In the fall of 2024, the college embarked on a climate survey to follow an earlier survey from 2020. 

Survey data were collected and maintained by the UW Survey Center and analyzed by Scott Wildman in Data, Academic Planning, and Institutional Research (DAPIR), under the supervision of Vice Provost and Chief Data & Analytics Officer Allison La Tarte and Vice Provost of Faculty and Staff Affairs Kent Weigel. Data were analyzed per best practices of survey data analysis and corrected for multiple comparisons. Results were reported on the lowest unit possible while maintaining anonymity based on demographics.

The survey was completed by 731 respondents, a 34% response rate, representing all personnel types (faculty, staff, graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows) across CALS departments and units. 

The college’s Equity and Diversity Committee (EDC) will consider the report as a tool to support their efforts to improve climate and inclusion across the college. The EDC is co-chaired by Senior Assistant Dean Tom Browne and a faculty co-chair. Late last week, Kent Weigel and Allison La Tarte presented the data to Browne; Associate Professor Brad Bolling, outgoing faculty co-chair; Associate Professor Christelle Guedot, incoming faculty co-chair; Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Graduate Student Engagement Heather White; and Dean Gillaspy. 

Read the unedited report provided by the Office of the Provost.

Technical note: To ensure anonymity, the DAPIR analysis grouped open ended question results from the survey by themes and summarized them within the report. 

The college and the EDC will be working to develop a college-wide action plan and encourage departments and units to consider how local efforts could support this plan. Additionally, department chairs will be discussing results during the annual department chair retreat in August.