| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.21 |
| Liaison | Gary Cocke |
| Submission Date | Sept. 11, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
The University of Texas at Dallas
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Gary
Cocke Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
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 Diversity and Equity Committee at UT-Dallas discussed, planned, and implemented
a climate survey, which was available online to faculty and staff in February and March
of 2016. The committee established subcommittees to analyze qualitative and
quantitative data. It included questions on respondent demographics and on perceptions/observations related to diversity and equity on campus. Respondents answered some questions on a Likert scale; others invited open-ended responses. We separated data into two categories for analysis: qualitative and quantitative.
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?:
Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success (e.g. graduation/success and retention rates for underrepresented groups)?:
Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity (e.g. pay and retention rates for underrepresented groups)?:
A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs and initiatives:
26.6% of faculty and staff responded to the survey. Nearly 90% of respondents in all
demographic categories reported that diversity was important to them personally and that
it was important to them that UTD hold diversity as one of its core values. 69% believed
that UTD had an inclusive climate, citing in particular recent progress in building a
diverse student body, increased programming around LGBTQ issues, and the founding of
the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement in 2007. Concerns emerged in eight
major areas.
1. Respondents reported significant structural/institutional barriers that interfere with
the successful recruitment, promotion, and fair pay of women and racial/ethnic
minority employees. One of the most important barriers appears to be procedural
issues related to the constitution and training of hiring committees and the
enforcement of existing rules and procedures.
2. Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans feel least satisfied with
UTD’s efforts towards creating an environment that fosters diversity and
inclusion.
3. Respondents were particularly concerned with the need to recruit senior faculty
and upper administrators from diverse groups, so that they look more like the
community UTD serves.
4. There were major concerns about clarity, consistency, and fairness of parental
leave policies and the accommodation of family care.
5. There was significant support for the creation and funding of employee resource
groups (affinity groups) to enable more equitable hiring and retention of
employees.
6. A number of respondents experienced problems related to accessibility of campus
buildings and accommodation of disabilities.
7. Part-time and non-tenure stream faculty felt marginalized in the life of the
university.
8. There were concerns about creating a more inclusive, welcoming environment
around sexual orientation/gender identity and expression.
The committee identified five areas where immediate, concrete action could be taken to
address concerns that emerged from the survey:
1. Commit to recruiting, hiring, and retaining a more diverse senior faculty and
administration over the next four years.
2. Make significant progress toward addressing pay inequity related to gender and
race/ethnicity.
3. Facilitate the success of employees with family responsibilities by: (a) creating
a clear, consistent, fair policy for parental leave and posting it on the HR
webpage; (b) training responsible staff and administrators in its application; and
(c) providing on-site childcare.
4. Practice greater transparency about the data systematically collected about
hiring, retention, promotion, and salary by gender and race; publish plans to
address gaps and the results of these efforts.
5. Arrange for a professional, external follow-up survey to be conducted in 2021 to
measure progress or its lack in these areas.
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:
Analyzed online and public documentation of the Spring 2016 Diversity and Equity Survey Report is available on The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement Website.
-https://www.utdallas.edu/diversity/partners/SupportCommittee.html
The PDF link of the Spring 2016 Diversity and Equity Survey Report Results:
-https://www.utdallas.edu/diversity/partners/downloads/Survey_slides_MS_rmh_print.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:
The website URL where the report or summary is publicly posted:
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.