Editors’ Note: The complete results of the poll can be found at the bottom of this article.
On Tuesday, April 21, The Phoenix sent its second semesterly faculty survey to all 307 Swarthmore faculty members (all lecturers, as well as visiting, assistant, associate, and full professors). The survey asked faculty to indicate their approval or disapproval of thirteen campus institutions, programs, and practices, including the President’s Office, Provost’s Office, Board of Managers, the college’s approach to academic accommodations for disabilities, and major academic committees.
The academic accommodations process, student disciplinary process, and the four committees listed above were all new questions for this semester’s poll. The approval ratings among faculty respondents for all of these institutions are depicted in the graphic below.
Beyond these institutions, the survey also asked faculty for their opinions on relevant college topics, including grade inflation, generative AI, faculty community and governance, and their hopes for the school’s next president.
Respondent Demographics
Of the survey’s 83 respondents (a response rate of around 27%, significantly lower than last semester’s 37%), 49% primarily teach in the social sciences division, 30% teach in arts and humanities, and 21% teach in natural sciences and engineering. Per The Phoenix’s calculations, this constitutes a large overrepresentation of the ~27% of total faculty who teach in the social sciences, an underrepresentation of the ~43% that teach in the arts and humanities, and a proportional representation of the ~30% that teach in the natural sciences and engineering.
1.2% of respondents were lecturers, 9.6% visiting professors, 9.6% assistant professors, 41% associate professors, and 38.6% full professors. According to The Phoenix’s analysis of the distribution of the faculty by position, full and associate professors, who each make up 26% of all faculty, were overrepresented in the poll, while assistant professors, visiting professors, and lecturers were underrepresented, given that they comprise ~16%, ~21%, and ~10% of faculty, respectively.
It is important to note that many factors, including tenure protections, amount of institutional knowledge and memory, and degree of motivation, may influence a faculty member’s comfort and ability to share their perspectives.
Results
Overall, the poll reflected more disapproval and dissatisfaction with campus institutions and considerations than in the fall. This shift, which resembles the downturn in student approval for a range of campus institutions relative to the fall, may reflect a pattern of greater dissatisfaction in the spring semester.
The results show strong approval of The Phoenix (+88% net approval), even higher than in the fall (+68) and the college’s honors program (+69). President Val Smith’s Office had equivalent approval and disapproval (+0), close to two months after she announced that she would be ending her time as president after the next academic year. Respondents were less ambivalent about Swarthmore’s Board of Managers, which received a net approval of -19%.
Faculty expressed approval (+33) for the Provost’s Office, which has been led by Professor of Computer Science Rich Wicentowski since the beginning of this academic year. This net approval rating was slightly lower than in the Fall ’25 faculty survey (+36).
“Swarthmore Forward,” the strategic plan that teams of faculty and staff are now working together to implement and that Smith has mentioned will be the focus of her remaining time on campus, received a lower net approval rating (-13) this spring than it did in the fall (+0). Another 40% of respondents said they felt neutral about the strategic plan, and 13% said they were unsure, a much lower proportion than in the fall.
Faculty respondents largely approved (+22) of the college’s approach to academic accommodations for disabilities at a time when conversations both nationally and at Swarthmore have been taking place about the rapid increase of students receiving them in recent years.
At the end of last semester, several students were charged by the campus administration with distributing pro-Palestinian political zines containing allegedly violent language and imagery. There has been some backlash among the Swarthmore community to these charges, as well as to the college’s handling of the criminal case of the nine protestors arrested last spring during the destruction of a pro-Palestinian encampment. Faculty respondents expressed disapproval (-22) of the college’s approach to the student disciplinary process. Overall, 60% of faculty respondents said the college had been at all too harsh in its response to pro-Palestinian student activism over the last three years, with 22% saying the college had been “just right” and 18% too lenient. This reflects a shift from the fall, when only 52% thought the college had been too harsh and 26% felt it had been “just right.”
