Report of the 2011 Faculty Climate Survey
at the University of Colorado Denver
The study of “campus climate” for faculty has emerged in recent years as an important way
to assess factors related to faculty recruitment, retention, promotion, and advancement.
The term “climate” in the context of higher education often refers to the messages, core
beliefs, events, interactions, symbols, and feelings that create a welcoming (or
unwelcoming) environment for members of the campus community.
Unfortunately, gender- and race-based concerns about campus climate are extremely
common in larger universities such as the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver).
Many of these issues are effectively addressed through attention to policy, procedures, and
more formal aspects of the environment for faculty. CU Denver is ahead of the curve in
many of these areas; for example, strong written policies and procedures around
reappointment, tenure, and promotion, family medical leave, and annual evaluations are in
place to aid faculty. The university boasts a strong faculty mentoring program through the
Center for Faculty Development. Finally, to specifically address diversity concerns, there is
an active Women’s Issues Committee on campus, as well as an engaged office of Diversity
and Inclusion. Importantly, prioritizing the development and growth of a welcoming and
inclusive climate for all members of the university is a key component of the campus’
strategic plan and is reflected in the strategic plans of its constituent units as well.
However, opportunities for improvement remain, especially in the less tangible domains of
the informal practices and attitudes that are key aspects of campus climate.
Recently, CU Denver conducted its first ever climate survey to determine faculty attitudes
and beliefs about the campus climate for faculty. The survey was administered by Mary
Coussons-Read, Professor of Psychology, and Laura Goodwin, Associate Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs, as part of the ADVANCE IT-Catalyst project which is an NSF- funded grant
to evaluate discrepancies in the university climate for female faculty in the STEM
disciplines. A modified version of the well-validated climate survey developed at the
University of Illinois Chicago’s ADVANCE program was administered via SurveyMonkey
during the Spring and Summer of 2011. All tenured, tenure-track, and full-time (>50%
appointment) faculty in the seven schools and colleges on the downtown campus were
invited to participate in the survey. Of 380 faculty contacted, 257 completed the survey
(68% response rate). Unique instances of the survey were created for each participant to
assure confidentiality and the data were stripped of all identifying information prior to
analysis. The major outcomes of interest were satisfaction with CU Denver regarding
current position, career progression, perception of the tenure and promotion process, and
various aspects of campus climate.
The results of this survey look very much like those of other large, complex, researchfocused institutions that have been part of the ADVANCE program. It should be noted that
the following data represent summarized results of self-reported faculty perceptions and
attitudes at a single point in time. The data provide information that the campus can use to
refine its approaches to all aspects of faculty climate including, but not limited to, policy,
training, hiring, evaluation, mentoring, and faculty & leadership development.
For more information about the ADVANCE program and faculty climate issues, please visit
the ADVANCE portal: http://www.portal.advance.vt.edu/index.php. For more information
about CU Denver’s climate survey or the ADVANCE-IT Catalyst Project, please contact Mary
Coussons-Read, a PI for the ADVANCE project at CU Denver, at Mary.CoussonsRead@ucdenver.edu.
Table 1. Survey respondent characteristics.
Variable
School or college (n=223)
College of Architecture & Planning
College of Arts & Media
Business School
School of Education & Human Development
College of Engineering & Applied Science
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
School of Public Affairs
Gender (n=221)
Female
Male
Ethnicity (n=223)
Hispanic or Latino
Non-Hispanic
Race (n=208)
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black or African American
White
Mixed
Current rank (n=249)
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Clinical Teaching faculty
Instructor
Professor
Research Faculty
Senior Instructor
Tenure (n=221)
Female
Male
n
%
6
24
19
33
11
120
10
2.7
10.8
8.5
14.8
4.9
53.8
4.5
102
119
46.2
53.8
7
216
2.7
84
1
13
5
183
6
.4
5.1
1.9
71.2
2.4
66
26
26
2
1
78
50
26.5
10.4
10.4
0.8
0.4
31.3
20.1
102
119
68.6
83.2
*Not all questions were answered by the entire sample (N=257)
Bias and Discrimination toward Female and Minority Faculty
Climate for Female Faculty
By gender
Overall, both genders felt that the climate in their department was generally positive for
females. However, there were significant differences in how male and female faculty
viewed individual factors related to a climate of gender equity. Males were consistently
more likely to report that their department performed well in terms of creating an equal,
hospitable climate for females.
