Make Your Voice Heard: UC Campus Climate Survey to Kick Off at UC San Diego

Photos by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

If you think your voice doesn’t count, think again. Starting next week, UC San Diego students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to share their opinions by participating in the University of California Campus Climate Study Survey. The systemwide effort—believed to be the largest survey of its kind ever conducted—asks more than 430,000 individuals about their experiences with diversity and inclusion at work and on campus. The confidential survey is being administered on a location-by-location basis with the UC San Diego survey launching on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Look for the “Make Your Voice Heard” email in your inbox, which will contain a personalized link to the survey. Participants also have the option to complete a paper survey instead.

“I encourage all campus members to participate in this important survey so we can gather feedback about the efficacy of our diversity efforts and identify the steps we need to take to improve our campus climate,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Our work will continue until the culture on our campus is one of total inclusiveness.”

Linda S. Greene

The data will be used to assess the learning, living and working environment—or “campus climate”—for people who go to school or work at UC. The ultimate goal is to make UC a model for diversity and inclusion in higher education by developing or changing policies and programs to foster a more welcoming, inclusive and healthy campus environment.

“In order to foster inclusion, we must know who is satisfied and who is not satisfied,” said Linda S. Greene, UC San Diego’s first vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. “We know that we have work to do and this survey will give us much more detailed information about the groups we are not effectively nurturing. Everyone should enjoy the best chance to succeed in their goals at the university.  This survey is integral to helping promote that value in an informed way.”

Greene was formerly the Evjue-Bascom Professor of Law and associate vice chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she led campuswide diversity and interdisciplinary initiatives. She joined UC San Diego this month and will lead the development of a strategic diversity plan for the campus. Information gleaned from the campus climate survey will be critical in informing this plan, she said.

Virtually every UC location is included in the study, including UC’s 10 campuses; the UC Office of the President; medical centers at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC San Diego and UCSF; the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Final results for each location will be available between January and September 2013, depending on location administration dates. The last of the surveys are scheduled to open in February.

Information from the survey will provide the first systemwide and comprehensive data on campus climate at UC.

“The more participation we have, the better data we gather and the better we can respond to the needs of our students and personnel,” said Greene.

To help foster participation in the survey, incentives are being offered at both the systemwide and local level. Participants who complete the survey will be entered into drawings for the following prizes:

Systemwide:

• One $10,000 undergraduate scholarship
• Two $5,000 graduate academic or professional student stipends
• Two $5,000 faculty research grants
• Five $2,000 staff professional development grants
• Two winners from each location will receive iPads

Only at UC San Diego:

• iPads
• iPod Touch
• UC San Diego Theatre and Dance season tickets
• Lunch for two at the Bistro
• Lunch for four at Roots
• Triton Cash Cards
• Faculty development award
• $75 Bookstore gift certificate
• UC San Diego Extension professional development class
• UC San Diego athletic events passes

The study was developed in collaboration between UC locations and UC President Mark Yudof’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion. Susan Rankin of Rankin & Associates was selected as consultant for the project. A professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University, Rankin is a nationally renowned expert who has extensive experience with institutional climate assessment. Her firm worked with UC to develop the survey. Rankin & Associates has administered campus climate surveys at more than 100 colleges and university systems across the country, and uses a survey model that is designed to be inclusive.

“UC San Diego is an incredible place with an exceptionally bright future,” added Greene. “The university will continue to grow in greatness if we create a welcoming environment that is safe, productive and nurtures all parts of our diverse community. We must ensure that we create a climate that fosters excellence and opportunity for our entire community irrespective of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, student, staff or faculty status.”

For more information on the UC Campus Climate Study including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit campusclimate.ucop.edu.