Campus climate assessment and action: disaggregating the social work experience in Canada

Abstract

ABSTRACT Climate surveys hold the potential to advance equity in organizations, serving to generate quantitative data on the depth and breadth of climate-related issues, with its forte being those related to belonging, inclusion, and relationships. When administered in a university, it holds the potential to signal the need for improvements, as climate has been associated with engagement, motivation, wellbeing, and retention. The Faculty of Social Work, where an MSW and PhD program are located (Kitchener, Canada), conducted a climate survey in 2020. This article reports on the survey’s content, key findings, action outcomes, and provides recommendations for others considering such an initiative. The survey was a wake-up call for the department, with five concrete outcomes including establishing student caucus groups, a faculty capacity-development initiative to improve teaching, trainings to address microaggressions, improved integration of EDI into hirings, and campaigns to collect identity-based data for faculty and students. We also share two pending initiatives and two derailed initiatives. Recommendations emphasize the importance of disaggregating results to ensure that disparities are identified in the organization.