In February, FaithSearch Partners administered a survey of the wider PLNU community to further assess the recurring themes identified in the stakeholder interviews. The survey findings revealed a significant level of cohesion among the different constituent groups that participated in the survey.
Over 700 individuals (including trustees, faculty, alumni, donors, staff and students) participated in the survey.
In the first question, constituents were asked to select the three most important qualifications of PLNU’s next president. Across all 6 groups surveyed, there was alignment in 4 of 5 or 5 of 5 of the selections made.
| Total Responses | Overall Ranking | |
|---|---|---|
| Ability to build strong relationships between PLNU and external constituencies | 349 | 1 |
| Experience as a Senior Level College/University Administrator | 327 | 2 |
| Ability to Motivate Constituents towards a shared goal | 292 | 3 |
| Wesleyan-Holiness background | 227 | 4 |
| Experience in financial management of a complex operation | 193 | 5 |
| Faculty | Staff | Students | Trustees | Donors | Alumni | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ability to build strong relationships between PLNU and external constituencies | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Experience as a Senior Level College/University Administrator | 2 | - | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Ability to Motivate Constituents towards a shared goal | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Wesleyan-Holiness background | 4 | 3 | - | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Experience in financial management of a complex operation | - | 4 | 3 | - | 5 | - |
In the next question, constituents were asked to select the four most important attributes of PLNU’s next president. There was unanimous agreement on the top trait, and close alignment on the remainder of the top traits.
| Total Responses | Overall Ranking | |
|---|---|---|
| Operates with Integrity | 513 | 1 |
| Understanding and attention towards student faith development and socio-emotional wellbeing | 284 | 2 |
| Strong communication skills | 279 | 3 |
| Humility | 251 | 4 |
| Committed to nurturing a community of diversity and belonging | 239 | 5 |
| Values open communication | 234 | 6 |
| Strong relational skills | 232 | 7 |
| High Emotional Intelligence | 209 | 8 |
| Team-Oriented Leadership Style | 202 | 9 |
| Faculty | Staff | Students | Trustees | Donors | Alumni | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operates with Integrity | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Understanding and attention towards student faith development and socio-emotional wellbeing | - | - | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Strong communication skills | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Humility | - | - | 5 | - | 3 | 3 |
| Committed to nurturing a community of diversity and belonging | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | 5 | - |
| Values open communication | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | - | - |
| Strong relational skills | - | 5 | - | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| High Emotional Intelligence | 5 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - |
| Team-Oriented Leadership Style | 4 | - | - | 4 | - | 6 |
In the third question, constituents were asked to choose the two most important priorities of PLNU’s next president. Again, there was consistency in the priorities selected across all constituent groups with two logical outliers. Students zeroed in on the priority of increasing career pathways for students. Trustees and alumni both highlighted the priority of strengthening relationships with external constituencies.
| Total Responses | Overall Ranking | |
|---|---|---|
| Clarifying PLNU's role as a faith related institution | 335 | 1 |
| Achievement of Strategic plan initiatives | 255 | 2 |
| Commitment to recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students | 239 | 3 |
| Increase job placement and career pathways for students | 179 | 4 |
| Strengthen relationships between PLNU and external constituencies | 173 | 5 |
| Faculty | Staff | Students | Trustees | Donor | Alumni | |
| Clarifying PLNU's role as a faith related institution | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Achievement of Strategic plan initiatives | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Commitment to recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | 3 | - |
| Increase job placement and career pathways for students | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| Strengthen relationships between PLNU and external constituencies | - | - | - | 3 | - | 2 |