Campus Climate Survey

Your participation in the Campus Climate Survey will help Chemeketa develop a comprehensive equity and inclusion plan for the college.

The campus climate survey will guide the diversity, equity and inclusion work at the college and in doing so:

Help position the college to serve our increasingly diverse student body
Promote a positive campus climate for all
Foster a welcoming and productive work environment that leads to effective and innovative student-centered practices

The results will lead to an equity roadmap, strategic initiatives, and specific goals and outcomes that will help address potential concerns.

Message from President Howard

Since the creation and implementation of Chemeketa’s first diversity plan in 1995, many of you have been, and continue to be involved in promoting an inclusive environment at the college that values diversity.

Indeed, Chemeketa has made commendable progress in attracting and retaining an increasingly diverse student body, promoting inclusive practices at our locations, and providing related professional development opportunities for staff, faculty, and students. This work is ongoing, expanding, and increasingly critical as our student body continues to become more diverse — not only demographically, but in terms of life experiences, many of which significantly challenge the opportunity for our students to achieve academic success.

To effectively develop a comprehensive equity and inclusion plan for Chemeketa, the college has contracted with consulting firms Global Leadership Solutions, LLC and Transcend Consulting Group, LLC to work hand in hand with the college community to help support plan development. Global Leadership Solutions (GLS) and Transcend Consulting Group (TCG) are based in Washington State and bring extensive experience with organizational development, cultural competence, strategic planning, and institutional assessment — especially with community colleges.

In the coming months, GLS and TCG will engage with Chemeketa in a number of ways. They will provide a campus climate survey, facilitate focus groups, and create training to assist with establishing a “current state” of the college in this work as well as an understanding of the journey ahead to become a more inclusive and culturally competent community. All efforts will be conducted in coordination with our Executive Team.

It will be critical to hear from an equitable representation of all voices so that our collective action effectively influences the culture we would like to foster at Chemeketa.

The work that GLS and TCG will be conducting is scheduled to begin in February.

Timeline

January-February 2020: Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) and stakeholders plan, review, and recommend climate survey questions and provide feedback to consultants
March 2020: Survey launches (survey open for 3 weeks)
April 2020: Survey results analyzed
April—May 2020: Consultants facilitate focus groups with students, staff, and faculty
August—October 2020: Survey and focus group findings shared with students, faculty, and staff campus-wide
August-October 2020: Begin to formulate institutional DEI goals, key performance indicators, and outcomes
September 2020: Present update and progress on key action items at in-service
October—December 2020: Finalize institutional DEI goals, key performance indicators, and outcomes with input from college-wide stakeholders
January 2021: Fully deploy institutional DEI goals, key performance indicators, and outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is a positive campus climate important?

A positive campus climate leads to a better work environment and an educational experience that provides opportunities for students to fully engage, learn, and succeed. Inclusiveness and belonging are central to our mission fulfillment as an institution that values open access to education for all.
Why did Chemeketa decide to do a campus climate survey?

As Chemeketa embarks in visioning for a future-focused college, a climate assessment will help guide our collective action to improve the campus climate and help position the college to serve an increasingly diverse student body while fostering a welcoming and productive work environment that leads to effective and innovative student-centered practices.
What is a campus climate survey?

A climate survey is intended to examine the full range of student, faculty, and staff experiences related to the learning and working environment — experiences that go to the heart of whether one feels a sense of belonging and inclusion, which is key to feeling that one is able to thrive and succeed here.
How will the results be used?

The results will be shared college-wide and help to shape the college’s future equity roadmap and strategic plan.
Is the survey confidential?

Yes. The survey is completely confidential. Results will only be shared in aggregate and comments will be separated from the demographic data.
Chemeketa has done many surveys before. How is this one different?

This survey is different than previously administered surveys with a primary focus on our commitment to equity and an inclusive and respectful environment. It also includes all faculty, staff, and students. This is an assessment of our culture and it will be important that our individual voices are represented and that we take collective action to help influence the culture we would like to foster at Chemeketa.
What comes after the survey?

The survey will be followed by focus groups, and the compilation of these results will culminate in the creation of our diversity and equity roadmap. This roadmap will be comprised of action items that are intended to improve the campus climate for students, faculty, and staff.

This will be a long journey, which is the reason the diversity and equity plan is being called a roadmap. We may need to take different turns but our intended destination will always be a more inclusive and respectful climate for all.