Overall Rating Platinum - expired
Overall Score 88.00
Liaison Sam Lubow
Submission Date Feb. 22, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Stanford University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Moira Hafer
Sustainability Specialist
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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:

The President and Provost have declared that increasing the diversity of students, staff, and faculty at Stanford University is of critical importance. A diverse and inclusive community offers different perspectives, experiences and cultures that enrich the educational experience.

Stanford’s Diversity and Access Office compiles annual profiles of staff, faculty and student diversity, which are published online at: https://diversityandaccess.stanford.edu/diversity/diversity-facts Employees and students are asked to self-identify their race, ethnicity and veteran status in a two-question format, first asking about an individual’s ethnicity in terms of whether he or she is Hispanic/Latino, and then asking about his/her race, using the following racial categories: White, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native. Employees and students are invited to select more than one race and/or ethnicity category if they would like to do so. Student diversity is also evaluated by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Office of Graduate Admissions in relation to student recruitment on an ongoing basis.

Additional assessment tools that more thoroughly address campus climate in addition to diversity profiles are described below.

2018 UNIVERSITY-WIDE STAFF ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
In October 2018, over 13,000 staff at Stanford were invited to participate in the 2018 university-wide Staff Engagement Survey. The 2018 survey was a follow-up to the 2015 survey to show how Stanford has progressed in the past three years. The survey was deployed online and via paper in English and Spanish. The goal of the staff survey was to identify opportunities to protect what we’re currently doing well and strengthen the employee experience by evaluating the following key areas: agility, alignment, collaboration, continuous improvement, development, efficiency, inclusion and diversity, openness, performance management, and respect and trust. The survey was administered by an outside vendor to protect confidentiality.

ANNUAL REPORT OF FACULTY DEMOGRAPHICS
Additionally, Stanford's Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity conducts several holistic assessments of diversity specifically among faculty to supplement the university’s Affirmative Action planning exercises. The most notable of these assessments is the Annual Report of Faculty Demographics, which captures gender and minority representations of current faculty and historical trends, as well as faculty hiring, departures, promotions, and leadership positions by gender and race/ethnicity.

FACULTY CLIMATE SURVEYS
A faculty quality of life survey was conducted in January 2019 that includes diversity and affordability issues. More information on the response rates and results from this faculty survey are available here: https://facultysurvey.stanford.edu/

Stanford has been conducting regular assessments of its climate vis-à-vis diversity for many years. With respect to faculty, the instrument used for the climate surveys draws from the one developed by the Provost’s Panel on Faculty Equity and Quality of Life for the 2008 Quality of Life of Stanford Faculty, which incorporated common core questions on quality of life issues developed by the American Association of Universities Data Exchange (AAUDE) and retained some questions from an earlier survey in 2003. As a follow up to the 2008 quality of life survey, the Provost’s Panel on Faculty Equity and Quality of Life conducted an interview study with underrepresented minority faculty to specifically address URM faculty’s experience of collegiality, recognition, mentoring and voice in decision-making. Two reports on the findings with accompanying recommendations from the Panel on Faculty Equity were released in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Several departments have conducted climate surveys of their faculty, instructors, students, trainees and staff relevant to diversity, equity and inclusion in order to assess their climates as part of preparing and recruiting new department leadership. For instance, in 2015, the School of Medicine conducted a departmental climate survey of approximately 1,100 faculty. These department-level climate surveys are able to assess faculty satisfaction and sense of inclusion and equity that previous campus-wide surveys haven’t been able to gauge.

2015 STUDENT CLIMATE SURVEY
The University conducted a campus-wide survey of the student experience in Spring 2015, which asked students about their perceptions of campus community, culture, and safety, as well as their experiences with prohibited sexual conduct. The survey was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students and results were compiled in Fall 2015.


Does the assessment process address campus climate by engaging stakeholders to assess the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of faculty, staff, administrators and students, including the experiences of underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success (e.g. graduation/success and retention rates for underrepresented groups)?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity (e.g. pay and retention rates for underrepresented groups)?:
Yes

A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs and initiatives:

The Diversity & Access Office conducts various analyses of the university’s workforce and develops an Affirmative Action Plan. For example, the University conducts an analysis of the utilization of women and minorities in our workforce as well as an analysis of the personnel actions that have taken place during the year, such as hires, promotions, and terminations. These analyses assist the University in identifying potential barriers to equal employment opportunities, especially with respect to women and minorities. To continually improve diversity and inclusion at Stanford, the Diversity and Access Office supports those involved in the recruiting process by providing information that will assist hiring managers in developing a diverse search plan and providing strategies for building a broadly diverse candidate pool for current openings.