Of the four committees asked about in the poll, the Committee on Promotion and Tenure (+31) and the Committee on Faculty Procedures (+41) saw high approval ratings, and the Council on Economic Policy (+19) and the Curriculum Committee (+12) were also looked on favorably. 37% of the faculty respondents, however, expressed that they were neutral on the Curriculum Committee, as opposed to the around 24% who expressed neutrality on the other three.
The consideration of legacy in college admissions decisions saw the lowest approval rating (-43) of any of the thirteen offices, institutions, and practices covered.
In a recent interview with The Phoenix, Provost Wicentowski highlighted the importance of thinking about generative AI and its effects for the future of Swarthmore’s academic mission. The majority of faculty (64%) said that, with respect to their classes, they were permitting the usage of AI with limitations, while there were 23% who ban it outright, 11% who don’t address it, 1% who encourage it, and 1% who permit it.
Wicentowski did say that he would be hesitant, as a longtime computer science professor, to tell a professor in English how to address AI. Faculty were relatively evenly divided when asked whether there should be a college-wide policy regarding the usage of AI, with 39% saying no, 36% saying yes, and another 24% unsure.
Given Smith’s February announcement that she will be ending her time as president in June 2027, after twelve years at the college, The Phoenix asked faculty to assess her time as president overall, separate from whether they currently approve or disapprove of her. 12% said they strongly approved of her time, 29% said they approved, 13% were neutral, 24% somewhat disapproved, and 19% strongly disapproved, giving her overall presidency a -2% net approval rate, a number quite similar to her 0% approval rating.
With the search for President Smith’s successor underway, faculty were asked to select up to six of what they believe to be the most important traits for Swarthmore’s next president. Faculty were given a list of 16 options to choose from. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 87% of respondents selected “commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with faculty,” making it far and away the most agreed-upon trait. Next were “commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with the student body” (selected by 60% of respondents), “commitment to academic rigor” (53%), “strong academic background/career” (51%), “familiarity with and commitment to a specifically liberal arts education” (43%), and “transparent leadership style” (43%).
Less important traits to faculty were “belonging to an underrepresented group/background” with only 4% support, “familiarity with Swarthmore as an institution” with 7% support, and “engagement with and attention to national and international political issues” with 8%.
Last semester, The Phoenix reported on the college’s controversial decision to keep its application process SAT/ACT-optional for the coming years, citing what Vice President and Dean of Admissions Jim Bock ’90 called “not worrisome” differences in the success between matriculated students who submitted their scores and those who didn’t. 52% of respondents believed that the college should require standardized testing for applicants, 27% thought it should not be required, and 22% were unsure, reflecting slightly more support for the requirement than in the fall.
In a related vein, several faculty members have discussed in our “Office Hours” columns and elsewhere a perceived decline in the academic rigor of the college. Earlier this month, The Phoenix reported that the average grade point given at Swarthmore has risen from 3.42 in 2005 to 3.62 in 2024.. When asked about this change, 24% of respondents said they were “very concerned”, 35% said they were “somewhat concerned,” and 41% said they were “not at all concerned.” In the fall, before the data about grade point averages was released by the Provost’s Office, 73% of faculty respondents felt there had been grade inflation in recent years and 70% were at all concerned.
58% of faculty respondents did say that they thought the degree of academic rigor at the college was lower than it had been in the past, with only 4% saying it was at all higher. 81% of respondents said that, regardless of whether they believed there had been a change or not, they would be either somewhat or very concerned about the trend. In an interview with The Phoenix this week, Smith said she welcomed faculty discussion and debate about this topic and that she was confident that professors would end up in a place that was good for Swarthmore.
While the administration for now seems slightly less concerned about the threats to higher education coming from the federal government, almost equivalent portions of the faculty were still somewhat worried as somewhat confident about Swarthmore’s ability to fulfill its mission despite it. 44% were at all confident and 43% were at all worried, and 12% were neutral. These numbers reflect only marginally less anxiety than last semester, when 47% were worried and 44% were confident.
69% of faculty respondents this spring said that the current level of collaboration and sense of community among the faculty was either somewhat or very weak, an increase from the 60% who said so last semester. 72% said that this was worse than it had been in the past, and far fewer respondents said that they were unsure how it compared to past senses of community this semester than last.
