University of Wisconsin
Climate Assessment
Project Overview
UW Extension
October 11, 2010
Participating Institutions to Date
Tier I
2007-2008
UW-Lacrosse
UWMilwaukee
UW-Colleges
UW-Stevens
Point
UW-Oshkosh
Tier II
2008-2009
UW-Eau Claire
UW-Parkside
UW-River Falls
UW-Whitewater
Tier III
2010-2011
UW Extension
UW-Green Bay
UW-Platteville
UW-Stout
UW-Superior
UW-Extension
Assessing Institutional Climate
How Did We Get Here?
Why Assess?
What is the Process?
Where Do We Start?
Process to Date
2004-2005
Academic Planner (C. Saulnier) made aware of bias
incidents at several campuses & began conversation
regarding systemwide campus climate project
Taskforce committee formed to investigate
consulting firms who conduct climate assessments
in higher education.
Rankin & Associates identified as leading expert in
multiple identity studies in higher education
Process to Date
2005-2006
Conversations at system level continued
Proposal presentation made to UW System
Provosts and various constituent groups in
September 2006
Process to Date
2006-2007
UW System Administrators form Climate Study Working
Group (CSWG)
 Conducted in-depth interviews with other higher
education institutions who had contracted with R&A
resulting in very positive reviews
 In collaboration with R&A identified potential factfinding groups and developed protocol
 Identified “next steps” in process
Process to Date
2006-2009
President Reilly pledges support for the project and agrees
to finance 75% of the costs
Five campuses volunteer to participate in climate
assessment in 2007-2008 (UW-La Crosse, UW-Milwaukee,
UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, UW Colleges)
Four campuses volunteer to participate in 2009-2010 (UWEau Claire, UW-Parkside, UW-River Falls, UWWhitewater)
Process to Date
2006-2009
Project Chair and Project Coordinator

Vicki Washington (Chair)
Associate Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and
Inclusion, UW System Administration


2006-2010: Lisa Beckstrand (Project Coordinator)
Academic Planner, Director of Inclusivity Initiative, Office of
Academic & Student Services, UW System Administration
2010: Adam Brigham serves as new Project Coordinator
Why conduct a climate
assessment?
To foster a caring campus
community that provides
leadership for constructive
participation in a diverse,
multicultural world.
To open the doors wider
for underrepresented
groups is to create a
welcoming environment.
To improve the
environment for working
and learning on campus.
University of Wisconsin
System Mission
The mission of the system is to develop human resources, to discover and
disseminate knowledge, to extend knowledge and its application beyond the
boundaries of its campuses and to serve and stimulate society by developing in
students heightened intellectual, cultural and humane sensitivities, scientific,
professional and technological expertise and a sense of purpose. Inherent in this
broad mission are methods of instruction, research, extended training and public
service designed to educate people and improve the human condition. Basic to
every purpose of the system is the search for truth.
Core Mission of the
University Cluster
…“Serve the needs of women, minority,
disadvantaged, disabled, and nontraditional
students and seek racial and ethnic
diversification of the student body and the
professional faculty and staff.”
Project Objectives
Provide participating UW
Extension with information,
analysis, and recommendations
as they relate to campus
climate.
This information will be used in conjunction with other
data to provide UW Extension with an inclusive view of the
campus and a system-wide review.
Projected Outcomes
UW Extension will add to their knowledge base with regard
to how constituent groups currently feel about their
particular campus climate and how the community responds
to them (e.g., professional development, inter-group/intragroup relations, respect issues)
UW Extension will use the results of the assessment to
inform current/on-going work regarding diversity initiatives.
Setting the Context
Examine the
Research
Preparation
Assessment
Follow-up
• Review work already completed
• Readiness of the campus
• Examine the climate
• Building on the successes and
addressing the challenges
Campuses as Social Systems
Students,
Faculty, Staff,
Alumni
Social Contexts
Institutional
Policies
Vision/Mission
Structural
Framework
Institutional
History/Core
Values
Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Pederson, & Allen, 1998
Climate In Higher Education
Community
Members
Creation
and
Distribution
of
Knowledge
Climate
(Learning,
Living &
Working)
Barcelo, 2004; Bauer, 1998, Kuh & Whitt, 1998; Hurtado, 1998, 2005; Ingle, 2005; Milhem, 2005;
Peterson, 1990; Rankin, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2005; Smith, 1999; Tierney, 1990; Worthington, 2008
Campus Climate & Students
How students
experience their
campus environment
influences both
learning and
developmental
outcomes.1
1
2
3
Discriminatory
environments have a
negative effect on
student learning.2
Research supports the
pedagogical value of
a diverse student
body and faculty on
enhancing learning
outcomes.3
Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005
Cabrera, Nora, Terenzini, Pascarella, & Hagedron, 1999; Feagin, Vera & Imani, 1996; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991.
Hale, 2004; Harper & Quaye , 2004; Harper, & Hurtado, 2007; Hurtado, 2003.
