2024 Campus Climate Survey
MSU Denver is proud to announce the launch of the 2024 Campus Climate Survey, a pivotal initiative spearheaded by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Designed with our community in mind, this survey is a homegrown effort, crafted through extensive research and comparative analysis with national surveys, to ensure it uniquely addresses the needs and nuances of our University environment. From March 4-31, 2024, we invite all members of the MSU Denver community to share their experiences and perspectives regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion at our university.
This survey is a comprehensive exploration of your individual experiences at MSU Denver, focusing on aspects of your identities, the inclusivity of your workplace or academic program, and any discriminatory behavior you may have encountered. Through this survey, we aim to foster a deeper understanding and to initiate meaningful change across our campus. It is designed to be completed in approximately 15-20 minutes, though we welcome and appreciate more detailed responses that may require additional time.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality and trust are the cornerstones of this survey. The surveys for staff and faculty will remain anonymous for those who choose to participate. The student survey will be confidential to limit the amount of information to collect for analysis. We assure you that your responses will remain strictly confidential and anonymized. The survey has been reviewed by students, faculty, staff, and administrators, incorporating feedback from university constituencies and focus groups to ensure its integrity and efficacy. Only aggregated data will be reported to prevent any possible identification, with access to raw data strictly limited to the survey administrators and data analysis team. No individual data will be disclosed, ensuring that your personal experiences contribute to our collective understanding while safeguarding your privacy.
By participating in the Campus Climate Survey, you are playing an invaluable role in shaping a more inclusive, equitable, and welcoming MSU Denver. Your voice is essential in guiding our efforts to build a campus environment where every member can thrive. Together, let’s take this step towards positive change and reinforce trust within our university community.
We recognize that some questions may touch on sensitive issues. Please know that your comfort and well-being are paramount. You have the freedom to skip any question or stop participating at any time, and links to both confidential and non-confidential support resources will be provided at the end of the survey. It’s important to note that responses to this survey do not constitute formal notice to the university of prohibited conduct; it is a confidential tool aimed at understanding and improving our campus climate.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Campus Climate Survey aims to gather comprehensive insights into the experiences of students, faculty, and staff at MSU Denver, with a particular focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It seeks to understand various perspectives on campus life, inclusivity, and any instances of discriminatory behavior.
All students, faculty, and staff members of MSU Denver are encouraged to participate in the survey to share their experiences and views.
The survey typically takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. However, if you choose to provide more detailed responses, it may take longer.
The survey window will be open from March 4-31, 2024.
Confidentiality and Privacy
Faculty and Staff:
Your participation and responses will be anonymous. This means that the university will not connect results back to individuals.
Students:
Your participation and responses will be confidential. This means that your response will link to you as an individual. This will reduce the number of questions that we need to ask. Your response will not be reported as an individual.
Privacy is important to us; potentially identifying information will not be reported. Smaller groups will be combined into larger groups to reduce the identification of individuals.
Access to the raw data is limited to the survey administrators and the data analysis team. Identifiable information will be removed to ensure confidentiality before any access is granted.
Survey Administrators
- Michael Benitez, Ph.D., Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Professor – Culturally, Linguistically and Diverse Education
- Chalane Lechuga, Ph.D., Professor – Chicana/o Studies
- Jovan Hernandez, Ph.D., Associate Professor – Psychological Science
- K Scherer, Ph.D., Professor – Social Work
- Jeremy VanHooser, Associate Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Data Analysis Team
- Elizabeth Ribble, Ph.D., Interim Director of Data and Analytics and Professor – Statistics
- Kellie Zolnikov, Junior Business Intelligence & Institutional Research Analyst
Participation and Support
The survey acknowledges the sensitive nature of some questions. You have the option to skip any question that makes you uncomfortable or to stop participating in the survey at any time. Support resources are provided at the end of the survey for anyone who may need them.
No, participation is voluntary, and you can choose to skip any questions you do not wish to answer.
Results and Reporting
The results will be used to inform the university’s strategies and actions toward enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. General results will be shared with the MSU Denver community to promote transparency and collective action.
Yes, the general results of the survey will be made available to all members of the MSU Denver community. The aim is to ensure transparency and to encourage informed discussions and initiatives based on the findings. Individual responses will not be shared or reported.
While the survey asks about experiences of discrimination, it does not serve as an official channel for reporting. Responses are confidential and will not trigger individual follow-ups. If you wish to report prohibited conduct, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity directly.
