| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.15 |
| Liaison | Laura Young |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
Michigan State University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Laura
Young Sustainability Program Coordinator Administration-EVP-Office of Sustainability |
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:
There were two major climate assessments done during the reporting timeframe: the DEI Assessment and Inventory as documented in the university's DEI Plan, and the Know More climate survey.
1. DEI Assessment and Inventory
An assessment of institutional culture was conducted as part of the university's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report and Plan. The planning process was started in December 2019 and guided by a steering committee composed of students, staff and faculty who work in various areas of DEI and had a dedicated subgroup examining campus culture. The committee used an inclusive, iterative, campus-wide process including brainstorming sessions, virtual discussions, email exchanges, questionnaires, input submitted through websites, and formal and informal dialogues and meetings. The institutional culture assessment included more than 50 listening sessions were held in fall 2020 to gather input from over 400 participants, including diverse students, faculty, staff and alumni. Sessions were also held with university centers, departments, advisory councils, student groups, faculty and staff affinity groups, initiatives, and other programs that serve diverse populations. For a full list of units and groups that provided input during the listening sessions, refer to pp. 26-28 of the DEI Plan. In addition, a DEI inventory gathered information about university DEI resources, dedicated positions, strategic plans, programs and initiatives, and academic and administrative unit-level committees. As part of this process, 137 inventories from major administrative units were collected.
2. Know More Survey
In March 2019, MSU conducted its first campus-wide Know More climate survey which focused on the culture, perceptions and policies associated with sexual misconduct among undergraduate students, graduate/professional students, faculty and staff. The MSU Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup led the survey initiative. The survey was administered by a third-party, RTI International, to promote trust and transparency in the process and results. https://civilrights.msu.edu/knowmore/index.html
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:
1. DEI Assessment and Inventory
The listening sessions yielded 11 themes, including: mandatory diversity education for students, faculty, staff and leadership; addressing recruitment, retention and advancement of students, faculty and staff; having an institutional, comprehensive definition of DEI; and addressing policies, practices and processes that contribute to inequity and DEI issues. The DEI Inventory found that 25 academic and administrative units have dedicated DEI plans and 18 units that incorporate DEI goals into their overall strategic plan. In addition, over 15 centers and programs were inventoried that address DEI as part of their core mission (refer to pp. 33-38 of the DEI Plan for a listing).
Since completing the DEI Assessment and Inventory, the university has developed a comprehensive definition of diversity, equity and inclusion which is included within the university's DEI Plan; mandated DEI training for all students, faculty and staff since October 2020; and created the vice president and chief diversity officer position, which reports directly to the university president (formerly the Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity).
The DEI Assessment and Inventory significantly informed the DEI planning process and were used to formulate recommendations with specific actions and milestones that were included in the university's DEI Plan. Recommendations in the DEI Plan related to student outcomes included: (1) Use a data-informed approach to mitigate disparities evident in persistence and graduation rates between racial and ethnic groups and increase degree completion rates for all students; (2) Recruit and retain a more diverse student body; and (3) Develop more inclusive student support services to ensure the success of the university’s increasingly diverse student body. Recommendations related to employee outcomes included: (1) Expand recruitment, retention, and career development support for staff from diverse backgrounds; (2) Ensure greater diversity among faculty, academic staff and administrators; (3) Support continued success of diverse faculty, academic staff, and administrators; and (4) Increase equitable retention practices with the goal of supporting staff and faculty of diverse backgrounds. Additional recommendations from the plan that support DEI policies and programs include: (1) Enhance support for those affected by harassment, incidents of unfair treatment, discriminatory practices, intolerance, exclusion, and/or microaggressions; (2) Ensure Academic Human Resources (AHR) and Human Resources (HR) policies and practices promote equity; (3) Review and revise the university's Religious Observance Policy to create greater inclusivity; and (4) Create and administer an annual university-wide climate survey, coordinate smaller climate surveys and identify other metrics that address creating an inclusive campus climate. For details on specific actions and milestones associated with these recommendations, refer to pp. 45-69 of the DEI Plan.
Multiple recommendations from the DEI Plan have been incorporated within the university's strategic plan, particularly under the ""Diversity, Equity and Inclusion"" theme (https://strategicplan.msu.edu/strategic-plan/dei). For example, Objective 1 of this theme is to recruit, retain and graduate a diverse student body and eliminate disparities in MSU’s graduation rates and Objective 3 is to recruit, retain and expand career development for staff from diverse backgrounds.
2. Know More Survey
More than 15,000 students, faculty and staff participated in the university's Know More climate survey. The Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup hosted a series of discussion hours with the university community to further discuss the results of the survey, answer questions and speak with members of the MSU community about their ideas for changing the campus culture. The feedback collected from these meetings and the campus climate survey were used to inform a strategic plan for prevention efforts, policy updates and resource development. In April 2021, the university released an institution-wide strategic plan to address sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence and stalking issues that collectively will help foster a safer campus community (https://msu.edu/ourcommitment/rvsm-workgroup/).
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:
1. DEI Assessment and Inventory
The DEI Assessment Results and Inventory are described in the university's DEI Plan. The plan was formally announced by the university president via email to the university community. The president's website has a dedicated section on the DEI Plan where individuals can view the plan and and additional resources at https://president.msu.edu/initiatives/dei-plan/dei-report-and-plan.html.
2. Know More Survey
The results of the survey were formally announced by the university president via email to the university community. There is a dedicated webpage on the Office of Institutional Equity website about the survey where individuals can review results: https://civilrights.msu.edu/knowmore/index.html.
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:
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
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.