Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.66
Liaison Megan Litke
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

American University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Courtney Stoner
Sustainability Analyst
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:

https://www.american.edu/president/diversity/inclusive-excellence/

The University's current strategic plan for Inclusive Excellence advances the idea that diversity, equity, and inclusion are catalysts for achieving institutional and educational excellence.

Therefore, the 2017 Campus Climate Survey and the 2016 National Survey of Student Engagement were both key to understanding the existing campus climate and creating a path for the new strategic plan, which launched in 2018. Another Campus Climate Survey went out Spring 2019.


Does the assessment process address campus climate by engaging stakeholders to assess the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of employees and students, including the experiences of underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
Yes

A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:

• At least 70 percent of students, faculty, and staff feel that AU is committed to creating a campus where everyone has a sense of belonging (Baseline: 58 percent of undergraduate students, 74 percent of graduate students, 59 percent of faculty, 59 percent of staff)

• Increase by 10 percent the sense among Black and African American undergraduate students that AU is committed to creating a campus where everyone has a sense of belonging (Baseline: 44 percent of Black and African American undergraduate students compared to 58 percent of all undergraduates)

• Increase by 10 percent the sense among Latinx faculty that AU is committed to creating a campus where everyone has a sense of belonging (Baseline: 25 percent of Latinx faculty compared to 59 percent of all faculty)

• At least 70 percent of all students report that their professors and other students care about them (Baseline: 59 percent of all undergraduate students report that their professors care about them; 63 percent report that other students care about them)

• Increase by 15 percent Black and African American undergraduate students who report that their professors and fellow students care about them (Baseline: 39 percent of Black and African American undergraduates feel professors care about them compared to 59 percent of all undergraduates; Baseline: 43 percent of Black and African American undergraduates feel other students care about them compared to 71 percent of all undergraduates)

Metrics from the assessment are directly tied to the inclusive excellence plan's programs and goals.


Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
Yes

A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:

Results were emailed to the AU community and are publicly posted online.

The attachment is the phase 2 action plan with updated goals and summary of the campus climate survey.


Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
Yes

The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The full original (2018) Plan for Inclusive Excellence can be found here: https://www.american.edu/president/diversity/inclusive-excellence/upload/18-160-ie_plan.pdf


The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.