2021 Survey Report
Climate surveys are commonly used tools in higher education to assess how University culture, particularly regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, is experienced by faculty, staff, and students (Harper, 2008; Harper & Hurtado, 2007; Hurtado, 1992; Hurtado et al., 1998; Peters & Benitez, Jr., 2017). This data can be used to inform interventions to improve the retention of faculty, staff, and students and support institutions of higher education in achieving their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals (Williams, 2013).
To learn more about the results from the 2021 survey, review the Executive Summary of the preliminary findings, the comparison report, and the presentation on these findings provided to the Board of Trustees.
The Full 2021 Campus Climate Survey Report includes findings from faculty, staff, and students.
If you have questions or would like to have a representative provide a presentation on the Campus Climate Survey results, please contact Jeremy VanHooser.
Impact of the 2021 Survey
Findings from the 2021 Campus Climate Survey were disseminated broadly, as it is incumbent on all campus communities to proactively create a more inclusive and equitable University. Therefore, the potential implications of this previous survey are numerous. However, several implications stand out as key activities that the Office of Diversity and Inclusion has championed, in partnership with other MSU Denver units.
Increased infrastructure and support for faculty and staff affinity groups: During the 2023-24 academic year, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in collaboration with the Provost’s Office and Human Resources, collaborated to develop additional supportive infrastructure for faculty/staff affinity groups, as well as support the development of new affinity groups (e.g., LGBTQ+ faculty and staff affinity group).
Provide resources on EDI practices that connect to our mission: The Office of Diversity and Inclusion collaborated with Human Resources, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Design, and Faculty Affairs, to provide training and support to recruit and retain faculty with diverse identities, through activities such as developing and disseminating promising practice briefs, supporting the Roadrunner Faculty Academy, and contributing to the Leadership Academy.
Executive Summary
Initial analysis of quantitative and qualitative data indicates several key findings regarding how members of different identity groups experience belonging and inclusivity at MSU Denver. Central to these early analyses are the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals, LGBTQAI+ people, people with disabilities, and veterans. We provided limited analyses of administrators in the interest of preserving confidentiality with a small sample size.
Read the full Executive Summary. and review the Presentation to the Board of Trustees.
Comparison Report
The comparison report, prepared by the independent research group Viewfinder, summarizes the survey results. The survey included 14 sections that examined various aspects of campus diversity, equity and inclusion at MSU Denver, with four versions customized to each specific audience: students, faculty, staff or administrators. Many questions across the four surveys are the same on two or more surveys. The comparison report provides comparative data across the four groups surveyed on the same questions; however, some questions were version-specific and therefore could not be compared.
Read the Comparison Report.
Overall
Overall, our findings showed promising responses regarding campus belonging, commitment to diversity efforts and actionable insights on satisfaction and retention. Findings indicate that faculty and staff value and appreciate the diversity of our student body and employee representation and the University’s commitment to diversity. Conversely, findings do point to dissatisfaction among faculty and staff with an adequate salary, heavy workload, among other aspects of their experience at MSU Denver with 14% of faculty and 13% of staff indicating they want to quit their jobs, and 76% of faculty and 64% of staff indicating they love their jobs.
Findings also indicate that fewer Hispanic/Latina/o and Black/African American identified faculty (as compared to White or Asian identified faculty) and fewer cisgender women staff (as compared to cisgender men) disclosed feelings of belonging on campus. In contrast, students described varying degrees of belonging on campus with BIPOC identified students and LGBTQAI+ students describing more positive experiences of belonging.
Reports
Summaries addressing the climate survey results for students, staff, and faculty are available.
The Campus Climate Survey Committee informs subsequent analyses of these data, although multiple stakeholders in the MSU Denver community will be consulted to ensure that the analyses are relevant to our stakeholders (e.g., Senior Leadership Team, Staff Senate, Faculty Senate, Student Affairs, Council of Chairs and Directors). During this past academic year, we also assessed the strengths and limitations of this ViewFinder Campus Climate Survey, with an eye toward revising it for the next iteration of the 2024 Campus Climate Survey.
Past Survey Results
In November 2009, former President Stephen Jordan charged MSU Denver’s new Campus Climate Survey Committee with developing and administering a comprehensive employee and student Campus Climate Survey. We continue to conduct, and have expanded, these surveys, and the results are utilized to create and implement strategies to improve the campus climate for all faculty, staff, and students.
These surveys are one way to hear from you about what’s working and what’s not, so we can improve MSU Denver. These surveys were administered by ModernThink and results of the past surveys are available below.