Campus Climate & Faculty/Staff
The personal and
professional
development of
employees including
faculty members,
administrators, and staff
members are impacted
by campus climate.1
1Settles,
Faculty members who
judge their campus
climate more positively
are more likely to feel
personally supported and
perceive their work unit
as more supportive.2
Research underscores the
relationships between (1)
workplace discrimination
and negative job and
career attitudes and (2)
workplace encounters
with prejudice and lower
health and well-being..3
Cortina, Malley, and Stewart (2006)
2Sears, 2002
3Silverschanz, Cortina, Konik, & Magley, 2007; Waldo, 1999
Conceptual Framework for
Campus Diversity Research
Campus Climate
and Inter-group
Relations
Representation
(Access & Success)
DIMENSIONS
OF
CAMPUS
DIVERSITY
Education &
Scholarship
(Curriculum, Teaching,
& Learning)
Institutional
Transformation
(Viability & Vitality)
Smith, 1999; 2010
Campus Racial Climate – A Revision
Government/Policy Context
Sociohistorical Context
Compositional
Diversity
Historical Legacy of
Inclusion/Exclusion
(The Numbers)
Organizational/
Structural
(Campus Policy)
Psychological
Climate
Behavioral
Dimension
(Feelings and Emotions)
(Interactions and Practices)
Milem, Chang, & Antonio (2005) based on Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Pedersen, & Allen (1999)
Rankin 1999-2001 National
Campus Climate Assessment
NASPA Grant to assess the climate for historically
underrepresented/underserved students, faculty, & staff on
30 college campuses
Survey instrument developed from a meta-analysis of
diversity assessment tools from 35 institutions
Transformational Tapestry Model©
Access
Retention
Assessment
Research
Collegey
Policies/Service
Baseline
Organizational
Challenges
Scholarship
Current
Campus
Climate
Local / Sate /
Regional
Environments
Systems
Analysis
Contextualized Campus Wide Assessment
Advanced
Organizational
Challenges
Intergroup &
Intragroup
Relations
Curriculum
Pedagogy
Consultant
Recommendations
External
Relations
Access
Retention
Symbolic
Actions
Research
Collegey
Policies/Service
Educational
Actions
Transformation
via
Intervention
Administrative
Actions
Fiscal
Actions
Scholarship
Transformed
Campus
Climate
Curriculum
Pedagogy
Intergroup &
Intragroup
Relations
External
Relations
© 2001
Assessing Campus Climate
• Campus Climate is a construct
What is it?
• Current attitudes, behaviors, and standards
and practices of employees and students of an
institution
Definition?
• Personal Experiences
• Perceptions
How is it
measured? • Institutional Efforts
Rankin & Reason, 2008
PHASE I
Systemwide Fact-Finding
Groups
Conducted September 28-29, 2007
Fact-Finding Groups
 To identify baseline
system-wide and
institutional challenges
 To assist in developing
survey questions
Fact-Finding Groups
 Inclusive of faculty, staff, and students from various
constituent groups
 Climate Study Working Group (CSWG), Status of Women,
Women’s Studies, Multicultural Coordinators, Chief Student
Affairs Officers, LGBTQ students, LGBTQ faculty/staff,
Multicultural Students, Academic Staff Representatives,
Equity Scorecard, Faculty/Staff of Color, Faculty
Representatives, Women students, CSSD/ADA, Students
with Disabilities, Student Representatives, International
Students
PHASE II
Assessment Tool
Development and Implementation
Survey Instrument
Final instrument
Quantitative questions and additional space for
respondents to provide commentary
On-line or paper & pencil options
Sample = Population
All members of each institution are invited to
participate via an invitation letter from the
Chancellor or Provost
Communication Plan
Preparing Your Institution
Talking Points
Incentives
Invitation Letter
Subsequent Invitations to Participate
Institutional Review Board
IRB Proposal Preparation
UW Extension representative
Dr. Heather Kim, Associate Vice
President, Office of Policy Analysis &
Research (OPAR)
PHASE III
Data Analysis
Sample Demographic Profile to Create
Chi-Square Table Comparing
Demographics/Population & Sample
University of Wisconsin, Extension
Spring 2011
Faculty
Male
Female
African American/ African/
Black
American Indian/
Caribbean Alaskan Native/
Hawaiian Native
Faculty
Project Appointment
Assistant Professor
Instructor
Adjunct Faculty
Asian/Pacific Chicano(a)/
Middle White/
Islander
Eastern Caucasian
Latino(a)/
Hispanic
PHASE IV
Reports
(1) Institutional Reports
(2) Aggregate Report
Sample Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Sample Demographics/Quantitative Findings/Qualitative Findings
Methods
Conceptual Framework
Design of the Study
Results
Personal Experiences
Perceptions of Climate
Institutional Actions
Sample Table of Contents
Next Steps
References
Appendices
Appendix A – Comments Analysis
Appendix B – Data Tables
Appendix C – Survey Instrument
Climate Study Working Group
(CSWG) Responsibilities
To provide background information to the contractor to
ensure the contractor’s acquaintance with an understanding
of the respective institutions (e.g., mission, goals, and
objectives)
To review draft report for their respective campus along
with UW System representatives
To review the aggregate draft report for the 5 participating
institutions along with UW System representatives
Climate Study Working Group
(CSWG) Responsibilities
Following the initial meeting it is expected that the working
group would meet via conference call every other week until
the surveys were administered
CSWG Tier III initial work projected to be initiated in June
2010
CSWG Tier III projected completion date – December 2010
Additional meeting to review the draft of the aggregate
report
Inclusive Excellence Core Team Committee
Responsibilities at Each Institution
To assist with survey template’s revisions to contextually
“fit” respective campus
To develop a marketing & communication plan for the
survey
To assist with the implementation & delivery of the survey
tool
To provide information and survey updates to the campus
community
Next Steps…
Projected Process Forward
September - November 2010
 Develop assessment tool
 Create marketing/communication plans
 Develop/submit IRB proposal
December 2010
 IRB proposal approval
February 2011
 Survey implementation
Projected Process Forward
April-June 2011
 Data analysis
July/August 2011
 Development of report
September 2011
 Report out of results to UW Extension
Questions..?
For more information
Susan R. Rankin, Principal
Rankin & Associates
sxr2@psu.edu
814-625-2780