University faculty gave University President Mary Sue Coleman high marks for actively promoting a positive environment for scholars but were less positive on other aspects of her presidency, including whether she adequately consults faculty before making important decisions. The results came from a survey by the Faculty Senate that polled instructors about University administrators. Coleman’s score for the faculty’s confidence in her overall leadership was 3.72 out of 5.

In the online survey, which 28 percent of faculty members took last semester, ratings on areas of administrators’ job performance ranged from 5, indicating strong approval, to one, strong disapproval.

Survey participants gave Coleman an average score of 2.99 out of 5 when asked to grade whether she “actively promotes an environment for teaching excellence” — the category in which Coleman earned the lowest rating. University Provost Paul Courant, the second most powerful administrator, also received his lowest marks in this category, scoring a 3.15. The trend continued with Terrence McDonald, LSA dean (3.25), Medical School Dean Allen Lichter (3.21), School of Engineering Dean Stephen Director (2.01) among many other college deans. The trend suggests a campus-wide dissatisfaction among faculty about its level of input during administrative decision-making.

Coleman’s second-lowest rating was her promotion of diversity among students and faculty, earning her a 3.04, though she has been an outspoken critic of efforts to abolish the University’s affirmative action policies.

Coleman’s highest score, 4.13, was given for whether she “effectively represents the interests of the University to the (University Board of) Regents and state officials.”

The faculty also credited Coleman for her work in successfully raising funds for the University. At a time when the University’s budget has been under pressure as a result of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s cuts to higher education, Coleman earned her second highest score (4.1) in this area. Since she became president, Coleman has promoted The Michigan Difference campaign to raise $2.5 billion for the University through private donations.

Coleman’s score of 3.72 in the category of “inspires confidence in leadership overall” was comparable to other top-ranking University administrators, including Courant (3.71), McDonald (3.8) and Lichter (3.96). It was almost 1.5 points above Director (2.43) but lagged behind others, such as School of Public Health Dean Noreen Clark (3.38).

A committee formed by the Faculty Senate to create the survey will present a report on its results to the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs at this afternoon’s meeting. The committee’s report questions the leadership of many deans and suggests conducting the survey annually.

Faculty members gave a number of reasons that 62 percent of faculty did not participate in the survey, including concerns about the security and anonymity of the survey. According to the report, one faculty member was worried that his or her identity could be determined from comments directed to specific administrators.

But during a SACUA meeting last month, Coleman said, “I talked with a lot of people and I have not heard anyone say they fear retaliation.

SACUA chair Stan Berent said that privacy is a concern in any survey and that the committee took steps to protect anonymity.

Philosophy Prof. Carl Cohen said he did not participate, citing his busy schedule at the end of the fall term when the survey was taken.

Brett Seabury, a professor at the School of Social Work, said that conducting the survey at the end of the semester may elicit limited responses because of the extra work professors are doing.

Cohen said the low turnout might indicate that many faculty members were content with the administration, because unsatisfied instructors were more likely to take the survey and use it as a forum to voice their concerns.

“It might be a quiet but indirect compliment to the administration,” he said.

Faculty rated all 18 deans and 95 department heads. Although a summary report will be released today, the detailed results of the poll are accessible to faculty members and administrators but will not be released to the public. They were obtained by The Michigan Daily through a Freedom of Information Act request.