Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 79.55
Liaison Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2020

STARS v2.2

Santa Clara University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Raymond Plaza
Director
Office for Diversity and Inclusion
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:
In 2018, Santa Clara conducted a Campus Climate Study as a direct response to the recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity and Inclusion and the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion. The climate survey offered members of the university community the opportunity to describe their personal experiences and observations, and to offer suggestions for change to help enhance the campus climate at Santa Clara. Nearly 3,000 students, faculty, and staff participated, an overall response of 27%.

The Campus Climate study was conducted during January - February 2018 by Rankin & Associates. The study was titled: "Assessment of Climate for Learning, Living and Working" and was sent to all SCU faculty, staff and students (undergraduate and graduate) through email and posted throughout the school. It was designed to understand the feelings and attitudes of faculty, staff and students in terms of what it means to live, work and study at Santa Clara through a series of 117 free-response and multiple choice questions.

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?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
Yes

A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:
Based on the results of the Campus Climate survey, the working group was able to assess the current attitudes, behaviors, and standards and practices of employees and students at SCU.
72% of respondents were comfortable with the overall climate
87% of faculty respondents felt valued by students in the classroom
80% of student and faculty respondents were comfortable with the classroom climate
77% of staff respondents felt that their supervisors provided adequate support for work-life balance
Many of the overall challenges and opportunities involved employees and students considering leaving SCU, unwanted sexual conduct, and exclusionary conduct. These findings have led to many actions taken to improve both the experience of students and employees through a more targeted approach towards diversity and inclusion. More concrete steps include a Quarterly Diversity Forum, discussions with the Student, Faculty, and Staff Senate, and conversations through Difficult Dialogues, a program on campus that engages students to meet and discuss in a safe, judgment-free zone. Proposals for policy changes will be brought to the University Coordinating Committee or to the University Policy Committees and recommendations will be sent to Faculty, Student, and Staff Affairs committees. Plans for new initiatives to change climate culture have already begun, with a priority on top action items.

Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
Yes

A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
The results were shared with the University Community in two town halls forums held in early October 2018. The results and the next steps are available at www.scu.edu/voice for anyone within the SCU community. Logging in with one’s SCU login information, one can access the full report and the presentations.

Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
Yes

The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
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Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Since the data is intended for members of the SCU community and is considered proprietary. Specific results are not for publication or distribution.

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.