| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.60 |
| Liaison | Megan Curtis-Murphy |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2023 |
Northeastern University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Megan
Curtis-Murphy Director of Campus Sustainability & Engagement Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub |
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:
Students, faculty, and employees who feel a sense of belonging are more likely to persist and engage, leading to better academic outcomes and higher employee satisfaction, respectively. Moreover, an inclusive climate is essential for ensuring that all members of the community can bring their best selves to learn and work. Between March 23 and April 30, 2021, Northeastern University administered the 2020-2021 Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey to students, faculty, and staff. The HEDS survey asked respondents for their confidential perceptions of how Northeastern supports diversity and equity, and for their specific experiences with discrimination and harassment. The survey also measures the perceptions, or attitudes about the university environment, such as how inviting, inclusive, or diverse the college feels or what students, faculty, or staff observe about collegiality or conflict. Over 6,000 respondents, or 14.7% of the total population across the Northeastern global network completed the survey.
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:
Some findings from the Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey include:
• More than half of the respondents are in accord with the institutional commitment to diversity and equity on campus.
• People of color, female, non-binary and/or transgender, and LGBTQ+-identified respondents were more likely to hear insensitive or disparaging remarks or experience incidents of discrimination or harassment focused on an aspect of their identity than those having different backgrounds and beliefs.
• Black/African American respondents were most likely to hear insensitive/disparaging remarks followed by Hispanic/Latinx respondents, though the majority in all racial categories reported never or rarely hearing them about a particular racial/ethnic identity.
• While a majority (72%) of Northeastern respondents have not experienced discrimination or harassment at Northeastern (about equal to other institutions), 52% of those who have experienced incidents of harassment reported that they have occurred in the last year.
• 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Northeastern is an inclusive community that accepts and encourages those of different cultures and languages.
• 60% feel valued as an individual by the university.
• More than half of the respondents (56%) agreed that senior leadership effectively addresses important diversity, equity, and inclusion matters.
From the most recent Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey, the university gathered many important takeaways to focus on for upcoming policies and programs. University leaders are preparing a variety of localized forums to foster engagement and capture feedback about ways to improve the culture of belonging and develop action plans to respond to the findings and the 2020 Call to Action. Some specific actions include holding community conversations to open feedback channels and listening sessions among groups identified as having the least sense of belonging at the university.
Additionally, the University’s Fact Book, which is available to internal users, traces graduation and retention rates by gender, race and ethnicity.
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 results of the Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey has been published on the diversity and inclusion website. In addition, the results were shared with the community through email and other communication channels. These results were discussed at town halls and webinars by division leaders within the 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:
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.