The Faculty Assessment of Campus Climate

Summary

The Faculty Assessment of Campus Climate survey was mailed in March 1998 to 2,648 salaried faculty members working at least one-half time. The overall response rate was 50 percent. The results were analyzed by location (on and off campus), gender, and race/ethnicity. Responses from faculty members with disabilities and gay, lesbian, and bisexual faculty members were also analyzed and reported separately.

Figure 1 summarizes the overall level of positive response (agreement) for the 15 major dimensions of the survey and then contrasts the responses of white male faculty with those of respondents of "minority status," including women, faculty of color, and non-heterosexual males.

Findings

The following points are among the critical findings of the survey:

• There was near universal agreement that diversity was good for Virginia Tech and should be actively promoted (94 percent). However, other statements concerning the importance of diversity or the means to achieve it received far less support. For example, 40 percent of on-campus faculty members felt that Virginia Tech was placing too much emphasis on diversity; 56 percent felt that one problem with diversity was the admission of under-prepared students; and 44 percent were concerned that affirmative action would lead to hiring less qualified faculty members (See Figure 2).
• More than 90 percent of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that their work relationships with colleagues were good. These strong, positive relationships exist across gender and race/ethnicity.
• The departmental climate for various groups and the professional treatment experienced by faculty members within their department were judged more positively than the university climate.
• White male faculty members generally felt that women and faculty of color were adequately represented on committees and were given the same opportunities for administrative positions, but women and faculty of color did not share these perceptions.
• On-campus women respondents assessed every aspect of the climate less positively than did men. While only a third of women respondents rated the university climate relatively non-sexist, more than two-thirds of men perceived the climate for women as positive (See Figure 3). Perhaps not surprisingly, women experienced discrimination or harassment more frequently than men, but they also observed problems related to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other aspects of diversity more often than men. They were also more critical of the university¹s efforts and commitment related to diversity and more knowledgeable about and willing to participate in diversity-related programming than their male colleagues.
• On-campus African-American faculty members perceived the climate for diversity, particularly outside their departments, as racist, and they were deeply skeptical of the university¹s commitment to diversity in general and to the success of faculty members and students of color. Whites were largely unaware of the extent of racism perceived in the university climate by African-Americans. For example, 65 percent of African-Americans judged the university climate as relatively racist compared with only 18 percent of white respondents (See Figure 4).
• Nearly one-half of the women, two-thirds of the African-Americans, and three-quarters of the lesbian/gay respondents felt that they had to change some of their personal characteristics (language, dress, behavior) in order to fit in at Virginia Tech, compared to one-quarter of white heterosexual males (See Figure 5).
• Asian faculty members have experienced unfair treatment based on their accent and, in some cases, national origin, with a relatively high degree of frequency. However, the responses of Asian faculty members on many items did not differ significantly from white responses.
• Given the deep divide in experiences and perceptions by race/ethnicity and by gender, the responses of white faculty members to the question concerning interest in attending workshops on various diversity issues are not encouraging. Only 31 percent of white men expressed interest in attending workshops or programs on learning to work with or teach women, minorities, non-heterosexuals, or those with disabilities.
• The majority of faculty members with disabilities (67-70 percent) rated the accessibility and supportiveness of their department positively. However, more than 60 percent felt that they do not fit in very well socially with other members of their department compared to 32 percent of faculty members without a disability.
• More than one-half of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual faculty members reported that they had been treated unfairly or harassed at Virginia Tech because of their sexual orientation (See Figure 6), and three-quarters have felt pressure to remain silent about issues of sexual orientation.
• In general, gay, lesbian, and bisexual faculty members report positive acceptance and treatment as professionals at Virginia Tech but do not feel socially accepted or comfortable in the university community. Survey respondents of all types judged the university climate to be least supportive of non-heterosexuals, even less supportive than the climate related to race or gender.
• Off-campus faculty members generally held more positive attitudes and views about Virginia Tech¹s climate for diversity. Differences by race/ethnicity and by gender were also less extreme among faculty members working away from the Blacksburg campus compared to their on-campus colleagues.

Conclusions

Among the conclusions of the Faculty Assessment of Campus Climate most relevant to the University Diversity Strategic Plan are the following:

• Responses by race/ethnicity reveal a deep divide and serious problems for Virginia Tech, with African-Americans the most seriously dissatisfied.
• Whites tend to be relatively unaware of the extent of racism perceived in the university climate by African-Americans. And men perceive the environment as far more supportive of women than do women themselves.
• The relatively low level of interest expressed by white males in learning about diversity suggests that the extent of dissatisfaction expressed by women and minorities is not well recognized or appreciated as an institutional or personal priority for change.

Highlights from the Faculty Affirmative Action Report

The Provost¹s Office annually reviews and assembles data concerning women and minorities at Virginia Tech to highlight trends over the past five years and determine areas of concern. These data are also used to complete reports for state and/or federal agencies. Among the highlights of the fall 1999 report are the following:

• The number of new tenure-track faculty hired during 1999--83--is the largest number hired in any one year during the 1990s. The number of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty (1,387) has now returned to the size more typical of the early 1990s.
• From fall 1995 to fall 1999, the number and percentage of tenured and tenure-track women faculty increased from 217 to 277 (16 percent to 20 percent). Growth in the number and proportion of women varies from college to college, with the greatest increase occurring in the College of Human Resources and Education and the least change occurring in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The College of Engineering has doubled the number of women in tenure-track positions from 9 to 19 over the five-year period. The percentage of women in administrative and professional roles outside the colleges remained the same over the five-year period (33 percent of administrative and 48 percent of professional faculty positions). See Figure 7 and Figure 8.
• The number of minorities among the total faculty remains virtually the same as in fall 1995, and the proportion of minority faculty has decreased from 10.5 percent to 9.8 percent as a result of growth in the overall size of the faculty. See Figure 9. The number of Asian faculty decreased from 126 to 108 over the five-year period. The number of Asian faculty holding tenured and tenure-track positions actually increased, while the number of Asians among the special research faculty in the colleges and research centers decreased. All other groups increased in number over the five-year period. Figure 10 gives the breakdown by race/ethnicity for faculty as of fall 1999.
• The number of African-American tenured and tenure-track faculty members increased from 31 in fall 1998 to 34 in fall 1999 (2.5 percent of the total). The number of African-Americans in executive/administrative positions outside the academic colleges also increased from 3 percent in fall 1995 to 6 percent in fall 1999.

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