UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Ethics Resource Center (ERC) is reporting continued strong response to the Penn State Values & Culture Survey. ERC, the independent, nonprofit organization that is conducting the survey, said about 8,500 individuals have completed the survey as of Nov. 11. ERC also has committed additional computing power to the effort in order to eliminate lag reported by some survey-takers, caused by high traffic on the survey site. (For more information about the survey, visit the FAQ.)
Regis Becker, director of University Ethics and Compliance, thanked students, faculty and staff for their participation, and encouraged those who have yet to complete the survey to do so before it closes later in November. Those who may have experienced slow response times on their first attempt are encouraged to revisit the survey using links sent via email by ERC. Those who previously started the survey will be able to pick up where they left off.
The confidential survey will take about 20 minutes to complete and is designed to help University leaders gain a fuller understanding of the priorities and collective values of the people who learn and work at Penn State every day. Beginning on Nov. 12 and continuing throughout the week, those who have yet to take the survey will receive an email reminder from the ERC. Becker encouraged every member of the campus community to provide their input.
“The results of this survey will help Penn State to grow and improve as a University and as a community,” Becker said. “If you already have taken the survey, thank you for participating in this important undertaking – if you have not yet, please take advantage of the opportunity to share your confidential feedback.”
The ERC is conducting the survey in a manner that protects the identities of all participants; responses will be aggregated and only summary data will be provided back to Penn State, so that no individual within any unit can be identified.
Individuals who experience technical difficulties as they are taking the survey should contact the ERC by sending an email to ethicssurvey@ethics.org or by calling 800-777-1285. The help desk phone line is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Results will be used to develop an inclusive statement of shared values for the university community; it also will contribute to a more concise understanding of the values of students, faculty and staff, which in turn will help University leaders to improve ethics and compliance programs.
The ERC will deliver an executive summary of the findings in spring of 2014, and Becker said the document will be published at that time.