Results of additional assessments are included below:

2018 UNIVERSITY-WIDE STAFF ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
Almost 9,000 employees shared their voice in the 2018 Staff Engagement Survey, representing a 6% increase in response rate from the 2015 staff survey. In response to diversity, 80% of respondents indicated that Stanford encourages and promotes diversity of backgrounds, talents, and perspectives; while that is a high score, it falls below the U.S. High Performing benchmark and will be addressed through enhanced and expanded program offerings. Respondents also revealed that affordability remains a key challenge to living in the Bay Area, and expressed a desire for more flexibility with work arrangements. Results like these will be used to inform initiatives currently underway at the university-wide level (as part of the President and Provost’s Long-Range Vision), and will be used locally to make improvements within individual groups, departments and programs.

ANNUAL REPORT OF FACULTY DEMOGRAPHICS
The results of the Annual Report of Faculty Demographics each year are presented holistically to the Faculty Senate. The Vice Provost also discusses university-wide and school-specific reports on faculty demographics with each school's leadership on an annual basis.

FACULTY CLIMATE SURVEYS
The results of the 2019 Faculty Climate Survey will be reported to the Faculty Senate and the Executive Cabinet, along with a more general report to the Stanford Faculty who took part in the survey. Results will also be shared as soon as available with all of the relevant University Long Range Planning Committees and Teams.

Both the quantitative and qualitative parts of the department surveys show great variations in faculty satisfaction and problem areas by department. For example, equity in workload distribution could be an issue in some departments but not others. The detailed comments allow school and department leaders to zoom into specific areas where improvements have been made or are needed. Again, these areas vary greatly by department. In general, faculty surveyed in these department-level studies are satisfied and engaged in making their departments a positive workplace.

2015 STUDENT CLIMATE SURVEY
The findings of the 2015 student climate survey were released in 2015. In terms of student perceptions of campus climate, the survey results reveal that a majority of Stanford students perceive a positive campus climate. Most survey respondents (87%) indicated that they feel extremely safe or very safe on the Stanford campus. Over 80% of both undergraduate and graduate respondents report feeling a sense of community on campus. A majority of respondents, 53%, feel extremely valued or very valued in the Stanford learning environment. One aspect of campus life about which undergraduate students were critical was the effectiveness of support provided by Stanford to students going through personal crises. A majority (53%) of undergraduates providing an opinion on the topic thought that such support is ineffective. Undergraduate respondents self-identifying as queer, asexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, and questioning rated Stanford’s support for students going through personal crises as less effective than respondents who self-identified as heterosexual/straight. By contrast, a majority of graduate respondents selected don’t know/no opinion on this question. The university has since worked closely with the DGEN Office to improve LGBTQ support programs.


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:

Diversity profiles for campus faculty, staff, and students are all available here: https://diversityandaccess.stanford.edu/diversity/diversity-facts
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Office of Graduate Admissions both publish the diversity statistics of Stanford's incoming classes and for Stanford students overall each year in an effort to demonstrate how diversity contributes to Stanford's rich culture. More information can be found online at the links below:
https://admission.stanford.edu/diversity/
https://vpge.stanford.edu/diversity-initiatives/overview
2018 UNIVERSITY-WIDE STAFF ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
The results will first be shared with President and Provost to identify key priorities at the university-wide level, and then will be communicated to leaders of all schools and units to identify priorities within their organizations. Survey liaisons and leaders will have the opportunity to attend workshops led by the survey vendor to help groups make meaningful change based on their survey results. Results will be communicated broadly in Stanford’s public daily news platform The Stanford Report and posted to the Cardinal at Work website: https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/working-stanford/staff-survey
ANNUAL REPORT OF FACULTY DEMOGRAPHICS
Part of the Annual Report of Faculty Demographics are published on the Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity website. Highlights are also routinely reported in Stanford News.

FACULTY CLIMATE SURVEYS
The results of the Faculty Climate Survey planned for January 2019 will be reported to the Faculty Senate and the Executive Cabinet, along with a more general report to the Stanford Faculty who took part in the survey. Results will also be shared as soon as available with all of the relevant University Long Range Planning Committees and Teams.

The campus-wide climate survey findings were disseminated in both closed and open discussions. Several closed discussions with university leadership took place in 2014-2015. In addition, the University President and Provost wrote a joint letter to the campus-wide community highlighting the findings of the survey and articulating a set of values that reflect Stanford’s commitment to equity, inclusion and respectful environments. The two reports on the Underrepresented Minority faculty interview study were also published on the Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity website. During the release of each of the reports, a townhall meeting was held to engage the campus community in discussing the results.

2015 STUDENT CLIMATE SURVEY
A report on the 2015 Stanford Campus Climate Survey was released in Fall 2015 for the entire Stanford community. Stanford’s President and Provost wrote a letter to the campus community articulating the results and priorities for action.


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:
---

The website URL where the report or summary is publicly posted:
https://provost.stanford.edu/stanford-campus-climate-survey

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.