breadcrumbs-home chemeketa-community-college-abstract-logo chemeketa-community-college-abstract-logo cross minus plus menu search oregon chemeketa-instagram chemeketa-logo-full-color envelope-o star check close home chevron-left chevron-right plus2 chevron-up chevron-down twitter facebook envelope linkedin angle-left angle-right angle-up angle-down rotate-left instagram
Jump to Header Jump to Main Navigation and Secondary Navigation Jump to main content Jump to Footer

Campus Climate Survey

At Chemeketa, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone.

At Chemeketa, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. And to inform us in that effort, we launched our first climate survey in 2020. The results helped inform our new strategic plan, including our values, themes, initiatives, and the work of the Diversity Advisory Council. 

We are launching the campus climate survey again starting February of 2024. It is a best practice to conduct climate surveys on a regular basis to assess improvements and opportunities for growth. The results of the survey will continue to guide our planning and future actions.

The campus climate survey will guide the diversity, equity and inclusion work at the college and in doing so:

  • Help position the college to serve our increasingly diverse student body
  • Promote a positive campus climate for all
  • Foster a welcoming and productive work environment that leads to effective and innovative student-centered practices

Message from President Howard

Since the creation and implementation of Chemeketa’s first diversity plan in 1995, many of you have been, and continue to be involved in promoting an inclusive environment at the college that values diversity.

Indeed, Chemeketa has made commendable progress in attracting and retaining an increasingly diverse student body, promoting inclusive practices at our locations, and providing related professional development opportunities for staff, faculty, and students.  This work is ongoing, expanding, and increasingly critical as our student body continues to become more diverse — not only demographically, but in terms of life experiences, many of which significantly challenge the opportunity for our students to achieve academic success.  

In 2020, we contracted with consulting firms Global Leadership Solutions, LLC and Transcend Consulting Group, LLC to work hand in hand with the college community to effectively develop an equity and inclusion plan for Chemeketa that centered the results of a climate survey.  This year, we are using the same survey instrument to be able to track our progress and celebrate our successes, update the roadmap that resulted from the previous survey, and identify areas for improvement.

The most recent survey shed light on key areas of focus and underscored the significance of an inclusive work environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute. This emphasis on inclusion was further reinforced during the strategic planning process, which culminated in the creation of five new values: adaptability, belonging, community, opportunity, and quality. This academic year, our primary focus is on the value of belonging. We aim to explore its implications and how it can guide our work and shape our desired culture.

It will be critical to hear from an equitable representation of all voices so that our collective action effectively influences the culture we would like to foster at Chemeketa.

Timeline

  • January 2024 - Climate survey plan reviewed with Diversity Advisory Council leadership
  • February 2024 - Survey launches and administered by IR
  • March 2024 - IR compiles survey results
  • April 2024 - Preliminary review of results - summary shared with planning department - data to inform planning process
  • September 2024 - Survey results shared at in-service

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why is a positive campus climate important?

    A positive campus climate leads to a better work environment and an educational experience that provides opportunities for students to fully engage, learn, and succeed. Inclusiveness and belonging are central to our mission fulfillment as an institution that values open access to education for all.

  • Why did Chemeketa decide to do a campus climate survey?

    As Chemeketa embarks in visioning for a future-focused college, a climate assessment will help guide our collective action to improve the campus climate and help position the college to serve an increasingly diverse student body while fostering a welcoming and productive work environment that leads to effective and innovative student-centered practices.

  • What is a campus climate survey?

    A climate survey is intended to examine the full range of student, faculty, and staff experiences related to the learning and working environment — experiences that go to the heart of whether one feels a sense of belonging and inclusion, which is key to feeling that one is able to thrive and succeed here.

  • How will the results be used?

    A campus climate survey is a tool that supports efforts to educate the campus community, inform the review of policies and practices, and improve our learning and working environments. To that end, the survey results inform:

    • Education: from Chemeketa’s cultural competency-related training to classroom instruction, the 2020 survey results were used by different groups on campus to inform curriculum and teaching practices. The data has been shared widely with multiple stakeholder groups including the board of education, Executive Team, Diversity Advisory Council, in-service, some program meetings, team retreats, and more.
    • Planning: the results illuminated areas of focus, which has been used when seeking out grants, during our strategic  planning process, and college planning as a whole.
    • Engagement: The Diversity Advisory Council reviewed all of the quantitative and qualitative data. As a result, they developed specific recommendations, many of which have been implemented or informed other changes.
  • Is the survey confidential?

    Yes. The survey is completely confidential. Results will only be shared in aggregate and comments will be separated from the demographic data.

  • Chemeketa has done many surveys before. How is this one different?

    This survey is different than previously administered surveys with a primary focus on our commitment to equity and an inclusive and respectful environment. It also includes all faculty, staff, and students. This is an assessment of our culture and it will be important that our individual voices are represented and that we take collective action to help influence the culture we would like to foster at Chemeketa.

  • What comes after the survey?

    The survey will be followed by focus groups, and the compilation of these results will culminate in the creation of our diversity and equity roadmap. This roadmap will be comprised of action items that are intended to improve the campus climate for students, faculty, and staff.

    This will be a long journey, which is the reason the diversity and equity plan is being called a roadmap. We may need to take different turns but our intended destination will always be a more inclusive and respectful climate for all.