In January of 2023, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) conducted a campus-wide student and employee Campus Climate Survey. The following year, Gregory Benjamin, PhD, MPH, director of Institutional Research and Assessment, and Juliana Mosley-Williams, PhD, special assistant to the president for DEI, formally presented the student findings from the survey to Salus University faculty and staff.
The University remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all community members feel a sense of belonging. The survey results provided valuable insights into the current Salus University campus climate, in which areas of success, improvement and potential changes going forward were identified.
Overall, the results from the student surveys were enlightening and provided understanding that will inform continued training, curriculum infusion, programming, and a plan of action for areas of improvement. This action will help foster a campus community where all feel accepted and belong. The dissemination of findings from the employee survey will occur next.
Student Survey Highlights:
- Overall, students feel welcomed and respected on campus.
- Diverse campus based on identity demographics (race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and politics).
- Great religious/faith diversity, with the most populous groups being Christian, Catholic, Spiritual not Religious, Agnostic, Muslim, and Hindu. Also included with smaller representation were Jewish, Atheist, Buddhist, and Sikh.
- Half (51%) of students believe the institutional emphasis on diversity is sufficient.
- The majority of students (60%) feel safe on campus.
- Overwhelmingly, students feel that the following stakeholders should receive diversity training: administrators; faculty; staff; and Board of Trustees; which the University has been doing.
Student Survey Improvements:
- Improved sense of belonging so students feel comfortable reporting their identity demographics, given the larger percentages of students who selected “neutral” or “prefer not to answer.”
- DEI-related training should be expanded to include external preceptors/supervisors and continued for all other constituencies (students, administrators, faculty, staff, Board of Trustees).
- Suggestions to enhance safety on campus included (but were not limited to): increasing parking lot lighting and having an anonymous safety reporting system for employees and students.
