Nearly 90 percent of Grand Valley students and 76 percent of faculty and staff members said they are comfortable with the overall climate in their classes and workplaces, according to results of a campus climate study.
Sue Rankin, of Rankin and Associates, presented findings of the myGVSU Survey September 29 during a morning meeting in the Kirkhof Center. She will give another presentation at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 30, in the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.
The myGVSU Survey was an anonymous, online survey conducted for two weeks in February. Nearly 30 percent of the campus community, or 7,571 people, responded.
Rankin said while the vast majority of survey respondents said they were satisfied with their jobs or college life at Grand Valley, some groups (people of color, women and LGBQ) reported they felt less comfortable on campus with some aspects.
LGBQ was used throughout the report, Rankin said, considering the small sample size of transgender respondents. An executive summary of Rankin’s report is online at www.gvsu.edu/mygvsu.
Jeanne Arnold, vice president for Inclusion and Equity, said, overall the report indicates the university is on track regarding its inclusion implementation plan. Arnold co-chaired the survey committee with Neal Rogness, professor of statistics.
“It’s good to have this hard data that affirms what we knew anecdotally,” Arnold said. “Affirming it with statistics gives us the confirmation that we’re moving in the right direction.”
Nearly 90 percent of respondents reported they felt Grand Valley was committed to diversity. That number is up from 60 percent in 2005, the last time the university community participated in a climate study.
Arnold said follow-up meetings will be arranged to develop an action plan based on the survey findings. People interested in serving on this subcommittee of the Inclusion and Equity Advisory Board, should submit their contact information to Jessie Holland at [email protected].
Rogness said the survey findings give the university what it needs
to continue to move ahead with diversity initiatives. The myGVSU
Survey is the fourth campus climate study. Many positive changes have
occurred at Grand Valley since the university started conducting such
studies. These changes include establishing the Inclusion and Equity
Division, Team Against Bias and LGBT Resource Center.
