[Cas-allemps] Update on UO/CAS Climate Survey

[CAS Dean]

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to update you on CAS’s actions for engaging with the UO Climate Survey.  As you know, to help build a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus community, the university partnered with Gallup to conduct a workplace climate survey in Spring 2022. The goals of the survey are to identify structural, cultural, and institutional factors that affect campus climate and to use the survey results to improve the climate through targeted action plans. That work is underway at university, college, and department levels.
In CAS, a Climate Survey Engagement Team was appointed in February to lead the college-level assessment of results and create recommendations. That team of faculty, staff, and graduate students has started their work and will recommend in a report to me actions that can be taken by the college to improve our climate. I anticipate sharing their report towards the end of spring term.

HOW WILL DEPARTMENTS USE SURVEY DATA? The CAS climate survey results are meant to serve as a starting point for faculty and staff to discuss their unit’s climate, asking, in a nutshell: what’s working, what’s not working, and what can we do about it? While the survey data are informative, they represent a snapshot in time, and they don’t provide context. We hope that department-level discussions will add context that illuminates the survey responses and lead to actionable plans that (in combination with university and college actions) increase our sense of community and work satisfaction.

WHAT IS THE TIMING? Last month, the CAS-specific results of the climate survey were shared with departmental heads, and they formulated plans to discuss the survey results in their units with all of you in the coming weeks.  We expect departmental conversations about the survey results and planning for department actions to begin now and continue through May. We are asking each department to submit their preliminary action plans by late May. As mentioned earlier, we also expect to receive recommendations from the CAS Climate Survey Engagement Team in late April and my office will provide a status report outlining plans in the college and departments to the Office of the Provost in late May. The bulk of the work to carry out action plans across CAS will occur in the 2023-2024 academic year.

I want to thank you in advance for your engagement in this process. Conversations about our climate can be enlightening and they also may be uncomfortable.  Yet making sure we talk about ways we can improve our climate is crucial to understanding how best to support all CAS community members.

With appreciation,
Chris


Chris J. Poulsen
Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Earth Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences | University of Oregon
1030 E. 13th Avenue | Eugene, OR | 97403<https://www.bing.com/search?q=1030%20E.%2013th%20Avenue%20|%20Eugene,%20OR%20|%2097403>
Pronouns: he/his​

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