Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 58.26
Liaison Caitlin McLennan
Submission Date Oct. 10, 2022

STARS v2.2

Utah State University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Michelle Bogdan
Director
USU Inclusion Center
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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:
A new Campus Climate Survey was administered in 2019. Two separate surveys were given. One for faculty and staff while the other was specifically for students. In 2019, a new campus climate survey regarding sexual misconduct/harassment was distributed to students. Questions referring to campus climate and diversity and equity were included. The USU Diversity Taskforce was established to interpret the results and make recommendations to the President of the University.

Below are additional campus climate reports and executive summaries
o A comprehensive diversity and inclusion survey for the campus community distributed 10/19. Results may be found here: https://www.usu.edu/today/pdf/USUDiversitySurvey2019accessible.pdf

o A third sexual misconduct survey to students and then staff and faculty was distributed in 2021. Findings may be reviewed here: https://www.usu.edu/sexual-respect/survey

o The 3rd IDEALS National Survey was distributed to students to measure the impact that university experiences have on the emergence of worldview that promotes religious “pluralism”. Results: https://chass.usu.edu/interfaith/research

o STEM Campus Climate Survey 2016-2017 - The 2016-2017 USU Campus Climate Survey from Dr. Helga Van Miegreot and Dr. Christy Glass highlight the diversity related experiences of graduate students from under-represented backgrounds, including sexual orientation, religion, race and ethnicity, and gender.

o USU Diversity Report Card 2014 - Women and Minorities - The USU Faculty Senate committee on Faculty Diversity and Equity aggregated the most recent nationally available data on diversity in US colleges. This report highlights the relative percentage of women and minorities in each college within USU.

o USU Advance - Women in Science and Engineering Careers - This portal highlights a number of presentations and reports regarding the role of women in science and engineering careers at USU. These links specifically connect to NSF Advance grant recipients at USU.

o Mental Health Needs of USU Distance Education/Regional Campus Students - Highlighting the mental health needs of USU regional campus students, this assessment was conducted by Drs. Jessica Lucero and Steven Lucero as well as Dr. Jessica Lucero's MSW research course to help identify the ways that USU Student Affairs can best serve the needs of RCDE students.

o USU Student Climate Survey - Fall 2014 - Fall 2015 - Research funded by the USU Diversity Council and conducted by Dr. Renee Galliher and her research lab to better understand diverse students' perceptions of the USU campus climate and the connection with their subsequent retention. The presentations sub-linked below all highlight research from Dr. Gailliher and her research lab highlighting additional findings regarding USU student's perceptions of campus climate.
o Native American USU Students - The experiences of Native American students and their academic functioning
o Latinx students at USU - Latinx students' perceptions of school belonging
o Awareness of racism - Differences in students of color and white students' awareness of racism on campus
o LGBTQ Students' School Belonging - LGBTQ Students' reports of being discriminated against and connection with campus climate
o Thesis - Diversity-Related Experiences Among College Students - Thesis regarding Social Justice Orientation, Multicultural Openness, and Community Involvement promotion

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 results indicated higher levels of discrimination based on race/ethnicity, citizenship, and religion for students of color as compared with white students. Students with an LGBTQA+ identity reported 34% experienced discrimination sometimes, often, or very often.

In 2018, President Cockett hosted an Inclusive Excellence Symposium focused on "cultivating a diversity of thought and culture."

The president called a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force in 2019 with a focus on providing students with the resources they need to graduate and goals of increasing the recruitment and retention of students and staff from underrepresented groups as well as providing graduates with cultural confidence to be successful globally. In 2020, the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force presented recommendations to the President of the University. The primary recommendation being the need for an executive level Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The new VP for DEI started their tenure on July 1, 2022.

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 results of all faculty, student, and staff climate surveys in 2019/2020 were shared. Results from these surveys have been centered within strategic recommendations to the President. The data from the student climate survey will also be presented.

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:
See also: https://www.usu.edu/sexual-assault/survey
TIMELINE
• Student campus climate survey – Completed November 2015.
• Staff and faculty climate survey
• Graduate Student Climate Survey – Completed 2018
• Campus Climate Sexual Misconduct/Harassment – 2017
• STEM Campus Climate Survey 2016-2017
• USU Diversity Report Card 2014 – Women and Minorities
• USU Advance – Women in Science and Engineering Careers
• Mental Health Needs of USU Distance/Education Regional Campus Students
• USU Student Climate Survey – FA 2014/2015
• A comprehensive diversity and inclusion survey for the campus community distributed 10/19. Results may be found here: https://www.usu.edu/diversity/

• A third sexual misconduct survey to students and then staff and faculty was distributed in 2021. Findings may be reviewed here: https://www.usu.edu/sexual-respect/survey

• The 3rd IDEALS National Survey was distributed to students to measure the impact that university experiences have on the emergence of worldview that promotes religious “pluralism”. Results: https://chass.usu.edu/interfaith/research

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.