*All figures depict a single question from the Faculty Climate survey in which significant differences between
groups was found. Individual responses were aggregated and broken down by answer choice (‘Not at all’,
‘Slightly’, ‘Somewhat’, ‘Fairly’, ‘Frequently’, ‘Absolutely’). Percentage of responses for each answer choice is
depicted on the vertical axis.
Conversely, female faculty were significantly more likely to endorse negative comments
regarding their department’s treatment of females, including not feeling as respected as
male faculty and feeling isolated in their departments. On a positive note, none of these
convictions were strongly held by either gender.
Climate for Minority Faculty
By Gender
Males continued to endorse positive aspects more than females when asked about the
departmental climate for minority faculty; however, significantly different results were
limited to two outcomes: ‘The climate for faculty of color in my department is good’ and
‘My department has made efforts to promote faculty of color’.
Females were again more likely than males to report that minority faculty experienced a
less favorable climate than their non-minority faculty counterparts.
By Minority Status
The difference in views of departmental climate was also assessed between minority
(Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, African American, Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) and non-minority (Caucasian, Non-Hispanic/Latino) status
faculty. While non-minorities rated the climate as significantly better than minorities, most
respondents felt favorably about their departmental atmosphere.
However, minority faculty reliably endorsed feeling less positive than non-minorities about
the climate in their department. Again, however, all responses were rated quite low,
indicating a relatively minimal issue.
Low status and salary inequities
By Gender
Males were significantly more likely to be tenured or tenure-track than their female
counterparts (83.2% vs. 68.6%). Similarly, males were significantly more likely to report
that their department has made strides to hire and promote females.
When asked about the presence of minority faculty leaders in their departments and efforts
to promote them, neither males nor females had strong opinions. However, males were
significantly less likely to feel there were not enough faculty of color, as well as more likely
to report that their department made efforts to promote faculty of color.
By minority status
When respondents were asked whether most faculty would be ok with having someone of
minority status as a chair, non-minorities were significantly more likely to respond
favorably. Correspondingly, when faculty were asked whether they had any interest
(yes/no) in chairing various committees, minority respondents indicated having
significantly more interest in chairing a promotion (33.3% vs. 9.62%), curriculum (41.2%
vs. 23.3%), and merit (29% vs. 10.2%) committee was shown by minority respondents
compared to non-minority faculty.
The Climate Survey also touched on differences in perception of available resources, about
which minority faculty were significantly less likely to report satisfaction.
Issues of work/life balance
By Gender
Females were more likely than males to have taken family medical leave in the past (13.7%
vs. 1.8%). Males tended to feel that men with kids were seen as less committed to their
careers, although neither gender heavily endorsed this idea.
By Minority Status
Respondents who indicated they were of minority status were more likely to report that
having a family life was difficult and viewed negatively by others.
Conclusion
Overall, faculty tended to view their departmental climates quite positively, suggesting that
there is much at UC Denver that is being done right. A majority of survey respondents, both
male and female, non-minority and minority, indicated that they were ‘mostly’ satisfied
with their careers. However, the data indicate remaining issues with the climate for
women and minority faculty at UC Denver. This affects all female and minority faculty,
regardless of discipline, and speaks to the need for institutional attention to these issues.
Both formal and informal processes can be employed to improve perception of climate and
collegiality in departments, including mentoring, more support for collaboration, support
for work/life balance, equitable treatment, respect for expertise, and opportunity for input.
Resources
Original UIC Climate Survey:
http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/faculty/UIC_Faculty_Work_Climate_Survey.pdf
Overview of the faculty climate study:
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dhe/1/4/222.pdf
ADVANCE Portal:
http://www.portal.advance.vt.edu/index.php