As a Chicana, I felt ostracized even more. Forget about feeling a sense of community when youre a member of two minority groups. Often times I keep my.

“As a Chicana, I felt ostracized even more. Forget about feeling a sense of community when you’re a member of two minority groups”.

“Often times I keep my mouth shut or don’t rock the boat so that I don’t fear for my job.”

“The events of Sept. 11 have generated astrong anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment among many people in the country. The campus is, unfortunately, no exception.”

“…I have heard or seen many cases of as chilly gender climate, not based on sexual harassment but rather on issues of power. That is men in power sending messages and behaving as if women belong in inferior positions.”

Assessing Campus Climate

Setting the Context for Beginning the Work

Examine the ResearchPreparation = ReadinessAddressing the Challenges

Climate In Higher Education

Climate on college campuses not only affects the creation of knowledge, but also has a significant impact on members of the academic community who, in turn, contribute to the creation of the campus environment (Bauer, 1998, Kuh & Whitt, 1988; Peterson, 1990; Rankin, 1994, 1998, 1999; Smith, 1999; Tierney, 1990).

Preserving a climate that offers equal learning opportunities for

all students and academic freedom for all faculty - an environment free from discrimination – is one of the primary responsibilities of educational institutions.

Why conduct a climate assessment?

To foster a caring University community that provides leadership for constructive participation in a diverse, multicultural world.

To open the doors wider for underrepresented groups is to create a welcoming environment

To improve the environment for working and learning on campus

What will the climate assessment provide?

Participants Personal Experiences with Diversity Participants Perceptions of Institutional Climate

Relative to Diversity Issues Participants Perceptions of Institutional Actions

Relative to Diversity Issues Participant Demographic Information Participant Input into Recommendations for

Improving the Campus Climate

Current Campus Culture

Access

Retention

Research

Scholarship

Curriculum Pedagogy

UniversityPolicies/Service

Intergroup &IntragroupRelations

Transformational Tapestry© Model:

Justice, Equity & Community

Baseline Organizational

Challenges

SystemsAnalysis

Local / Sate /Regional

Environments

Contextualized Campus Wide Assessment

AdvancedOrganizational

Challenges

ConsultantRecommendations

Assessment

Transformationvia

Intervention

FiscalActions

Symbolic Actions

AdministrativeActions

EducationalActions Transformed

Campus Culture

Access

Retention

Research

Scholarship

Curriculum Pedagogy

UniversityPolices/Service

Intergroup &IntragroupRelations

Proposed Phases in Transformational Process

Strategic Planning

Assessment

Implementation & Accountability

Consultant working collaboratively with a team consistingof representation from the various constituent groups on campus throughout the process

Strategic Indicators

So What’s Important?Do you know?

How do you know?

Students of Color? Senior Women Faculty? Safety of Commuters? Retention of Underserved People? Accessibility of campus for Physically Challenged

People? Domestic Partner Benefits?

Assessment Initial Focus Groups

to identify baseline organizational challenges

to assist in developing survey questions

AssessmentSystems Analysis

to examine mission, structure, current policies, etc.

to assist in developing survey questions

AssessmentEnvironmental Considerations

Examine local, regional, and state environments

to assist in developing survey questions

Assessment - Contextualized Campus-Wide Survey

Campus input (students, faculty, staff, & administrators)

On-line survey or paper/pencil or both

Assessment Reconvened Focus Groups

to identify advanced organizational challenges / recommendations

to assist in developing strategic plan

AssessmentConsultant Recommendations

Based on consultant expertise, benchmarks from previous studies, current research, etc

to assist in developing strategic plan

Development of Strategic Plan Areas for consideration

Access/Retention Research/Scholarship Curriculum/Pedagogy Inter-group/Intra-group

Relations University

Policies/Service

Transformed Campus Culture

Access

Retention

Research

Scholarship

Curriculum Pedagogy

UniversityPolices/Service

Intergroup &IntragroupRelations

Development of Strategic Plan Action areas

Symbolic actionsFiscal actionsAdministrative actionsEducational actions

Transformationvia

Intervention

FiscalActions

Symbolic Actions

AdministrativeActions

EducationalActions

Transformed Campus Culture

Access

Retention

Research

Scholarship

Curriculum Pedagogy

UniversityPolices/Service

Intergroup &IntragroupRelations

Next Steps…

Transformational ChangeA change in the institution’s:

Shape – how the institution looks which allows it to function effectively in the dynamic world in which it operates

Structure – the basic parts of the institution that are responsible for its character

Nature – values, beliefs , reward systems, ownership, patterns, etc.

