Dear Sagehens,
Today, we formally launch our campus climate survey—now open to all students, faculty and staff through March 6. I encourage you to make your voices heard by completing the survey.
Rankin Climate, the external partner supporting Pomona College’s efforts, defines campus climate as, “the current attitudes and behaviors of faculty, staff, administrators and students, as well as institutional policies and procedures, that influence the level of respect for individual needs, abilities and potential.” This shared understanding helps us evaluate our community’s experiences and identify opportunities to make improvements.
We conducted our last climate survey during the 2019-2020 school year. The feedback the College received inspired several initiatives, including:
- reimagined student, faculty and staff wellness programs
- an enhanced faculty mentoring and retention program
- a salary equity study for staff
- a new staff evaluation process that focused more intently on career development opportunities
- a refresh of the lobby at Harwood Hall
- access for staff, faculty and students to LinkedIn Learning
The survey we are launching today follows up on these efforts, and helps us assess the impact of these and other actions. The results will inform Pomona’s future course and additional potential initiatives—so it’s vital that we hear from all of you.
As in 2019-2020, we have contracted with Rankin Climate to lead this effort. The survey is confidential and anonymous, and I want to assure all of you that neither Rankin Climate nor Pomona will collect any identifiable data as part of this effort. We want our community’s candid feedback, and maintaining confidentiality is the best way to accomplish this. Full details are available on our recently launched Campus Climate page.
Thank you for helping to create a positive climate for everyone at Pomona.
Sincerely,
Gabi
G. Gabrielle Starr
President, Pomona College
Philip and Gertrude McConnell Professor
Departments of English and Neuroscience