Students, Faculty, Staff Generally Satisfied with University 'Climate’ But See Room for Improvement

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas students responding to a university campus climate survey last year said they often experienced cross-racial interactions in the classroom, but less often elsewhere on campus. As a whole, faculty and staff members in the survey believed the university gave enough attention to diversity issues; however, female and minority faculty and staff indicated more focus on diversity was needed.

The “Campus Climate Survey” was conducted in 2007 and supervised by Carmen Coustaut, associate vice chancellor for institutional diversity and education, as part of the administration’s initiatives to foster diversity on campus. Researchers Todd Shields and Aamira Chaney prepared the online survey, building from a similar campus climate survey conducted in 2001. In all, 1,624 or more students, 514 faculty and 1,393 staff members completed the online survey, representing a campus cross section of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and ability or disability.

“This survey is a useful tool for university administrators. This information will help guide us in making policy and implementing changes at the university,” said Coustaut. “The survey also reminds us that different groups see the campus in different ways, which is another important piece of information.” 

“This survey gives us a chance to look at our campus as students, faculty and staff see it,” said Johnetta Cross Brazzell, vice chancellor for student affairs. “Through their perceptions we can get a better sense of what we need to improve, and what we are doing well.”

The survey serves as a snapshot in time focused on the attitudes and experiences of university community members who answered questions about the campus environment and their experiences on campus, particularly regarding diversity. Students, faculty and staff were also asked to respond to statements about their level of attachment to the university and their overall satisfaction with the university. In most cases, survey participants were asked to respond with answers scored on a scale of 1-5.

In response to one question, students generally agreed with the statement “I feel physically safe on campus,” but some differences were noted among various groups. The mean score for female students, for example, showed moderate agreement with the statement, while male students agreed strongly.

When asked about diversity, students reported that classrooms often provided cross-racial interaction, but that there is relatively little such interaction beyond the classroom setting. Students reported the least interaction in registered student organizations and the Greek system. All students agreed, however, that they experienced very little pressure to limit cross-racial interaction.

Overall, students agreed with the statement that the university administration is committed to a student-centered university. The level of agreement, however, varied across groups. For example, male students, students with disabilities and students who classified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or who question their sexual orientation agreed with the statement, but less strongly than students as a whole.

When asked about overall satisfaction with the University of Arkansas experience, the students as a whole reported very high satisfaction, with the level of satisfaction varying no lower than “moderately satisfied” among the different sub-groups.

One factor that may have contributed to this satisfaction was the student/faculty relationship. A large majority of students reported that they felt their teachers cared about them, treated them with respect and could easily be approached for help.

Likewise, faculty members, both tenured and non-tenured, were satisfied with their relationships with students. As a whole, faculty were also moderately satisfied with their work experience at the university -- although less so with regard to issues of pay and research funding. Most faculty members agreed that the university welcomed diversity on campus, and that they would recommend the university as a good place for female or minority faculty to work. However, female faculty and faculty members with disabilities expressed less agreement with this statement than faculty as a whole.

University staff members, both classified employees and administrators, agreed with faculty that they were generally satisfied with their work environment, although not with their pay. Most staff believed that the university had the right amount of emphasis on diversity, although staff members who identified themselves as minority or as gay-lesbian-bisexual-questioning felt that the administration needed a stronger commitment to diversity. Staff members as a whole and across the various demographic sub-groups reported that they were glad that they came to the university, felt valued in their job, and felt connected to the university.

“There are methodological reasons that the Campus Climate Survey conducted in 2007 should not be compared to the one from 2001,” said Todd Shields. “In addition to the six years separating the two studies, the 2007 survey was administered online while the 2001 study was conducted via traditional ‘paper-n-pencil’ methods. Still, it’s inevitable that people will want to look at the general differences between the two sets of survey results.”

The 2007 student survey indicated a higher level of overall satisfaction than in 2001. Students reported a higher level of connection to the university, and a substantial increase in their feeling that the administration is committed to creating a student-centered university. The 2007 faculty survey also indicated slight improvement in response to statements related to the university’s commitment to creating a student-centered institution, overall connection to the university and overall satisfaction. 

Finally, the 2007 staff survey also indicated some improvement in the sense of connection and overall satisfaction levels reported by both classified and non-classified university staff.

In responding to the report, Chancellor G. David Gearhart said, “The University of Arkansas will continue to press forward with its efforts to increase diversity on campus and foster an atmosphere that embraces diversity on all levels. We will also continue to track the success of these efforts throughout the University. There are some encouraging results here, but also important reminders that more work is required to create the diverse learning environment we absolutely need in order to enrich the educational experience for all of our students.”