University of North Carolina, Charlotte
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

The ADVANCE Survey in 2013 measured the overall dimensions of job satisfaction, work/life balance, diversity equity climate, mentoring and sense of community. Additional items address campus and departmental leadership perceptions, promotion and tenure policy clarity and overall demographics, such as gender, ethnicity and rank. The same year, a study of Undergraduate Perspectives on Cultural Diversity was conducted in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The purpose of this study was to understand how students within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) conceptualize diversity. The study was requested by the CLAS Department Diversity Liasons, a group of college academic unit representatives whose mission is to play a leadership role in the identification and dissemination of best practices for enhancing the role of diversity in faculty scholarship, teaching, and service. Secondary goals were to investigate whether undergraduates feel UNCC performs well as an institution in the realm of diversity, which physical and institutional settings provide a climate wherein students feel they can comfortably express their differences, and which activities promote diversity.

A 2013 Diversity Plan Progress Report assessed student diversity and educational equity. The findings included: 30.67% of students were from racial and ethnic minorities, the highest since the founding of the university; since 2005, all minority groups had increased, with the largest changes in hispanic (from 2.6% to 6.7%) and African-American (from 14.2% to 17%); retention and graduation rates for minority students exceeds the university average.

A 2013 Diversity Plan Progress Report assessed employee diversity and employment equity. The findings included: increased proportions of Black/African American faculty; increased minority employment in Technical/para-professional fields; and women in Executive/Administrative/Managerial positions had increased from 38% to 43% since 2005. It also noted that changes in the minority categories have made it difficult to interpret changes for many groups, though the percentage reporting White ad decreased since 2005 (from 82.3% to 75% of faculty, and from 70.7% to 63.1% of staff).

A 2013 Diversity Plan Progress Report assessed diversity and equity in governance. The findings included: the Board of Trustees was 25% female with no members from historically under-represented groups (Note: the current representation is 53% female and 8% ethnic minority); College-level Advisory Boards were more diverse.