Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.16
Liaison Ryan Chabot
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Central Florida
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Yara Watson Colon
Sustainability Specialist II
Sustainability Initiatives
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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 late February 2020, Campus Climate Surveys, LLC administered three Viewfinder®
Campus Climate Survey instruments to faculty and administrators, staff members, and students designed to help us build a more equitable and inclusive environment at UCF. This voluntary survey will guide efforts of university leadership, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and our entire campus working to empower and elevate voices across our community. Of the 64,928 students invited to participate, 1,207 responded to the survey (response rate: 1.9%). UCF’s Operational Excellence and Assessment Support (OEAS) assisted with the analysis and summary of the findings.

Data analysis was conducted and reported separately for the different stakeholder groups. An empirical approach was designed by Operational Excellence and Assessment Support (OEAS) where multiple criteria were applied. Criteria used to identify key findings included the following: a) Chi-square group difference statistical tests for the following groups – gender, number of hours of employed, student level & classification, and student of color and b) thresholds for percent positive, negative, “I don’t know,” and “not applicable” responses on survey items.

Please note that caution must be exercised when drawing inferences as the response rate for the student survey is not adequate. It is not representative to generalize to the overall UCF student population. Additionally, it is important to note that the conclusions in this report are based solely on univariate and bivariate analyses.

Each of the full reports is provided below as it was released in August 2020, clearly capturing the voices of a small population of our campus. The results are powerful and will help to inform the university’s upcoming action plan for equity, inclusion and diversity. Because of differing response rates among the campus populations, a comparison report also is provided for faculty and staff, along with a summary of findings from OEAS.

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:
The survey results and subsequent forums will help inform the university’s action plan for equity, inclusion and diversity, a new directive of President Cartwright. The plan will involve more training and campus support, more inclusive search committee practices and hiring efforts, and more resources dedicated to make sure we deliver on these promises.

The results were segmented by faculty/administrators, staff, and students and encompassed questions on campus diversity, personal experiences with discrimination and bias, safety, and learning and work experiences. A summary of the results of the campus diversity section is below:

More than three in four faculty/administrator respondents (77%1: d) believed that diversity and inclusion is very or somewhat important to campus leadership. Most staff member respondents agreed or strongly agreed that senior leadership
establishes the campus vision (75%) and shows a visible commitment to campus diversity (70%). However, 60% of respondents said that the campus diversity efforts should be led by each school with oversight by a central office.

More than four in five student respondents (81%) endorsed that campus
diversity and inclusion is “very important” or “somewhat important” to the campus leadership. About two in three (>66%) student respondents indicated that UCF is “very welcoming” or “welcoming” to the following groups – Caucasian/Whites (positive: 81%; negative: 2%), Women (positive: 79%; negative: 3%), First-generation students (positive: 69%; negative: 3%), and LGBTQIA+ people (positive: 67%; negative: 2%). About two out of three student respondents (67%) indicated UCF promotes racial/cultural interaction between different groups “very well” or “somewhat,” while about one in nine (11%) indicated “not very well” or “not at all.”

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 Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) released the following reports online, then hosted a series for virtual forums to share key findings and give stakeholders the opportunity to speak to their experiences in relation to the findings.

2020 Climate Survey: Key Findings from the Faculty/Administrator Survey
2020 Climate Survey: Key Findings from the Staff Member Survey
2020 Climate Survey: Key Findings from the Student Survey
Climate Survey Comparison Report: Comprehensive Analysis of Key Survey Items from Faculty/Administrator and Staff Member Surveys
Climate Survey Comparison Report

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:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.