UNM faculty remain committed to teaching, scholarship and colleagues, ADVANCE survey finds

A spring 2025 survey by ADVANCE at UNM finds that faculty have a high level of commitment to their teaching, students, scholarship, and colleagues – higher in some categories than in 2023.

The survey also found that faculty have higher levels of stress than in a previous ADVANCE survey, worse psychological well-being, more difficulty concentrating and more concern about tenure and/or promotion. The survey of 982 full time, central campus faculty was conducted in April 2025, and 371 faculty, or a 37.8 percent participated. Questions in the online survey touched on faculty well-being, the impact of recent events, and job attitude.

The survey also asked about the negative impact of recent events, broadly defined. Faculty reported moderate concerns about obtaining research funding, recruiting graduate students, and maintaining academic freedom.

The survey contained an open-ended question that allowed faculty to describe their experiences and ideas for improvement. 121 faculty provided in-depth responses.

The themes that emerged include:

• Concern about threats to institutions of higher education, including academic freedom and for faculty, staff, and students who are non-citizens
• A need for improved communication as policies, processes, and opportunities continue to change
• Increasing barriers to scholarship in parallel with increasing workloads

Many of the concerns and issues the survey highlights have become more complicated in the months since the survey was conducted.

Our recommendations for academic leadership include:

• Frequent communication by academic leaders
• Increase assistance for faculty who are navigating challenges in career progress
• Address reappointment, tenure, and promotion implications of changes in funding opportunities
• Support vulnerable faculty, students, and staff

ADVANCE at UNM Director Julia Fulghum said the survey shows UNM faculty are committed to academia amid major uncertainties.

“Faculty should be commended for their consistent commitment to the many different aspects of their jobs, especially in light of the challenges for higher education, which were already apparent in the spring of this year. The academic landscape has become even more difficult to navigate since the survey implementation in April. We are working with leaders on several recommendations for wider systemic support needs that the survey identified, some of which are already in progress.”