Auburn University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

The Auburn campus community was invited to participate in the climate study from an email invitation generated by the President. The survey was also sent to all alumni via email and was posted to Auburn University’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. All responses were anonymous. Participants were not allowed to access the survey more than once from the same device. An exception to this rule was made on Tuesday, March 8th, 2017 when the Black Student Union gathered on the concourse inviting students to take the survey on iPads. The survey was kept open for two weeks. A comprehensive survey was developed based on key themes identified through listening sessions. The framework/scorecard/tool was developed internally. The President and Provost initiated this effort in December, 2015. Wanting to learn how to become a stronger and more welcoming institution, they established a committee of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administrators to find the answers to three questions: What works well? What doesn’t work well? and What would you do if you could? at Auburn University in terms of equity, inclusion and diversity. In January 2016, the committee set out to ask these three questions of as many members of the Auburn Family as possible. After conducting a careful review of documents and the institution’s organizational structure, the committee facilitated almost 200 focus groups, open forums, and individual interviews to identify key themes. With more than 2,500 responses to a climate survey that assessed key themes identified, the committee developed a communication plan for sharing the results and created ongoing ways to collect input about student, faculty, and staff experiences, perceptions and recommendations. The overarching goal of the study was to provide a foundation for establishing and maintaining a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness that is embedded throughout the university. Beginning in December 2016, the study measured the following aspects of Auburn's campus climate relative to the following outcomes: Assess Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Approaches Identify current equity, inclusion, and diversity strategies and goals across the University. Gather input regarding the current culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Identify equity, diversity, and inclusion barriers frequently faced by students, faculty, and staff. Address strategies for strategically increasing these values across all departments and units. Assess Recruitment and Retention of Students and Faculty Assess the University's ability to recruit, admit and retain undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds across all academic programs. Assess the University's ability to recruit, hire, and retain faculty, staff, and administrators from diverse backgrounds across all units. Assess the Institution's Approach to Enhancing Cultural Competency Provide an historical context for the role of inclusion, equity and diversity at Auburn. Assess their role in Auburn's academic and co-curricular experience. Assess Policies and Practices that Support Respect and Collegiality Identify the current institutional process for reporting, responding and preventing bias-related incidents and microaggressions. Provide metrics for evaluating and assessing the culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion progress and status.

After conducting a careful review of documents and the institution’s organizational structure, the committee facilitated almost 200 focus groups, open forums, and individual interviews to identify key themes. With more than 2,500 responses to a climate survey that assessed key themes identified, the committee developed a communication plan for sharing the results and created ongoing ways to collect input about student, faculty, and staff experiences, perceptions and recommendations. Auburn is currently implementing the recommendations made by the committee. The Office of Inclusion and diversity has worked to address these recommendations and close to 80% complete.

The assessment results are shared via web pages at the Inclusion and Diversity Office website; the results are also shared at gatherings, meetings, presentations and referenced whenever these issues and questions arise.