University of Richmond
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

University staff members are participated in the "Great Colleges to Work For" survey, sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education and administered by ModernThink. The University has participated in this survey in 2010, 2012, and 2015. Questions related to diversity and equity are included in the sections on Respect & Appreciation, as well as Fairness. The University of Richmond was awarded a four-star rating from the Campus Climate Index, a division of Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization promoting LGBT-friendly learning environments at colleges and universities. Campus Pride cited new initiatives, such as the LGBT resource center, in raising the university’s rating from a three-star score in 2010. Richmond received the maximum five-star rating in the areas of support and institutional commitment to LGBT students, their student life and campus safety.

Data is gathered annually to assess the retention and graduation rates of all undergraduate and graduates, in aggregate and disaggregated form. Percentages of students by race, gender, and first-generation status, Pell grant status, nationality are reported annually, and retention and graduation rates are also reported by student group. The University has also completed a lengthy retention study in early 2015 in order to better understand who is leaving before graduation and to determine any trends but that report has not been made public outside the institution. Work groups were created across the campus (within student development, academics, etc.) to recommend policy and programmatic changes related to the retention study and those recommendations are starting to be shared with the campus community. Also, annually the University participates in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

The University has participated in the Great Colleges to Work For assessment, administered by the Chronicle of Higher Education since 2010. Working groups have been put in place to address areas of opportunity and our response rate and scores have improved each time we've taken it. Our new president has indicated in campus-wide communication that the results will be used again in the next campus strategic planning process as we work to identify opportunities for improved workplace satisfaction.

Beginning in January 2016, Provost Jacque Fetrow initiated an institutional equity review through the work of the new Planning Committee for a Thriving and Inclusive Community. The Committee will work with consultants Professor Estela Bensimon of the University of Southern California and Professor Shaun Harper of the University of Pennsylvania to organize numerical data on key indicators of student outcomes (in access, retention, participation in high-impact practices, and excellence in completion) so that progress toward racial equity can be systematically and routinely monitored in order to identify and address significant gaps. The Committee will develop a set of recommendations that should be addressed by working groups as part of the strategic planning process. The University of Richmond's strategy of intentional engagement led to a community engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching — one of only 16 top national, liberal arts colleges selected. This elective classification is an evidence-based documentation of University practices and requires a substantial commitment from the entire institution.

http://hr.richmond.edu/talent/workplace-survey.html https://strategicplan.richmond.edu/