Improving Campus Climate For Faculty From Underrepresented Groups

A continuing challenge in engineering in higher education is that of professional equity regarding opportunity for advancement and job satisfaction due to differences in gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability and other factors. Because there are more women and persons of color visible within engineering faculties and administrations than ever before, casual observers might conclude that significant progress has been made in creating an equitable climate in academia. A preponderance of recent studies, however, demonstrate that while women and individuals from other underrepresented groups have gained access to some faculty and administrative positions, this has not necessarily translated into consistent patterns of success through all levels of academic hierarchies and leadership positions. For example, some universities do a good job of recruiting and hiring women faculty and faculty of color, yet beyond this, both groups are consistently underrepresented at certain levels of faculty administration, such as department chair, dean, and endowed chairs. 1-7 In 2005, Boise State University, a mid-sized, metropolitan university, administered a Campus Climate Survey to gain an understanding of how these national trends presented themselves on a particular campus, with the long-term goal of transforming campus climate and culture to enhance opportunities for underrepresented groups. In general, between two-thirds and threequarters of the faculty who responded to the survey reported that they have been treated fairly and equitably while at the university. The following analysis sheds light on the approximately one-quarter to one-third of faculty members who did not feel that they had been equitably treated while also focusing on responses from the science and engineering faculty in particular. Additionally, this paper explores ways in which engineering and science departments and universities can use climate data to inform strategic plans of action. Campus Climate Survey Equity in academia involves a variety of factors: in addition to hiring and promotion rates, equity includes more subtle issues such as access to leadership opportunities and key committee assignments, allocation of resources, the public valuation of research agendas, recognition and awards, policies and procedures that take into account the needs of the majority as well as underrepresented groups, and, perhaps most importantly, university, college and departmental culture that promotes perceptions of fair and equal treatment. 8 The current institutional culture at most colleges and universities values a traditional type of leadership that often does not recognize the distinctive talents and achievements of women, ethnic and racial minorities, those with disabilities and those of a variety of sexual orientations. Faculty drawn from these underrepresented groups are often advised how to “work the system” already in place. 9 Such faculty struggle to reconcile their gender identities, family priorities, cultural norms, and personal values with a conflicting university culture and institutional imperatives that make little real accommodation for diverse needs. In many cases, job dissatisfaction results, leading to low retention rates for faculty from underrepresented groups. 10-13 Ironically, these are often the faculty members that universities are working hardest to recruit and retain. P ge 13713.2 In Fall 2005, Boise State University administered a Campus Climate Survey to faculty, staff and students. The results from the faculty portion of the survey are allowing the university to begin the process of cultural transformation. Science and engineering (S&E) faculty at the university are taking a key leadership role in addressing these issues for S&E faculty from underrepresented groups, with the long term goal of incorporating the gains they have made into the university as a whole for faculty, staff, and students. They have forged a coalition of key faculty and staff across campus who exercise responsibility for, and interest in, equity issues. This coalition has applied for an NSF ADVANCE Grant for Institutional Transformation. These S&E leaders are also the first subgroup to request a microanalysis of Campus Climate Survey results specific to their disciplines and interests. In Spring 2005, the university provost charged a 21-member committee comprised of faculty, administrators, staff, students, and a community member to develop and administer the survey and analyze the responses. The committee undertook an extensive review of model campus climate surveys from across the nation, including those from the University of WisconsinMadison, the University of Arizona, the University of Washington, and the California system, prior to developing faculty, staff and student survey instruments best suited to their campus. Survey instruments were peer reviewed as well as analyzed by experts in Institutional Analysis Assessment & Reporting. “The principle objectives of the survey were to identify and gauge perceptions of the campus community about equity in regard to issues of age, gender, faith, ability, nationality, race/ethnicity, veteran status, political ideology and sexual orientation; identify what students, staff and faculty perceive as roots or cause of inequity on campus; and gather input regarding possible solutions or actions that the university should take that would change the respondents’ perceptions regarding equity on campus.” 14 The online survey took place from November 17 to December 5, 2005. Campus personnel received an email from the university president and students received an email from the student association president announcing the survey and providing the appropriate link to faculty, staff or student versions of the survey. In addition, banners were posted in visible, high traffic areas around campus, and fliers were mailed to all faculty and staff to encourage participation. After the closing of the survey, a subgroup of the original Campus Climate Committee quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed the data. Analysts used SPSS to complete the quantitative data analysis. The qualitative data was analyzed using domain analysis, categorizing responses into broad themes and issues brought up by multiple respondents into the most comprehensive representation of the entire group of respondents. This subgroup merged their reports and prepared a 150-page report of the overall findings which was submitted to the provost after extensive peer review. University-wide, between two-thirds and three-quarters of the overall faculty who responded to the survey (53% of faculty responded; n~361) reported that they have been treated fairly and equitably while at the university. Significantly, those faculty among the one-third to one-quarter who reported that they had not received equal treatment and opportunities for leadership and advancement tended to come from underrepresented groups such as women, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities that engineering departments and universities are trying to recruit and retain. And while over 90% of faculty members were aware of policies in place to protect them against discrimination, harassment and intimidation, faculty appear to question the extent to which such policies are enforced, both for themselves and for other faculty P ge 13713.3 members, particularly from the specific subgroups mentioned above. Two-thirds of faculty overall (67%) reported that they feel comfortable bringing up issues of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Climate for Science and Engineering Faculty The rest of this analysis attempts to shed light on S&E faculty more specifically, in contrast with the wider university faculty population, and on the experiences of certain underrepresented groups among the S&E faculty: women, persons of color, and those who identified as Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/or Transgender/Transsexual (LGBT). Other categories – such as age, level of ability, faith, political ideology, country of origin, and veteran status – were also analyzed but are not part of this discussion due to space limitations. For the three groups under discussion – women, persons of color, and LGBT faculty – four survey categories with the most relevance for this analysis are: ‚ Fair and Equal Treatment for Self and Others at Boise State University, ‚ Valuation of a Faculty Member’s Work by the University, ‚ Equal Opportunities for Leadership and Advancement, and ‚ Experiences of Harassment and Intimidation. At this university, tenured and tenure track S&E faculty are spread over 20 departments and total 195 individuals. In broad terms this includes faculty from the College of Engineering, mathematics, and biological, physical, social and behavioral sciences. The Campus Climate Survey asked faculty participants to identify with a college, such as the College of Engineering, or with a specific division, such as the Sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology) within the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty from the nine behavioral or social science departments outside of Engineering or Arts and Sciences were not distinguishable in this survey and were included in the university faculty at large. Thus, the term S&E from this point forward in this paper refers to faculty from all seven departments in the College of Engineering and the four science departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, with the largest percentage of respondents from Engineering. Overall, 43% of S&E tenured and tenure track faculty responded to the Campus Climate Survey. S&E women faculty are much more likely than faculty women generally at the university to agree or strongly agree that they have been treated fairly and equally while at the university, that their work is valued, and that they have enjoyed equal opportunities for leadership. In fact, S&E women faculty report higher levels of agreement on these