Message from the President and Interim Provost: Campus Climate
July 19, 2021
Dear UTRGV Family,
A few months ago, we reached out to every student and full-time employee in hopes of learning more about how to improve the UTRGV experience. And after everything that has happened over the past year — the challenges and sacrifices, fear and uncertainty — there are only two words that begin to acknowledge what you’ve done for our institution: Thank you.
Considering that the Transforming Our World Campus Climate Survey was administered during a global pandemic, we are so pleased, not only by the turnout but also by the overwhelming sense of pride, satisfaction, and trust that our students, faculty, and staff have in UTRGV.
This year, approximately 54% of full-time employees and 7% of all students made their voices heard by participating in the survey. If you don’t think those numbers are impressive, let us provide some context. According to ModernThink, our survey partner, the average employee response rate on similar surveys administered at colleges and universities across the country is 44%. Though more employees responded this year compared to 2018 (50%), our student response rate was slightly lower than it was three years ago but still within the typical range for student surveys nationwide.
“Unheard of” Results
While these strong participation figures reveal confidence in this process, the results themselves say significantly more about our people and the ground we have covered to this point. Based on your feedback, UTRGV’s campus climate has improved dramatically since the 2018 survey. Some of the most striking advances were among employees, which saw significant increases in positive responses across all areas, including double-digit gains in some categories. According to ModernThink, shifts of this magnitude are virtually unheard of. We should all be proud of what this means for our university and celebrate these achievements.
Next Steps
ModernThink will formally present the full results of both the employee and student surveys during separate LIVE online town halls, while faculty and staff in the Division of Health Affairs will receive results from their StandPointEngagement Survey from AAMC. The details of these sessions are still being finalized, but we invite everyone to join and learn more about what led to these remarkable outcomes. In the meantime, our team will continue to analyze the data and hold division meetings in preparation for action planning this fall.
Overall, the sentiment here at UTRGV is very positive. But while we have made incredible progress across the institution since 2018, there is still much work to do. Once again, thank you for taking the time to participate in this year’s survey — we can’t say it enough. Your perspective is critical to our success and is already helping guide decisions that will enhance the UTRGV experience now and in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
President
Janna Arney
Deputy President & Interim Provost