Campus Climate Survey Task Force Recommendation Report – October 2015
INTRODUCTION
Appointed in December 2014 by President Haynes, the Campus Climate Survey Task Force was
established to serve as an advisory body to the Executive Council and was asked to review the Great
Colleges to Work For survey results and make recommendations to improve climate at CSUSM.
Specifically the task force was charged to do the following:
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Review the survey data through the lens of our Culture of Leadership and after seeking input
and suggestions from the campus community, develop 3-5 recommendations for improving
climate at the institutional level, prior to the next survey administration period.
Facilitate town hall meetings and/or forums to share the institutional-level results and obtain
feedback from the campus community.
Develop a mechanism (e.g. web form) for gathering input and vetting the recommendations of
the task force.
Recommend branding to make the survey uniquely CSUSM and ensure it is recognized as the
campus climate survey.
The task force has completed its charge and shared the following recommendations and report with
the Executive Council.
TASK FORCE EFFORTS & WORK PRODUCTS
From the beginning of January 2015 through October the task force met 14 times to review and discuss
the Great College to Work For findings, draft recommendations and review input and feedback from the
campus community on the recommendations.
The task force spent the first several months carefully crafting a set of 12 recommendations to address
areas for improvement identified in the survey findings. The task force chose to focus on the bottom 10
statements – those statements which received the lowest scores in the survey. Recommendations were
categorized into four areas:
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Communication & Respect (subsequently titled Civility & Respect)
Compensation & Benefits
Appreciation
Talent Development & Management
In addition, the task force spent time developing the website, Great College to Work For
http://www.csusm.edu/greatcollege launched on April 28, 2015. The website serves as an integral
communication resource through which the survey findings, as well as division action plans, are shared
with the campus community. The website also served as the vehicle for gathering feedback on the draft
recommendations created by the task force. The task force promoted the website via campus
announcements and emails to faculty and staff. From the time of the website launch through the first
week in October there were over 3,700 page views.
Finally, the task force developed a presentation to provide an overview of the survey findings, share the
charge of the task force, and present draft recommendations for feedback.
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CAMPUS FEEDBACK & INPUT
Through the website, a total of 512 faculty, staff and administrators completed the recommendation
feedback form and provided more than 300 comments. An analysis of the responses as well as a
breakdown of responder demographics may be viewed here.
On October 6, the task force hosted a campus meeting to share the survey findings as well as draft
recommendations. The meeting was attended by approximately a dozen staff and administrators. The
presentation was recorded and the link was made available to the campus community. A total of 91
individuals accessed the link for viewing.
The task force used the results of the feedback survey as well as the comments to help prioritize, refine
and finalize the recommendations.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Compensation & Benefits
Concerns over compensation were clearly evidenced in the feedback survey, further supporting the
2014 survey findings presented by ModernThink: “Resource constraints particularly those regarding
staffing and compensation are pain points for many faculty and staff.” The task force’s draft
recommendations related to this category received “important” or “very important” responses by
nearly 90 percent of responders. Based on the findings, feedback, and comments, the task force
presents the following recommendations for consideration:
1. Develop a Total Compensation Philosophy for the university that includes considerations for
appropriate market medians, internal and external equity, workload, performance and merit
based adjustments, and our geographical location. Conduct an equity assessment for all
employees using both internal and external benchmarks (along with other Total Compensation
Philosophy provisions), and ensure fiscal resources are allocated in order to remedy inequities.
2. Develop a total compensation tool for all employees, reflecting industry benchmarks, which
considers salary, benefits and retirement.
Talent Development & Management
Respondents shared a desire for additional training, professional development, and career
opportunities in both the initial survey findings and the feedback comments. Many indicated a need for
a defined career pathway to assist in their career goals. A noted concern was the lack of training for
newly appointed leaders and a disturbing number of comments reflecting poor management practices
not reflective of CSUSM’s Culture of Leadership. Feedback comments also expressed a need for better
communication, particularly from leadership, relating to transparency and inclusion into the decisionmaking process. Based on survey findings, feedback and comments, the task force presents the
following recommendations for consideration:
3. Develop leadership training courses/tracts based on CSUSM’s Culture of Leadership principles
and values for all personnel directing the work of others. Training needs to emphasize
communication strategies that promote transparency and employee inclusion in the decisionmaking process. Training should also include, as appropriate, a recognition and rewards
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section covering compensation, in-range salary progression, reclassification, and bonuses, in
order to support the employees they supervise. Training will be completed by all existing and
newly appointed personnel in leadership roles within a specified timeframe.
4. Provide a comprehensive university-wide plan for talent development committed to career
advancement and leadership enhancement.
Civility & Respect
The Task Force has specifically addressed communication as an area for management training in the
recommendation above. From the responder comments the Task Force identified a lack of civility, such
as “bullying,” perceived “bullying,” micro-aggressions, aggressiveness and disrespect by both peers and
managers as an area of concern. While CSUSM has various services to assist in addressing such
concerns, the feedback suggests that these are insufficient and that the campus community is not
universally aware of them. Based on survey findings, feedback and comments, the task force presents
the following recommendations for consideration:
5. To promote and improve civility on campus, develop processes aimed at addressing issues of
professional misconduct not addressed by legal or contractual avenues. Highlight and
strengthen existing resources to the campus community.
Appreciation
The draft recommendations relating to the Appreciation category did not receive the level of ratings
from respondents to lead the Task Force to include them in the final recommendations. Many
respondents commented that addressing compensation concerns would be the most impactful way to
ensure employees feel valued and appreciated.
Final Thoughts & Recommendation
The Task Force would like to thank President Haynes and Executive Council for this opportunity. The
Great College to Work For survey served as an excellent tool to promulgate continuous improvement of
our campus climate. The Task Force would like to suggest that the next survey be taken in spring of 2017
after the action plans of each of the divisions have been implemented as well as the Task Force
recommendations that Executive Council elects to implement.
The Task Force also believes ongoing communication and reporting related to implementation of the
recommendations is imperative to ensure the campus community understands the importance placed
on the Great College to Work For survey and how findings are being used to improve the campus
climate. The Task Force has drafted a communications plan which proposes regular reporting as well as
specific strategies to help raise awareness and understanding in anticipation of the next survey in 2017.
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