| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 25.45 |
| Liaison | Meghann Jarchow |
| Submission Date | Jan. 30, 2023 |
University of South Dakota
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.38 / 1.00 |
Meredith
King Sustainability Sustainability & Environment |
Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:
Sky Factor is an assessment required by South Dakota's Board of Regenets that evaluates campus climate and has a specific diversity section. It was first administered in 2020, but there was a low response rate due to the outbreak of COVID-19. It is currently being administered this year in 2022, but the results are not final yet. It allows staff and students the opportunity to offer feedback on their experiences and the campus's initiatives. Sky Factor assesses topics such as sexual assault, student perceptions, and campus accessibility.
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is distributed to freshmen and seniors every two years. The NSSE is a survey-based assessment of student participation in activities associated with learning and personal development. The last year it was administered was 2020 because it is being replaced with Sky Factor. The student survey is sent through email and has one section about diversity. The results are compared to other schools and provide a benchmark.
The Student Satisfaction Survey (SSI) is administered in odd-numbered years to all students taking at least one on-campus course at USD. Prompting students to rate both the importance and the effectiveness of various campus services, this survey offers general "customer satisfaction" data for a range of university offices and activities. There are several questions in the survey regarding diversity and sexual orientation.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant requires a program evaluation that includes a campus climate survey to all faculty and staff, data from grant-supported programs, and a quantitative summary of research productivity from the grant. It includes data from 2017-2021 about different facets of diversity.
Does the assessment process address campus climate by engaging stakeholders to assess the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of employees and students, including the experiences of underrepresented groups?:
Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:
The 2020 Sky Factor assessment revealed that USD scored very similarly to other institutions. However, both students and faculty reported a below-average score for the visibility section that addressed the campus's commitment to diversity and the proportion of constituents from diverse backgrounds.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant program evaluation revealed some progress, there is still a need for more training and assessment.
The results are used to drive programming topics and campus efforts. It also allows USD to see if they are improving.
Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
Results from the NSSE and SSI are available on the USD website under Institutional Research.
Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.