Report Shares Campus Community’s Thoughts on Diversity
Survey respondents included 439 faculty members, 2,451 staff members, and 3,782
students.
There’s one thing that faculty, staff, and students seem to agree on — Georgia Tech is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.
This is one of the pieces of information learned from last spring’s Climate Assessment survey, which was conducted to help define and assess Tech’s progress toward achieving a culture of
collegiality.
“For example, about 84 percent of faculty indicated that their school demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and about 90 percent of staff think that Tech is a comfortable and inclusive environment,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity. “And more than 90 percent of students felt similarly. In sum, the report helps us to understand our strengths and suggests areas where we should focus our attention to enhance the experiences of the members of our campus community.”
The survey revealed high levels of satisfaction from many faculty, staff, and students on a number of items, while there were lower levels of satisfaction on others. Satisfaction varied based on social identities such as job function, gender, and race.
Respondents included 439 faculty members, 2,451 staff members, and 3,782 students (undergraduate and graduate).
“We received responses from nearly half of our faculty and staff, and from a sizable number of students,” said Jonathan Gordon, director of the Office of Assessment. “This gives us considerable confidence in the reported results.”
Here are a few of the results for faculty and staff:
Faculty
- About 72 percent were satisfied with support they receive in collaboration on research, with advice on the promotion/tenure process, and mentoring for teaching.
- More than half of responding female faculty (about 52 percent) stated they had experienced instances of marginalization at Tech in the past three years, compared with about 11 percent of responding male faculty.
- Responding female faculty were less likely to feel supported by their chairs in terms of advice on obtaining grants (62 percent of males felt supported vs. 41 percent of females). Responding female faculty were also less satisfied with their school’s efforts to retain faculty from diverse backgrounds (57 percent of females vs. 81 percent of males).
Staff
- About 95 percent agreed that they could freely interact with colleagues in their work setting, about 85 percent felt comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas, and about 83 percent agreed that collaboration is encouraged in the workplace.
- About 72 percent agreed that promotion practices were consistent with Tech’s commitment to diversity. (About 63 percent of female respondents and about 50 percent of underrepresented minorities — those who described themselves as American Indian, black/African-American, or Hispanic [regardless of race] — felt this way.)
- About 81 percent felt valued by the Tech community.
Students
- More than 80 percent of male and female respondents agree that Tech is a generally comfortable and inclusive environment.
- About 90 percent of respondents said that Tech effectively recruits students from diverse backgrounds, but about 40 percent of respondents shared that cultural differences act as a barrier to interaction.
“We look forward to consulting with academic and administrative leaders regarding the outcomes that impact their respective units,” said Julie Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity. “Our office also plans to use the data to inform new and existing initiatives.”
Faculty and staff may access a copy of the Climate Assessment Report by visiting
http://b.gatech.edu/17c2DzK. Students may also request a copy of the report directly by emailing Ervin.
