August 25, 2015
University Climate Survey action item development sessions
Submitted by Ruth A. Dyer and Tom Vontz
Last April, Dr. Susan Rankin presented the results of the University Climate Survey to our campus, and the Final Report and Addendum were placed on the University Climate Survey website for the university community to review and consider possible action items in response to the results. Over the summer, all members of the university community were encouraged to submit specific action steps to improve the climate of Kansas State University via a form available at University Climate Survey website.
The next step in our process is to conduct formal sessions this fall to gather additional suggested action items. Sessions have been scheduled Sept. 14-18 in the K-State Student Union as well as on the K-State Salina and K-State Olathe campuses. In addition, an online session will be available for those who are not able to attend a face-to-face session. General university sessions will be conducted at all three campuses and online. Constituent group sessions also will be on the Manhattan campus. The constituent groups are faculty, unclassified professional staff, university support staff, students and diversity.
Individuals who wish to participate are asked to register to attend a particular general university or constituent group session. Registration will be open until noon on Friday, Sept. 4. If all of the scheduled general university or constituent group sessions fill, additional general university sessions will be opened, as needed, to accommodate those on the waiting list. To ensure robust participation, any session with fewer than 10 people registered will be cancelled. Those registrants will be notified by Tuesday, Sept. 8, and given the opportunity to register for any of the additional general university sessions that are opened, if there are people on the waiting list.
Each session will be facilitated by two University Climate Survey Committee members. The suggested action items from all of the sessions will be compiled, and a recommendation from the University Climate Survey Committee will be made to the president and provost that will include the most frequently mentioned action items. The committee recognizes there will be actions that can be undertaken this academic year, and there will be others that will require longer-term strategies and resources to be developed. The president and provost will work with the governance councils and university leadership to identify those priority action items that can be implemented during the 2015-2016 academic year.
We hope you will be able to join us for one of these sessions. If you are not able to attend, you may still submit suggested action items via the website until Sept. 18. We look forward to working with you on this next phase of the University Climate Survey Process.
Ruth Dyer and Tom Vontz
Co-chairs, University Climate Survey Committee