As you may recall, on Oct. 31 we released the Executive Summary of our Campus Climate Survey; on Nov. 5 we held two campus-wide open forums and a student forum at which Dr. Sue Rankin, the UW System consultant on the Climate Survey, made presentations on our survey results; and on Nov. 6 we released the Entire Survey.
I am pleased that UW Oshkosh and four other UW system institutions — UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Milwaukee and UW Colleges — conducted these surveys so we can analyze the results and create action plans to continue to improve the climates on our campuses.
As promised, we’ve set up a process for the entire campus to discuss the survey results and to submit reports on this feedback by Jan. 23, 2009. Student governance groups will file their feedback reports by Feb. 27, 2009.
This feed back will be monitored by Pam Lassiter, Director of Equity and Affirmative Action, who will share it with the Diversity Leadership Committee.
Everyone in the UW Oshkosh community is encouraged to review the full survey and to participate in discussions of it that will be arranged by leaders of the following groups:
- All campus governance groups (Faculty Senate, Senate of Academic Staff, OSA and Classified Staff Advisory Council)
- Administrators (Provost, Vice Chancellors and Deans)
- The Alliance for Equity & Diversity (ADA Advisory Board, UW Oshkosh Diversity Council, Gender Equity Council, LBGTQ Resource Center, LBGTQ Education & Advocacy Council, Office of Equity & Affirmative Action, Council for Equity & Affirmative Action, and a student task group approved by OSA.)
Each group and leader is responsible for obtaining feedback and for filing a report with the Diversity Leadership Committee, chaired by Professor Denise Clark, which will summarize the individual reports and provide recommendations to me and to the Alliance for Equity and Diversity, chaired by Pam Lassiter, Director of Equity and Affirmative Action. Both campus groups will work with UW System, which is providing an Inclusive Excellence strategic framework for all UW campuses to use as they frame their plans.
The Alliance will use those recommendations, as well as the results of the Equity Scorecard and the Plan 2008 Evaluation, to create a first draft of a UW Oshkosh Inclusive Excellence Action Plan. The plan will integrate, coordinate, assess and create accountability for institution-wide results.
To help facilitate the review process, members of the Diversity Leadership Committee, Provost Al Hartman and I are drafting suggested Climate Study discussion questions. Individuals, small groups and formal groups will be asked to respond to these discussion questions using an Web site. The Provost will ask the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to review the survey format, guidelines and questions. Upon IRB approval, Provost Al Hartman, Professor Denise Clark and E/AA Director Pam Lassiter plan to launch the campus-wide process to obtain feedback on the survey during the week of Nov. 17, 2008.
Your feedback will help UW Oshkosh develop its Inclusive Excellence Action Plan. The plan will provide a framework for our continuing work on making our campus a more welcoming and inclusive place to work, learn and live.
As a campus, we value diversity and inclusion, and we strive to have a campus community that fosters cooperation, collaboration and mutual respect of individuals and ideas. Thanks again for participating in the review of this very important survey. I look forward to seeing the reports on Jan. 23, 2009 and Feb. 27, 2009.
Richard H. Wells
Chancellor
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