A high percentage of Pomona College students, staff and faculty feel comfortable with the climate on campus and perceive Pomona to be friendly, welcoming, safe, collaborative, caring and respectful, according to the results of an anonymous campuswide survey administered earlier this year. The climate survey, however, also identifies several areas in which the campus can work together to improve the Pomona experience for all.
Pomona last circulated such a survey in 2020 and the results this year show an overall increase in comfort with classroom and workplace climate and a decrease in the number of those who’ve experienced or observed exclusionary conduct in the past 12 months.
Approximately 45% of the campus community—1,259 people, an 18% higher turnout than 2020—completed the 126-question survey, which broached such topics as respondents’ sense of belonging and comfort within Pomona departments, work units and classes.
While the data represents a snapshot in time, the strong response rate offers valuable insight to inform campus conversations and guide shared priorities in the Strategic Vision.
“Climate surveys are one of several ways we regularly capture sentiments from across our campus,” says Benjamin Keim, associate professor of classics and co-chair of the Climate Study Working Group. “As we learn more about these latest sentiments, expressed through the survey and through further engagement with our community, we will better understand areas of strength, where we’re making progress and where we’ll need to focus our efforts to make Pomona a place where all of our students, staff and faculty can flourish.”
Generated by Rankin Climate, now known as Interwoven Insights, the 107-page report includes key findings regarding on-campus experiences with exclusionary conduct, unwanted sexual conduct, and harassment based on race, color, nation of origin, shared ancestry or religious affiliation.
A Task Force comprised of students, faculty and administrators is reviewing these results and will share recommendations with President G. Gabrielle Starr to address areas of concern identified in the survey.
Below are noteworthy takeaways from each group of the Pomona community:
Students
Students identified their professors and mentors, as well as Pomona’s financial aid, as key contributors to their success at the College.
Four out of five respondents were satisfied with their academic experience at Pomona and said their interactions with faculty outside of the classroom had a positive influence on their career goals and aspirations.
Three-quarters of responding Sagehens felt faculty promoted overall student well-being beyond academics and that Pomona provided resources to support physical wellness in terms of nutrition and fitness.
The majority of student participants felt supported in both their academic and overall well-being and sought additional opportunities for career development. They agreed that Pomona valued the faculty-student dynamic and expressed a desire for more opportunities to grow those relationships.
Transfer students, meanwhile, recommended having more programming for those who came to the College from another institution.
Members of our community also identified deeply concerning conduct that can damage their experience on campus. Students described experiences of racism and racial insensitivity and of hearing anti-Black racial slurs in social and athletic spaces.
When it comes to religious identity and ancestry, several issues were likewise identified.
Forty-two percent of Muslim or Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) respondents felt the need to hide their identity on campus. And the College also found that nearly a third of Jewish respondents felt the need to hide their identity or were concerned about their safety because of their actual or perceived support of Israel.
Fifty-five percent of Jewish respondents reported feeling safe on campus.
Faculty
A high percentage of faculty felt Pomona values teaching and research, with three-quarters of responding professors adding that the College provides professional development resources and that they feel they have job security.
Faculty described positive experiences shaped by supportive departments and the broader campus community. They lauded their “incredible colleagues” and students, and they said the freedom to take sabbaticals and pursue funding for teaching and research were key contributors to their success.
However, one in three faculty felt Pomona effectively communicated information and decisions and that the College provided a transparent process for communicating information. Some professors noted an increase in distance between administrators and faculty when decisions are being made.
Respondents also identified concerns about compensation and perceived inconsistencies in the promotion and tenure process, writing that messaging about standards for promotion are somewhat unclear.
Faculty accounted for 19% of the 249 respondents who indicated they had observed exclusionary conduct on campus, with professors identifying the target’s political views as the top reason why.
Staff
Staff respondents described generally positive workplace experiences and said Pomona provides adequate resources to help manage work-life balance and is supportive of flexible work schedules.
Three of four surveyees felt their supervisors were supportive of participation in College committees or staff socials during their paid work hours.
A majority of responding staff felt they had job security and were positive about their career opportunities at the College. Three of four respondents said they would, if given the chance again, choose to work at Pomona over other employers in the area.
Results this year in comparison to 2020 show an uptick in the percentage of staff members who believe their salaries are competitive and fair. Similarly, 80% of staff believed Pomona’s retirement/supplemental benefits were competitive.
Responding staff raised concerns with Pomona’s performance review process. Other areas of concern included limited advancement opportunities, workloads, tension with supervisors, and compensation.
Pomona’s benefits and the employees’ connection to colleagues were two reasons why such staff members decided to stay.
Moving forward
“The College conducts climate surveys to help us understand where and how we can continue to help Pomona build a stronger community,” Starr says. “When we learn what works, we keep going. When we learn that we have gaps, we can change course. The participation of our community in this survey, thus, is important and I appreciate it deeply.”
The College has already taken several steps over the past year to address longer standing student, staff and faculty concerns, and the Task Force will continue that charge using the survey results to guide next steps.
Pomona has continued to make significant investments in faculty and staff compensation.
In recent years, the College has raised its minimum wage to $26.50 for all benefits-eligible employees and implemented a series of market-based salary adjustments. This year, the College began making additional investments in faculty salaries as part of a multi-year effort to more fully account for geographic cost-of-living differences in our salary benchmarking. The College’s long-standing goal of ranking among the top three of its peer institutions in faculty compensation remains unchanged.
Pomona’s Shared Governance Initiative was launched last year to clarify governance structures and strengthen community understanding of how decisions at Pomona are made and communicated, who is consulted and how the campus community can better collaborate. That work continues this year.
Beginning this past spring, Pomona rolled out new annual Title VI trainings for students, staff and faculty, while at the start of this semester, new trainings to cultivate an anti-racist and anti-exclusionary campus culture were rolled out to incoming students and others.
The College continues to expand dialogue programming to provide tools for our community to engage together across political and social differences.
As we look ahead, the survey results are expected to inform conversations and decisions around belonging, student success and employee engagement. They’ll serve as a reference point to help measure progress over time.