| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.51 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2021 |
University of Pittsburgh
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Cheryl
Ruffin Institutional Equity Manager Diversity & Inclusion |
Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:
The University of Pittsburgh has used various tools to assess equity and inclusion on campus. Three are highlighted below: 1) 2015 and 2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey; 2) 2017-18 Staff Engagement and Climate Survey; and 3) Shaping the Workplace at Pitt initiative.
CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY
The University of Pittsburgh was 1 of only 27 Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions that participated in the first “Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct” in 2015. Pitt participated in this survey again in Spring 2019 -- as part of a consortium of 33 higher education institutes. The AAU Climate Survey includes both graduate and undergraduate student experiences and was designed and conducted by Westat (a leading social science research firm). The survey has three goals:
• Identify student perceptions of the climate around sexual assault and misconduct.
• Assess student knowledge and evaluation of college resources and procedures around sexual misconduct.
• Determine prevalence of different forms of sexual misconduct among college students.
In 2019, Pitt had 17,288 students take the survey (a 15% response rate of 15%). Results were then broken down further by demographic to analyze how experiences vary based on race and gender identity.
The results are it clear: There is much more work to be done. Pitt is committed to eradicating sexual misconduct and assault and bringing every member of the community together to help realize a campus that is safe and welcoming for everyone.
More about Pitt’s 2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey findings:
1) General Summary: https://pitt.edu/aau-survey
2) Full Pitt AAU 2019 Survey Report: https://www.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/University%20of%20Pittsburgh%20Report%20and%20Appendices[3].pdf
3) Full Pitt AAU 2019 Survey Tables: https://www.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/University%20of%20Pittsburgh%20Data%20Tables[3].pdf
4) Pitt’s 2015 AAU Survey Report: https://pitt.edu/sites/default/files/AAU-Final-Report_0.pdf
5) Pitt’s 2015 AAU Survey Tables: https://pitt.edu/sites/default/files/AAU-Tables.pdf
CLIMATE, CULTURE, & WORK ENVIRONMENT
In November 2017, the University of Pittsburgh distributed a university-wide “Staff Engagement and Climate Survey” to gain an understanding of the Pitt experience for staff members. The survey closed in January 2018 and results were still being complied for our 2018 AASHE STARS submission. In March through May 2018, Pitt Human Resources (HR) and the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) developed preliminary Results and an Action Plan, with action plans being implemented campus-wide and within schools and departments through 2018. Implementation effectiveness has been evaluated since Winter 2018-19. Additionally, the expectation is that another survey was to be conducted in 2 years, which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.
Learn more about the 2017-18 Pitt Staff Climate Survey: https://www.engagementsurvey.pitt.edu/
SHAPING THE WORKPLACE
The 2017-18 Staff Climate Survey results helped inform the creation of the “Shaping the Workplace at Pitt” initiative, which launched in December 2019. Summarized fully in in AASHE STARS Credit PA-7, Shaping the Workplace continuously captures and evaluates both candid and anonymous employee satisfaction and engagement and is focused on key areas with diversity and inclusion practices evaluated through engagement sessions held in 2020 (with focus on the “Climate, culture, and work environment” feedback portion of those sessions.
Pitt’s Shaping the Workplace seven engagement sessions were held in January & February 2020 with more than 700 people in attendance and an additional 900 comments online. At the conclusion, employees’ feedback was summarized, scored for feasibility, and categorized for Pitt HR and institutional stakeholders to act in integrating into their workplaces. This included an examination of employee retention and compensation practices across departments based on demographic information such as race, age, and gender identification.
Learn more: https://www.hr.pitt.edu/projects/shaping-workplace
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?:
Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:
AAU CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY
The results of the 2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct survey clearly show an unacceptable prevalence of sexual misconduct and assault, both at Pitt and across the nation. Chancellor Patrick Gallagher addressed the Pitt community about the results stating “To advance this effort, the University will supply the necessities: resources, talent and institutional support. And we will call on our deep bench of subject matter experts, innovators, researchers and student leaders to propose, develop, modify and scale evidence-based prevention-focused strategies that work.”
To jumpstart efforts, Chancellor Gallagher established a dedicated office for preventing sexual misconduct, a 12-member council for shaping and assessing the University community’s prevention efforts, and dedicated funding streams to support grassroots solutions and promote a positive culture change. The new funding streams took three forms: Pitt Seed grants, Momentum Fund research grants and grants to student organizations.
In January 2020, the University announced that it had awarded faculty and staff more than $300,000 in Pitt Seed grants and Momentum Fund grants to support research and initiatives related to preventing sexual misconduct.
Additionally, the University continues to support an evolving menu of educational and training opportunities on key topics, such as identifying, reporting and preventing sexual misconduct. These offerings—open to students, faculty and staff—play a critical role in ensuring that Pitt remains a fair, safe and welcoming campus community for all.
Learn more: https://www.chancellor.pitt.edu/spotlight/advancing-our-community-driven-response-preventing-sexual-misconduct
CLIMATE, CULTURE, & WORK ENVIRONMENT
The results of the Shaping the Workplace engagement sessions were analyzed, and the following changes were made in climate, culture, and work environment at the University.
• Summer 2020 - Implemented access to data dashboards for Responsibility Centers to support recruitment and retention analysis
• Fall 2020 through Spring 2021- Developing strategic and education partnership with the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion & the University community to create enhanced workforce development initiatives (e.g., DEI resources inventory to help create a baseline and improve coordination, planning, and awareness of campus resources, open now here: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/inventory). Creating a recruitment diversity statement and toolkits for recruiting best practices to be distributed throughout the university.
Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
AAU 2019 CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY
Pitt’s results in the 2019 AAU Campus Survey are open and available to the campus and community online. https://pitt.edu/aau-survey. When they were released, Chancellor Gallagher publicly acknowledged the results and shared initial steps to create a community-driven response. Read the Chancellor’s statement: https://www.chancellor.pitt.edu/spotlight/community-driven-response-preventing-sexual-misconduct
The University was very clear that the results indicate there is much more work to be done. Pitt is committed to eradicating sexual misconduct and assault and bringing every member of the community together to help realize a campus that is safe and welcoming for everyone.
CLIMATE, CULTURE, & WORK ENVIRONMENT
The results of the Shaping the Workplace engagement sessions were shared in a report out session which was recorded and made available to all Pitt employees online here: https://www.hr.pitt.edu/projects/shaping-workplace. A summary of findings was also reported to the community as a whole in March 2020; reference: https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/dejong-gives-first-report).
DIVERSITY DASHBOARD
In 2020, the University unveiled diversity dashboards that include interactive staff and faculty diversity pages. Drop-down filters are available on each dashboard that allow users to view data for a specific subgroup of interest. In the interest of transparency and completeness, Pitt is posting race data in two ways: first, as required by the federal government (IPEDS), and second, to include all staff who identify with a particular race of interest, regardless of other race/ethnicity categories with which they identify.
Pitt Staff Diversity Dashboard: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/social-justice/staff-diversity-dashboard
Pitt Faculty Diversity Dashboard: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/social-justice/faculty-dashboard
Specific to students, the University’s new 2020 dashboard provides student outcomes by race, including retention, 4-year graduation rate, and 6-year graduation rate: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/social-justice/student-outcomes-diversity-dashboard. This dashboard is also filterable by School, Pell recipient status, gender, and international status.
FACTBOOK
The University has annual fact books open and available to the public that includes employee and student demographic information (Pages 34, 65-67): https://catalog.upp.pitt.edu/mime/media/view/188/17735/Fact-Book-2020.pdf
Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.