them. Written comments from respondents suggested that morale level and whether an AP felt valued and secure in his or her job were affected both positively and negatively by five factors: management and leadership in the employing unit, work environment, compensation and funding source, personal factors, and work responsibilities. For example, supervisors and administrators who were perceived as supportive and competent were given credit for raising personal morale. However, managers who were perceived as incompetent, lacking communication skills, or showing favoritism toward certain employees had a negative impact on personal morale. Likewise, the work environment had positive impacts (such as when workspace or equipment was upgraded) and negative (such as when downsizing led to greater workload without an increase in pay). As for work responsibilities, most respondents indicated that they felt generally positive and enjoyed their work.
Of particular interest is the fact that many respondents seemed to look to PAC for "union-type advocacy," which PAC cannot provide. As an entity of the administration, PAC is prevented--organizationally as well as legally--from acting as an advocate for employees.