The 2021 Yale faculty climate surve is an important component of the Belonging at Yale initiative, a comprehensive effort launched by President Peter Salovey in 2020 to enhance diversity, support equity, and promote an environment of inclusion and respect at the university, Yale conducted a university-wide faculty climate survey between October 2021 and December 2021 (during the Delta and Omicron waves of the COVID-19 pandemic). A total of 6,266 Yale faculty (across all ranks and tracks) were invited to take the confidential survey, which was administered by Yale’s Provost’s Office in partnership with MIT’s Office of Institutional Research.
This survey will be repeated every two years and is an important step in advancing the goals of the Belonging at Yale initiative and heightening the culture of equity and inclusion at the university. The intention of the survey is to identify both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in Yale’s campus culture. The survey results will inform subsequent initiatives and collaborations.
Confidentiality
Survey responses remain strictly confidential.
MIT’s Office of Institutional Research collected survey responses and removed personal identifiers (e.g., name and email) from the data file prior to analysis.
Results from the analyses of the data are reported only in the aggregate, in a manner that does not identify individuals. Responses must be given by at least five people for the response to be shared. This is why some responses are not available to share (e.g., when fewer than five URM faculty within a department or professional school responded to a question, those responses will not be shared, in order to protect their confidentiality). Deans, chairs, section chiefs, and other members of the faculty and University leadership do not have access to any individual responses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was invited to take the Faculty Climate Survey?
All faculty who had valid Yale email address and an active appointment as of the survey launch were invited to participate. This includes all full-time and part-time faculty at all ranks. A total of 6,266 Yale faculty were sent invitations to take the survey.
How did the survey accommodate fully-joint faculty?
Faculty holding fully-joint appointments in two or more units were given the option to complete the department- or school-specific questions for all units in which they hold a fully-joint appointment. In other words, they were first asked to answer questions about one unit, then they were asked if they wanted to answer the same questions about another unit.
When did the survey run?
The survey launched on October 28, 2021 and closed on December 20, 2021.
What was the response rate?
30% response rate overall (1910 responded; 6,266 invited)
- 44% ladder faculty response rate (1389 responded; 3163 invited)
- 18% instructional faculty response rate (396 responded; 2147 invited)
- 13% research faculty response rate (125 responded; 956 invited)
How are the data categories defined as shown in the results?
Data definitions are provided here.
Will my dean, chair, section chief, or director see my individual responses?
No chair, section chief, dean, director, nor any faculty member or University leader will see any individual responses. The feedback that you provide will be combined with other people’s feedback, and if enough people respond, your leadership will see only the combined results from you plus at least four of your colleagues.
Why did Yale select MIT to administer this survey?
In addition to their internal service as an administrative group, MIT’s Office of Institutional Research operates as survey administration group for external clients. For this survey, Yale has contracted with the MIT OIR to add an extra layer of confidentiality to the collection of survey responses from Yale faculty who might prefer not to respond directly to a Yale survey internally on the topic of departmental and University climate.
Who designed the survey?
The survey was designed by members of Yale’s Office of Faculty Development, in the Office of the Provost, with input from a Yale faculty advisory group, Yale deans, the MIT Office of Institutional Research, and the Yale Office of Institutional Research.
How will Yale address the survey results?
- As a part of the Belonging at Yale initiative, all schools and/or academic units have recently developed five-year action plans focused on improving their local climate to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) for all faculty. These plans are updated annually and will be adjusted to address areas for improvement found in the survey.
- Each school and/or academic unit will convene gatherings to discuss the results of the survey as well as how the DEIB plans can be modified to better address the survey’s takeaways.
- The Provost’s Office and Deans will assist schools and departments in developing localized mentorship plans aimed at skill-building and enhancing inter- and intradepartmental partnerships to support collaboration.
- With the support of the Provost’s and President’s Offices, Deans will organize community building activities and events within academic units and across academic fields and demographics.
When will the next survey be conducted?
The plan is to conduct the survey every other year. The survey will be conducted again in Fall 2023.