Climate survey reports

Dear students, staff, and faculty,

I am writing to provide an update on the recent surveys on institutional climate focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The goal of sharing this information is to encourage discussion and input before the survey team’s actions and recommendations are finalized.

Launched in August 2020, the campus climate survey initiative has been led by Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer Christopher Jones, Vice President for Advancement Tamara Josserand, and Naslund Endowed Dean of the School of Education Mario Martinez, along with an advisory board composed of staff, students, and faculty. The University’s Race in Education Analytics Learning Lab (REAL Lab), as part of our Center for Educational Justice, assisted with our survey analysis.

On our Sharepoint site at www.redlands.edu/climate-survey, the team is providing the background, process, response rates, and initial analysis for each of the three surveys. We are posting these documents to stimulate dialogue and conversation. It is important to note that we are not sharing this to provide final, definitive observations or recommendations. This caveat is especially important in light of the varying response rates: student at 10%; staff at 60%; and faculty at 75%. Qualifiers about representativeness and related issues are detailed in the individual reports and documents.

Due to the considerable volume of information in the reports and analysis slides, the team is providing a variety of ways for you to provide feedback:

• Attend a presentation that will be made to each of the following groups:
  • Faculty Senate;
  • University of Redlands Staff and Administrators Assembly (URSAA); and
  • Associated Students of the University of Redlands (ASUR) and graduate student groups.
• Engage in discussion at the open forum to be held for faculty, staff, students, and community members.
• Following the meetings, take advantage of a 30-day “open comment” period, in which you can submit your thoughts via the climate survey website. (We will provide another notification once this portal is open). 

I look forward to your input as we work to distill insights into areas where we are excelling, and especially as we work together on those areas where we still need to improve. The final report of recommendations and next steps is anticipated in January 2022.

Thank you for your participation in this important work to make our community better and stronger!

Sincerely,

Krista Newkirk
President