Saint Louis University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

On April 15 - 30, 2014, the University administered a climate survey to assess the perceptions that faculty and staff have about SLU. The survey covered topics such as: Diversity; Empowerment; Career Development; Civility; Communication; Pay and Rewards; Morale; Shared Governance; Image; and Sustainable Engagement, just to name a few.

As a Jesuit institution grounded in a commitment to advancing social justice, and as an urban institution intentionally situated in the heart of an area challenged by economic, social, and educational inequities, SLU works intentionally and regularly to ensure that efforts to assess the quality, impact, and accessibility of our educational and support programs address issues of student diversity and educational equity as a fundamental component. Related data is collected via the administration of nationally-normed instruments (including NSSE, the Campus Religious & Spiritual Climate Survey), national comparative databases (IPEDS), and institutionally-developed databases and surveys (such as satisfaction and climate surveys). Research and analysis utilizing this data regularly informs institutional policy and practice concerning: *Financial aid and scholarships *recruitment *retention support *curricular and co-curricular programming *alumni support *fundraising For example, related assessment efforts have resulted in changes to increase the number of Pell Grant-eligible students, increase student racial/ethnic diversity, increase retention and graduation rates of minority students, and increase minority enrollment in programs in which minority populations have been traditionally underrepresented. As an institution committed to the strengthening the communities we serve, we also assess the impact of our service-learning and community outreach programming. Recent results have informed the development of new SLU-community partnerships with social service and educational organizations. A strengthening and expansion of SLU’s MLK Scholarships is another result of these assessment efforts.

As a federal contractor, the University has a mandate to take affirmative action to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and protected veterans. A written affirmative action plan is updated annually and kept on file in the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

SLU works intentionally and regularly to assess diversity and equity in shared institutional governance and community outreach. In the last three years we have conducted two Campus Climate surveys, each designed to extend the University community's shared understanding of our strengths and challenges in ensuring transparency and full participation in governance. For example, our formal governance structure ensures that representatives of the University's staff, faculty, and students serve on our highest-level policy committee, the President's Coordinating Council. Assessment results have indicated that more representation of those constituencies -- on our Board of Trustees, on ad hoc committees -- is desired, and our new President has embraced these calls by expanding involvement, including on the 2014-2015 strategic planning committees. Diversity amongst the faculty and staff garners regular attention and focused initiatives. In the past several years, institution-wide compensation studies for faculty and staff have focused on identifying and offering solutions to any existing inequities in compensation between genders, and across racial/ethnic constituencies. SLU is also stepping up efforts to recruit traditionally underrepresented faculty and staff, as we seek to develop an employee base that models diversity for a diverse student population. In the wake of events in nearby Ferguson, MO and throughout the St. Louis area in Fall 2014, our President developed and has begun implementation of an aggressive and far-ranging plan to extend an already expansive portfolio of community development initiatives, each designed to strengthen core educational, social, and healthcare structures that underlie system injustice in our urban setting. Initiatives driven by SLU's renown Center for Service and Community Engagement, as well as by other University offices, have resulted in SLU's recent national recognition by the Carnegie Foundation (http://www.slu.edu/x99900.xml).

The University is currently seeking to hire a Special Assistant to the President on Diversity and Community Engagement.