New Survey Will Help Assess Climate for Inclusivity at Smith

Students, faculty and staff have an opportunity to help assess the campus climate at Smith by participating in a comprehensive new survey.

The confidential Pathways survey—available on Smith’s website—is designed to gauge attitudes, behavior and standards that contribute to a welcoming and inclusive campus environment.

In a message to the college community announcing the survey, President Kathleen McCartney cited the impact of campus climate on vital teaching and learning activities at Smith.

“Creating and maintaining a community environment that respects individual needs, abilities and potential is critically important to our mission,” McCartney said. “This survey is designed to provide information about both positive and challenging aspects of our climate. It will provide all members of our community with the opportunity to describe your personal experiences and observations.”

Dwight Hamilton, vice president for inclusion, diversity and equity, said data from the survey will help direct strategies to help strengthen an environment of mutual respect and equal access to resources on campus.

“Academic and professional success in higher education is directly related to individual campus experiences,” Hamilton said. “We are offering Pathways as a way to be better informed about these experiences so we may improve our living, learning and working environment.”

The new survey is part of an initiative launched in 2015 by the college’s Climate Study Working Group. In an earlier phase of the project, the group—made up of students, faculty and staff—led focus groups and developed a survey for assessing Smith’s campus climate.

Last fall, the working group decided to partner with Susan Rankin of Rankin & Associates Consulting to administer the survey. Rankin is an emeritus faculty member of Education Policy Studies and College Student Affairs at The Pennsylvania State University, and a senior research associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.

Smith’s campus climate survey is designed to protect confidentiality and achieve multiple aims, including:

• Bolstering the college’s goal to be an inclusive community,
• Better understanding and addressing the needs of underserved and underrepresented members of the Smith community,
• Revealing the experiences of all campus community members, and
• Providing the college with data that can guide strategies for inclusion, diversity and equity planning.

Hamilton said another key goal is to have all students, faculty and staff participate in the survey.

“Every response is important and valuable in providing the most beneficial feedback and results,” he said. “The more people respond to the survey, the better informed we will be.”

Results of the campus climate survey will be presented in April 2017. Additional information about the survey’s purpose and design is available online.