Southwestern University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Two faculty members have conducted systematic assessments (which include both survey questions and in depth hour long interviews) of students’ perceptions of the campus climate in 2010 and 2013. A third comprehensive assessment is forthcoming in 2016. The first two assessments captured the perspectives of over 700 students via survey responses and 72 interview respondents. The average survey response rate of about 30% is in line with other scholarly studies of campus climates. The campus racial climate, the campus gender climate, the campus sexual orientation climate, and the campus student identity climate have all been assessed. The 2010 survey, for example, revealed that students’ perceptions of the racial inclusivity of the curriculum affected their perceptions of the campus racial climate. Faculty and students used this piece of information as a final push for a race and ethnic studies academic minor that had been in discussion for quite some time. As of 2013, the race and ethnic studies academic minor became a part of the curriculum and even recently held its first two day symposium highlighting the research of its faculty.

The university keeps an annual common data set and monitors issues like affordability and retention. We are currently the top national liberal arts college in the nation as it pertains to Latino students’ enrollment and have increasingly diverse proportions of under-represented groups in our incoming classes. The vast majority of incoming first year students receive some form of financial aid. This is a direct result of the reflections from prior diversity and educational equity assessments.

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