Institutional Prerequisites1

1) Committed Top Leaders

2) Written description of the changed institution

3) Conditions that preclude maintenance of the Status Quo

4) Likelihood of a Critical Mass of Support

5) Awareness of resistance and the need to honor it

1Adpated from Beckhard, 1992

Institutional Prerequisites

6) A medium – long range perspective

7) Awareness of the need for education

8) The conviction that the change must be tried

9) Willingness to use resources

10)Commitment to maintaining the flow of information

Assessing Institutional Climate: Results of a National Study

Purposeful SamplingSnowball Sampling

Survey RespondentsPosition

7347

3244

21161745

577326

Undergraduate students

Staff

Faculty

Graduate/Professional Students

Administrator

Declined to respond

Survey RespondentsGender Identity

9807

5293

38

Female

Male

Transgender

Racial/Ethnic Identity (Duplicated Total)

335 598 908 1,0981,341

11,923Middle Eastern

American Indian/Alaskan Native

Chicano(a)/Latino(a)/Hispanic

African American/Black

Asian/Pacific Islander

White

Other Selected Demographics

Citizenship90% U.S.citizen (born in U.S.)

Sexual IdentityLGB (n=1400 - parallel study)Heterosexual (n=12,189)

Personal Experiences

25% (n=3767) of respondents reported experiencing conduct that interfered with their ability to work/learn on campus (harassment) within the past year

Who is experiencing the conduct?

Similar by position; e.g. equal percentages of students, faculty, staff, and students

More often experienced by members of underrepresented groups, e.g. 30% of people of color; 22% of white people 28% of women; 19% of men 42% sexual minorities; 24% heterosexual

Who is the source of the conduct?

Students (53%) Faculty (30%) Staff (22%) Administrators (17%)

Who was the source of the conduct?

60

17

3

13

30

1315

2222

9

27

1210

1

20

31

Undergraduate Graduate Staff Faculty

Source = Student

Source = Faculty

Source = Staff

Source = Administrator

What form is the conduct?

Derogatory remarks were the most common form of harassment (82%)

More recent institutional studies indicate more subtle forms of harassment (ignored, excluded, intimidated, etc.)

Perceptions of ClimatePeople in Offices Accepting of:

Characteristics

Yes No % (n) % (n)

Gender

92.4 (9239) 7.6 (758)

Race

90.9 (9057) 9.1 (904)

Sexual orientation

86.4 (8427) 13.6 (1329)

Disability

90.3 (8864) 9.6 (946)

Religious background

91.6 (9030) 8.4 (832)

Non-English speaking

85.6 (8405) 14.4 (1413)

Ethnicity

90.9 (8975) 9.0 (890)

Perceptions of Climate“ism’s”

Racist? People of color (33%) White respondents (17%)

Sexist? Women (26%) Men (18%) Transgender (46%)

Heterosexist? LGB (55%) Heterosexual (35%)

Institutional ResponseCollege/University Addresses

Social Justice Issues

Race/racism 56% agree; 21% disagree People of color 49% agree; 28% disagree White people 60% agree; 17% disagree

Gender/sexism 54% agree; 23% disagree Women 50% agree; 26% disagree Men 61% agree; 16% disagree

Heterosexism 49% agree; 23% disagree LGB 35% agree; 45% disagree Heterosexual 51% agree; 21% disagree

Questions….?? Other Ideas…..??

Last Thoughts

“Resistance begins with people confronting pain, whether it’s theirs or somebody else’s, and wanting to do something to change it”

--- bell hooks,“Yearning”

Thank you!

Susan R. Rankin, Ph.D.Research Associate, Center for the

Study of Higher Education

sxr2@psu.edu