Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.87
Liaison Cindy Shea
Submission Date Dec. 23, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.88 / 1.00 Sibby Thompkins
Special Advisor to the Chancellor and Provost for Equity and Inclusion
Chancellor
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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:
Undergraduate students were surveyed to assess the climate for diversity and inclusion using four different tools during 2015, 2016, and 2017. 2015 Student Experience in the Research University Survey •2016 UNC System Sophomore Survey •2016 UNC System Senior Survey •2016 Diversity and Inclusion Campus Climate Survey •2017 Student Experience in the Research University Survey (SERU).
The SERU survey includes items related to the climate for diversity and inclusion, sense of belonging, experiences with bias, and educational benefits of diversity. The Berkeley Center for Studies in Higher Education has administered this survey to UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduates every other year since 2011. The Diversity and Inclusion Campus Climate Survey 2016 was administered to both students and employees. This survey is a modified version of the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute’s (HERI) Diverse Learning Environments Survey and includes items related to exposure to diversity, classroom experiences, feelings of isolation, experiences with bias, observed stereotyping behavior, and perceived benefits of learning within a diverse and inclusive environment.

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:
Barely half of the student respondents expressed satisfaction with the racial/ethnic diversity of the faculty. Only 23% of Black/African American and 40% of American Indian students were satisfied. Students were only slightly more satisfied with staff and student body diversity.
More than 70% of American Indian and Black/African American students reported being in campus situations in which they were the only person of their race/ethnicity. Half the members of these groups felt pressured to speak on behalf of all people of their race/ethnicity. More than 40% reported feeling isolated. This applied to Asian and Hispanic students as well. All felt they needed to minimize aspects of their racial/ethnic culture to fit in at UNC.
Only 44% of Black students perceived that the University was committed to diversity vs 73% of white students. Likewise, 59% of Black students reported that they were comfortable with the climate for diversity and inclusion vs 85% of all respondents.
The climate for political beliefs was negatively perceived by more than half the respondents in each group.
Few respondents reported hearing faculty or staff make disparaging racial remarks. However, 50% of Black and American Indian students reported hearing other students make disparaging racial remarks. Students across all race/ethnicity groups reported that they had experienced bias in the past year, ranging from 48% of White respondents to 75% of Black respondents. All groups except for White respondents indicated that the bias they experienced was due to their race, color, and national origin or ethnicity. White respondents most frequently identified their gender and political beliefs as the primary reasons for the bias they experienced.
Fully 80% of students reported that their exposure to diverse people and ideas had improved their ability to understand people from racial or ethnic backgrounds different than their own and challenged them to think differently about issues. Nearly 70% indicated that they had gained a deeper understanding of other perspectives. Over 92% of graduating seniors reported that their UNC-Chapel Hill education had given them the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
Over 60% of respondents across all groups reported that they had increased their awareness of issues related to differences in race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation since entering UNC.

Campus diversity and inclusion goals include developing and employing a more focused approach to recruiting diverse faculty and staff talent, creating inclusive pathways for growth and development and demonstrating Carolina's commitment to being a place where all faculty and staff can thrive and succeed.

Achieving Carolina Excellence (ACE) is a program designed to assist first-year and transfer students from underrepresented populations with their transition to Carolina. ACE provides incoming students with the tools needed to ensure their academic, social and emotional success at Carolina. By participating in ACE, students engage in sessions designed to spark academic curiosity, encourage multiculturalism and facilitate the enhancement of strong cultural identity and positive self-esteem.

UNC hosts an annual Diversity THINKposium. The 2019 theme was Voice. The event addressed how we use our voices to contribute to the sense of belonging for, and the retention and engagement of, all stakeholders at Carolina. Attendees participated in interactive workshops, insightful panel discussions and small group breakout sessions that explored the impact of using our voices to effectuate change.

Many schools and divisions host diversity trainings and workshops. The NC TraCS Institute hosts an Implicit and Explicit Bias Series for the translational research community and guests. The Gillings School of Global Public Health has an assistant dean for Inclusive Excellence, who leads an internal inclusive excellence team. Faculty there regard Racism as a Public Health Crisis. Their action plan "goal is for all students, faculty and staff members to be adequately equipped to advocate for inclusive excellence in their work in North Carolina, the United States and throughout the world." Trainings and workshops aim to broaden access to individuals from disenfranchised populations and critically examine and adjust exclusionary policies and practices.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion:
- Coordinated a series of Carolina Conversations focused on race for students, staff, and faculty.
- Conducted "A Deeper Dive into Implicit Bias and Uncertainty" workshop for faculty and staff across the campus.
- Hosted the Check Your Blind Spots Unconscious Bias Tour created by CEO Act!ion for Diversity & Inclusion. Participants visited a series of immersive elements and pledged their commitment to addressing personal biases and cultivating inclusive behaviors.

The Committee on the Status of Women Report: UNC Gender Salary Equity Study 2019 found that there is a gender pay gap at UNC. Male faculty in the Medical and Dental Schools earn 28% more than women. The gap is highest in the Medical School (39%) and non-existent in the School of Nursing (-8%). Excluding Medical and Dental Schools, male faculty earn 20% more than women.

The study, led by a Business School faculty member, recommends:
1. Recognizing the gender pay gap among UNC faculty
2. Researching the extent of the issue and why women faculty leave UNC
3. Retaining female faculty via tenure clock extensions and encouraging family leave requests and investigating new benefits
4. Reviewing and Repairing how initial compensation offers are determined, how annual raises are determined, and how service is assigned, measured, and compensated. Establishing clear, quantifiable criteria, metrics, and goals and transparently reporting progress was identified as essential.

Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
No

A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
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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):
Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
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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.