Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.19
Liaison Veronica Johnson
Submission Date May 28, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Southwestern University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Joshua Long
Assistant Professor
Environmental Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution assessed diversity and equity in terms of campus climate?:
Yes

A brief description of the campus climate assessment(s) :

Two faculty members have conducted systematic assessments (which include both survey questions and in depth hour long interviews) of students’ perceptions of the campus climate in 2010 and 2013. A third comprehensive assessment is forthcoming in 2016. The first two assessments captured the perspectives of over 700 students via survey responses and 72 interview respondents. The average survey response rate of about 30% is in line with other scholarly studies of campus climates. The campus racial climate, the campus gender climate, the campus sexual orientation climate, and the campus student identity climate have all been assessed. The 2010 survey, for example, revealed that students’ perceptions of the racial inclusivity of the curriculum affected their perceptions of the campus racial climate. Faculty and students used this piece of information as a final push for a race and ethnic studies academic minor that had been in discussion for quite some time. As of 2013, the race and ethnic studies academic minor became a part of the curriculum and even recently held its first two day symposium highlighting the research of its faculty.


Has the institution assessed student diversity and educational equity?:
Yes

A brief description of the student diversity and educational equity assessment(s):

The university keeps an annual common data set and monitors issues like affordability and retention. We are currently the top national liberal arts college in the nation as it pertains to Latino students’ enrollment and have increasingly diverse proportions of under-represented groups in our incoming classes. The vast majority of incoming first year students receive some form of financial aid. This is a direct result of the reflections from prior diversity and educational equity assessments.


Has the institution assessed employee diversity and employment equity?:
No

A brief description of the employee diversity and employment equity assessment(s):
---

Has the institution assessed diversity and equity in terms of governance and public engagement?:
No

A brief description of the governance and public engagement assessment(s):

N/A.


The website URL where information about the assessment(s) is available:
---

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.