Four separate surveys were presented to administration, faculty, staff and a random sampling of students to gather data that will be used to assess Palo Alto’s progress toward accreditation by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS).
The surveys, conducted since the beginning of this year, assessed the opinions and needs of the Palo Alto community as part of the on-going Self-Study process.
Response by all segments was surprisingly low, according to Dr. Dorothy Haecker, Director of the Self-Study. Thirty-seven percent of the members of the administration, 47 percent of the staff, 72 percent of the adjunct faculty, and 78 percent of the continuing education faculty did not return their surveys. The full-time faculty's return rate was much better. Only 24 percent did not return their surveys. "The opinions of the college community will be an important part of the evidence we will use to determine if Palo Alto is in compliance with the criteria for colleges set by the SACS," said Haecker.
"The opinions of the PAC community will identify focus areas for future enhancements of the college."
Haecker said she had hoped for a higher participation rate, even though experts agree 70 to 80 percent non-response to a survey is acceptable.
The segment of the Palo Alto community that turned in the highest percentage of surveys was students, with only 15 percent not returning their surveys. Catherine Chapa, Coordinator of Measurement and Evaluation in the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Development, said that the high return rate was probably because instructors handled distribution and collection.
After her first look at the surveys, not including student surveys, Haecker said, "The prevailing opinion is that Palo Alto is under-funded and needs more physical facilities."
The "questions" on the survey were not as much questions as they were statements to be responded to with varying degrees of agreement. The statements were based on criteria set by SACS.
