Ithaca College

Submitted on behalf of Dr. Roger Richardson, Interim Chief Diversity Officer; Associate Provost

What is campus climate?  Dr. Susan Rankin of Rankin and Associates Consulting, is serving as the outside consultant for Ithaca College’s climate survey.  Dr. Rankin defines campus climate as, “the current attitudes, behaviors, standards and practices of employees and students of an institution.”  The climate is often shaped through person experiences, perceptions and institutional efforts.

The idea to conduct a climate survey originated from interested students, faculty and staff at Ithaca College who believe data from such a survey might be useful in improving the Ithaca College Climate.

Why is a positive climate important?  Dr. Rankin’s research maintains that positive personal experiences with campus climate and positive perceptions of campus climate generally equate to successful outcomes.  Examples of successful outcomes include positive educational experiences and healthy identity development for students, productivity and sense of value for faculty and staff, and overall well-being for all.

Students, staff and faculty at Ithaca College are invited and encouraged to attend an overview presentation by Dr. Susan Rankin and Dr. Emil Cunningham on the climate study.  Listed below are sessions, dates and times to attend.

Students: 

Tuesday, February 2 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm in Clark Lounge, Campus Center

Faculty: 

Tuesday, February 2 from 12:10 pm to 1:00 pm in Textor 101

Staff:  

Tuesday, February 2 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in CNS 333

The timeline for the campus climate survey includes four phases.  The first phase will involve conducting focus groups (spring 2016), survey development (spring/summer 2016), survey implementation that will input from all students, faculty and staff (fall 2016), reporting of results (spring 2017).

“Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Student Affairs & Campus Life at sdsmith@ithaca.edu or 607-274-3376.  We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.”