Climate survey highlights campus strengths and areas for growth

In fall 2023, Binghamton University conducted a climate survey to assess the overall environment and culture within the campus community and gather feedback from students, faculty and staff about their experiences, perceptions and feelings regarding inclusion, safety and University support. The last survey of its kind was conducted in 2014, prompting Karen Jones, vice president of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to convene a committee to initiate a new survey.

Viewfinder®, a subsidiary of Insight into Academia and a State University of New York (SUNY) vendor, was selected to administer the survey. A unique survey link was sent to each member of the campus community, including students, faculty and staff, to ensure anonymity and assure impartiality. To raise awareness and encourage participation, a campus-wide marketing campaign was launched approximately three months before the survey’s release. All survey participants were entered into a drawing for incentive prizes.

Approximately 30% of faculty and staff and 5% of students completed the survey. Although these rates were less robust than hoped for, they were comparable to those of other surveys conducted by SUNY, such as the Student Satisfaction Survey and the Sexual Violence Prevalence Survey, according to Nasrin Fatima, associate provost for Assessment and Analytics and a member of the climate survey committee.

“While I would have hoped for higher participation amongst our colleagues and students,” said Jones, “the results still inform what we are doing well and those areas we need to improve upon. For example, there is consistency amongst faculty, staff and students that we are true to our mission – that diversity, equity and inclusion is a strength and a priority and a value of ours.”

Jones and Fatima agree that the results provide a valuable baseline, highlighting strengths while also identifying issues that warrant deeper examination and targeted action. Additionally, the ability to disaggregate the findings by subsets of the population provides insight into how different groups within the University experience campus life.

Some of the positive findings suggest that students identify the campus experience as safe, welcoming, intellectually stimulating and respectful of their closely held religious beliefs. Faculty and staff report positive experiences related to collaborations, a shared sense of community and opportunities for professional development. At the same time, both Jones and Fatima identify areas for growth, including communication with underrepresented student populations and enhancing confidence in the hiring process, particularly regarding promotion and tenure.

“These nuanced insights will help guide improvements in communication, support services and policy clarity where they are most needed,” Fatima said.

An overview assessment of the survey can be found on our website. Please contact Nasrin Fatima, Office of the Provost, for additional information and a more detailed report of survey findings.