In the fall of 2018 from October 29 to November 16, the University of North Texas distributed its first ever campus-wide climate survey to identify strengths and opportunities related to diversity, equity and inclusion to all faculty, staff, students and administrators. The survey was also available in Spanish, and served as a blueprint for future diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for the university.

Constituent-specific surveys were distributed via UNT email to faculty, staff, students and administrators with questions collecting data about their specific experiences. Incentives were provided to increase participation, and respondent anonymity was protected.

Why are we conducting this survey?

As we continue to grow, inclusion has become an increasingly integral focal point for the University of North Texas due both to its changing demographics as an emerging Minority Serving Institution (MSI) with nearly 50% students of color and our emerging status as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), currently with approximately 22% Latinx students. UNT will assess our existing policies, programs, practices and people to determine whether current approaches effectively serve these students, and the faculty and staff that support them.

UNT also seeks to create a diverse and inclusive working environment where all employees - regardless of identity, rank or status - can be fully engaged. The resulting data will be used to create a strategic plan for diversity and inclusion that will guide our efforts for the coming years as we strive to become one of the greatest places to work, learn and grow.

Planning Committee and Timeline
The Climate Survey Planning Committee has representation from faculty, staff, students and administrators across the campus appointed by the UNT President’s Cabinet. Beginning in the fall of 2017, the planning committee worked collaboratively across three subcommittees: marketing, incentives and distribution – to actualize the climate survey’s goal of awareness, engagement, and action.

Using the Viewfinder survey tool as a guide, the planning committee sought input from faculty, staff, students, and administrators to create surveys unique to UNT’s needs. Leading the charge as the first institution to request that the survey tool be translated into Spanish, UNT will provide assistance to Spanish-speaking employees (as with the Gallup Survey) so they are also able to provide their perspectives through the climate survey tool.

What's Next?
After the survey is distributed October 29 – November 16, quantitative data will be analyzed to determine whether qualitative data is needed via focus groups. Such groups will be conducted in the spring of 2019, after which the development of UNT’s strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion will begin. Survey data and the strategic plan will be shared in the Fall of 2019, and recommendations regarding UNT’s infrastructure of policies, programs, practices and people will be made in alignment with the survey data.

Stay tuned to this page for updates and follow us on social media at #IncludeMeUNT! For information about the climate survey, contact climate.survey@unt.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will my anonymity be protected?

The climate survey will be distributed by Survey Monkey, and respondents will be sent the appropriate constituent-specific tool (i.e. faculty, staff, student, or administrator) based upon university data requests. Respondents should answer the survey based upon their primary role with the university – i.e. if you are a full-time employee but a part-time student, respondents should answer the employee tool.

To qualify for incentives, respondents must complete the survey and then will be directed into a separate Qualtrics survey that will collect their contact information for the purpose of collecting incentives. You must complete the survey in order to qualify for the incentive.

How will I know if I won an incentive?

Once you have completed the survey, come out of the Survey Monkey platform, and entered into the Qualtrics tool, you will be asked to provide your contact information (ex. personal email, phone number). Incentive eligibility is forfeited if a respondent cannot be reached after 3 attempts.

The winner of the car will be announced at the 2019 Equity & Diversity Conference.

How do the results affect me?

UNT’s first-ever climate survey will provide a division-based “snapshot” of faculty, staff, student, and administrator perspectives, perceptions, and experiences of diversity, inclusion, harassment, and equity . The data will be disaggregated by various demographics asked in the survey to provide greater insights regarding student and employee experiences. Themes and trends identified in the survey will result in the creation of focus groups to collect more information.