Dear JMC Faculty, Staff and Students,
Last fall, the college invited you to participate in a climate and culture survey to better understand your experiences at JMC. The initiative is intended to help the college propose and implement future improvements. The last climate survey was conducted in 2016 and this year’s version measured similar concepts.
MSU's Office for Survey Research conducted the survey on behalf of JMC and delivered its results. All four reports and survey instrument information are available on JMC’s website.
I am grateful to all who participated: 67% of faculty and staff and 13.7% of students. Due to lower student participation, the findings may not comprehensively represent the views of our broader college community. We recognize this limitation while still valuing the insights provided. The results offer direction as we continue our commitment to building a campus environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
I’m looking forward to working with you to interpret and respond to these results. The first step will be discussions at the April 11 College Assembled meeting and the State of the College Community Breakfast on April 16.
In the meantime, I want to highlight a few of the survey’s findings:
Diversity: Diversity within the college, especially faculty, is of concern for students, faculty and staff. Most respondents were dissatisfied with the college’s level of racial/ethnic diversity.
Classroom Experiences: Most students reported that professors create safe and open learning environments where they welcome diverse views related to race and ethnicity. That said, BIPOC students indicated that they felt responsible for educating others about their race/ethnicity/national origin and felt the need to represent those perspectives in the classroom.
Comparisons between 2016 and 2024 data indicate that, while still positive, favorable classroom experience scores have decreased.
JMC Curriculum: Overall, students were positive in their view of the college curriculum in both their major and elective courses. Perceptions of whether course curriculum addresses issues related to race and ethnicity largely improved between 2016 and 2024, indicating that faculty efforts to revamp curriculum have helped to address student concerns.
Racial Bias Incidents: While the percentage of students who reported experiencing incidents of bias decreased between 2016 and 2024 (an 18.6% decrease outside the classroom and a 6.5% decrease in the classroom), slightly more than half of students reported experiencing a bias incident. High percentages of faculty and staff experienced (or witnessed) racial bias incidents that involved both students and colleagues in and outside of the classroom.
Responding to bias incidents is an urgent priority area. Large percentages of students responded that racial bias incidents are rarely or never addressed (47.7% for incidents in the classroom and 71.8% for incidents outside the classroom). Results indicate that one of the keys to improving how we address bias incidents lies in educating all community members on how to address and report them. Communication with all groups will be a priority, as most indicated low confidence in the college’s effectiveness around communication on how to address and report bias incidents.
Cameron G. Thies
Dean and MSU Foundation Professor
James Madison College
Michigan State University