Similarly, 57% of faculty respondents said that they would describe the current level of faculty governance over college decision-making as very or somewhat small, with only 16% saying it was at all large. 28% were neutral. 71% said they’d describe this level of faculty governance as at all less than in the past, only 1% said it was more, though 16% were unsure. In her interview, Smith said both that she and her team had heard this critique and are working together with faculty to determine where the communications breakdowns might be and address them, and that this was a critique “one might hear across higher ed” because of inherent distrust in the structure of the sector.
This semester’s numbers therefore mark a decline in the perceived level of faculty governance since last semester, when 44% described that level as at all small and 21% as at all large.
60% of respondents said they felt that their departments had been allocated too few tenure lines, marking a decline from the 67% who felt this way in the fall.
With conversations around the country about ideological diversity on college campuses, 35% of respondents felt that such diversity was somewhat important and another 21% felt it was very important. 18% felt it was unimportant, and 27% were indifferent. Despite this importance, a plurality (36%) of faculty respondents were neutral about the amount of ideological diversity within Swarthmore’s faculty, while 29% were at all satisfied and 35% were dissatisfied. These numbers reflect slightly more dissatisfaction than in the fall, though it is important to note that these results may be particularly difficult to interpret given the possibility for faculty to answer a question (the importance of ideological diversity, for example) the same way for different reasons.
Raw Numbers
Response breakdowns in descending order of net approval (due to rounding, not all percentages will add up to 100%):
The Swarthmore Phoenix: 89% Approve, 8% Neutral, 1% Disapprove, 1% Don’t Know | +88% Net Approval
Honors Program: 76% Approve, 17% Neutral, 7% Disapprove, 0% Don’t Know | +69% Net Approval
Committee on Faculty Procedures (COFP): 55% Approve, 25% Neutral, 14% Disapprove, 5% Don’t Know | +41% Net Approval
Provost’s Office: 57% Approve, 18% Neutral, 24% Disapprove, 1% Don’t Know | +33% Net Approval
Committee on Promotion and Tenure (CPT): 52% Approve, 23% Neutral, 20% Disapprove, 5% Don’t Know | +32% Net Approval
The college’s approach to academic accommodations for disabilities: 45% Approve, 29% Neutral, 23% Disapprove, 4% Don’t Know | +22% Net Approval
Council on Educational Policy (CEP): 43% Approve, 24% Neutral, 24% Disapprove, 8% Don’t Know | +19% Net Approval
Curriculum Committee: 35% Approve, 37% Neutral, 20% Disapprove, 7% Don’t Know | +15% Net Approval
President Val Smith (President’s Office): 40% Approve, 18% Neutral, 40% Disapprove, 2% Don’t Know | +0% Net Approval
Swarthmore Forward (strategic plan): 17% Approve, 40% Neutral, 30% Disapprove, 13% Don’t Know | -13% Net Approval
Swarthmore Board of Managers: 22% Approve, 35% Neutral, 41% Disapprove, 2% Don’t Know | -19% Net Approval
The college’s approach to the student disciplinary process: 28% Approve, 18% Neutral, 49% Disapprove, 5% Don’t Know | -21% Net Approval
Consideration of legacy in Swarthmore admissions decisions: 10% Approve, 30% Neutral, 53% Disapprove, 7% Don’t Know | -43% Net Approval
What is your approach to the use of generative AI in your classes?: 0% for “Require”, 1% for “Encourage”, 1% for “Permit”, 64% for “Permit with limitations”, 23% for “Ban”, 11% for “Do not address”
Do you think there should be a college-wide policy regarding the usage of generative AI?: 36% for “Yes”, 40% for “No”, 24% for “Unsure” | -4% Net For “Yes”
President Smith recently announced that she will end her term as president after the next academic year. To what degree do you approve/disapprove of her time as president of the college?: 19% for “Strongly disapprove,” 24% for “Somewhat disapprove,” 13% for “Neutral,” 29% for “Somewhat approve,” 12% for “Strongly approve” | -2% Net Approval
Which traits do you think are the most important for the college’s next president to have? Select no more than six: 51% for “Strong academic background/career,” 33% for “Commitment to social justice values,” 53% for “Commitment to academic rigor,” 4% for “Belonging to an underrepresented group/background,” 87% for “Commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with faculty,” 60% for “Commitment to building and maintaining connection/trust with the student body,” 8% for “Engagement with and attention to national and international political issues,” 40% for “Experience and skill in the management of institutions,” 51% for “Familiarity with and commitment to a specifically liberal arts education,” 21% for “Strong public-facing communication skills,” 31% for “Commitment to Swarthmore’s founding values,” 7% for “Familiarity with Swarthmore as an institution,’ 31% for “Fundraising ability,” 17% for “Imaginative and creative problem-solving approach,” 43% for “Transparent leadership style,” 24% for “Democratic approach to decision-making,” Other traits submitted by respondents: “independence from the board of managers and acting as an advocate to the faculty instead of as an enforcer for the undemocratically-elected board’s whims,” “Commitment to fair and just treatment of all faculty members,” “Good character and moral courage.”
