Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.03
Liaison Mike Evans
Submission Date May 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Williams College
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 1.00 Shawna Patterson-Stephens
Director
Davis Center
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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:

Williams College does several assessments that include a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. For the staff, there is the Staff Satisfaction Survey. For the faculty, an assessment called the Heri Survey is sent out. In 2017, there was also a "Williams College 2017 Accreditation Self-Survey," which was a thorough assessment of many areas at Williams College.

We are also learning to recognize that faculty sometimes choose to leave Williams despite our best efforts, and that we can still learn a great deal by asking them why they decided to leave. Starting two years ago, Williams began offering formal exit interviews to all tenure-track faculty, full-time visitors who have been at the college for at least one full year, and fellows who announce plans to leave the college. These interviews are conducted either by the Dean of Faculty’s office or the Office for Institutional Diversity and Equity, according to the departing faculty member’s choice. All faculty leaving the college are also invited to complete an online exit survey. The information gathered from these efforts will help us better understand how we can further improve the faculty experience at Williams, and enhance our ability to retain the best faculty of all kinds. Through national searches and opportunity appointments, we will continue to place a high priority on diversifying the faculty along the lines of gender, race, and other factors. We will especially aim to cultivate applicant pools that are as diverse as the U.S. graduate student population.


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?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success (e.g. graduation/success and retention rates for underrepresented groups)?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity (e.g. pay and retention rates for underrepresented groups)?:
Yes

A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs and initiatives:

The results from the recent assessments have started conversations in many different departments and groups on campus. The most recent assessment has started conversations focused on the advising system, LGBTQ+ life on campus, and who is taking tutorials. As a result of the assessments, there has been an increase in women's representation in the Economics department. There have also been increased bias trainings with faculty and staff during hiring processes.


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?:
No

The diversity and equity assessment report or summary:
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The website URL where the report or summary is publicly posted:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.