| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.88 |
| Liaison | Deborah Steinberg |
| Submission Date | Dec. 17, 2024 |
Carnegie Mellon University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Deborah
Steinberg Green Practices and Sustainability Manager FMCS |
Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:
Carnegie Mellon University regularly surveys its students to better understand their quality of experience, perceptions of campus climate, belonging and connection, access to holistic support and resources, and health and well-being. These surveys provide critical insights into student needs, helping the university identify areas for improvement and enhance programs, opportunities, and services. The data gathered inform decision-making and drive strategic actions aimed at fostering an inclusive, supportive, and high-quality learning environment.
The Tartan VOICES study was conducted in March 2023 to help university leadership more comprehensively understand students’ experiences related to individual sense of belonging as well as the diversity and inclusion of the campus environment. It was administered to undergraduate and graduate students on the Pittsburgh campus and garnered a 29% response rate.
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?:
Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:
Key data stories emerged from the findings and are being used by CMU leadership to inform institutional strategies as follows:
Overall, students shared that CMU cultivates an environment that is supportive and caring and provides resources to help them thrive during their time here. However, they do not readily agree that the CMU environment is reflective of the range of identities and cultural experiences of students. To enhance these elements of our campus community, CMU is committed to the following:
- Develop a long-term assessment strategy to understand gaps and needs related to Culturally Relevant Knowledge indicators specifically inside the classroom so that the CMU environment can become more reflective of the range of identities and cultural experiences of all students.
- Incorporate changes to new student orientation and Core@CMU course that contribute to students’ sense of being seen and valued.
- Continue and expand Deeper Conversations and Combating Hate programming to student spaces to increase opportunities for intercultural dialogue.
Students shared general agreement with items of Sense of Belonging; however, results showed greater agreement with “belongingness” than “connection.” To support an environment that promotes satisfaction and sense of belonging, CMU is committed to the following:
- Perform item testing for the Sense of Belonging Indicator to better understand how students interpret these items and what factors contribute to their responses.
- Update Academic and Administrative DEI Strategic Plans to address findings from item testing analysis to focus belongingness initiatives.
- Institutionalize restorative practices to enhance community development and increase capacity for managing conflict when it arises.
A majority of students reported they “never” to “rarely” encountered negative experiences like discrimination or prejudice at CMU; however, students with historically marginalized identities reported greater frequency than those with non-marginalized identities. To increase awareness of university mechanisms to address bias, discrimination and inequities and enhance institutional trust through accountability and transparency, CMU leadership is committed to the following:
- Continue to roll out the Campus Climate and Bias Reporting Protocol along with the variety of resources for support and care available to students.
- Tailor the Framework’s pillars based on Tartan VOICES findings and broader socialization of the model within units and among students.
- Establish accountability metrics and reporting expectations for DEIB strategic plans.
- Highlight data availability through DASH and share data informed actions.
Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
The findings were shared with the campus community in two sessions that reviewed the key data stories and engaged in a disucussion of next steps. The findings, including an exectuive summary and a survey dashboard, are also available online to the campus community.
Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.