Should Swarthmore require applicants to submit their SAT/ACT results as part of the admissions process?: 52% for “Yes”, 27% for “No”, 22% for “Unsure” | +25% Net for “Yes”
The Phoenix reported earlier this month that the average grade point given at Swarthmore has risen from 3.42 in 2005 to 3.62 in 2024. How concerned are you about this change?: 24% for “Very concerned,” 35% for “Somewhat concerned,” 41% for “Not at all concerned”
How worried/confident are you about Swarthmore’s ability to fulfill its mission despite the federal government’s recent antagonistic approach to higher education?: 13% for “Very worried,” 30% for “Somewhat worried,” 12% for “Neutral,” 31% for “Somewhat confident,” 13% for “Very confident”
The college’s response to pro-Palestinian student activism over the last three years has generally been: 5% for “Much too lenient,” 13% for “Slightly too lenient,” 22% for “Just right,” 24% for “Slightly too harsh,” 36% for “Much too harsh”
In your understanding, is the degree of academic rigor at the college lower or higher than in the past?: 13% for “Much lower,” 45% for “Somewhat lower,” 27% for “The same,” 4% for “Somewhat higher,” 0% for “Much higher,” 12% for “Unsure”
If there has been a decline in the college’s academic rigor (whether you believe there has or not), how concerned would you be about this trend?: 36% for “Very concerned,” 45% for “Somewhat concerned,” 19% for “Not at all concerned.”
How would you describe the current level of collaboration and sense of community among the faculty?: 23% for “Very weak”, 46% for “Somewhat weak”, 13% for “Neutral”, 17% for “Somewhat strong”, 1% for “Very strong”
In your understanding, is this level of collaboration and sense of community among the faculty better or worse than it has been in the past?: 39% for “Much worse,” 34% for “Somewhat worse,” 11% for “The same,” 5% for “Somewhat better,” 0% for “Much better,” 12% for “Unsure”
How would you describe the current amount of faculty governance in the college’s decision-making process?: 22% for “Very small,” 35% for “Somewhat small,” 28% for “Neutral,” 10% for “Somewhat large,” 6% for “Very large”
In your understanding, is this amount of faculty governance over college decisions more or less than it has been in the past?: 30% for “Much less”, 41% for “Somewhat less,” 12% for “The same,” 1% for “Somewhat more,” 0% for “Much more,” 16% for “Unsure”
Generally, do you think your department has been allocated: 17% for “Far too few tenure lines,” 43% for “Slightly too few tenure lines,” 35% for “The right number of tenure lines,” 2% for “Slightly too many tenure lines,” 2% for “Far too many tenure lines”
How important do you believe ideological diversity among faculty to be?: 6% for “Very unimportant,” 12% for “Somewhat unimportant,” 27% for “Indifferent,” 35% for “Somewhat important,” 21% for “Very important”
How satisfied are you with the amount of ideological diversity among the faculty at Swarthmore?: 17% for “Very dissatisfied,” 18% for “Somewhat dissatisfied,” 36% for “Neutral,” 23% for “Somewhat satisfied,” 6% for “Very satisfied”
