Campus climate is defined as “the current attitudes, behaviors and standards of faculty, staff, administrators and students concerning the level of respect for individual needs, abilities and potential" (Rankin and Reason 2008). 

At St. Catherine University, having an inclusive campus is part of our mission. We aim to create a community where each person is genuinely valued, respected, and supported in belonging.

Climate surveys help colleges and universities measure and assess how their diversity and belonging efforts for students, faculty, staff, and administrators are working, as well as areas in that work where they can do better. This survey will provide insight into what shapes the experiences and perceptions of individuals to help our institution create an environment where everyone feels safe, welcome, valued, and respected. 

Research consistently shows that a strong sense of belonging is linked to higher student retention, academic success, employee engagement, and overall well-being.

We want all members of our community to participate in this survey! Our definition of “campus” includes all St. Kate’s community members, not just those living or working on campus. That’s why we named our Campus Climate Survey the “St. Kate’s Climate Survey.”

The climate survey goes beyond satisfaction—it helps us understand whether students, staff, and faculty feel valued, respected, and included at St. Kate's. The results will guide concrete actions to strengthen equity, belonging, and accountability across our community.

President Evans initiated the survey process soon after beginning her role at St. Kate’s. She named Jackie Font-Guzmán and D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch as co-chairs of the St. Kate’s Climate Survey Task Force. This task force developed and implemented the survey, choosing HEDS to collect survey data.

The Higher Education Data Sharing consortium (HEDS) is a trusted organization of colleges and universities committed to sharing knowledge and advancing education, inclusion, and success. The HEDS Campus Climate Survey is one of a number of survey instruments HEDS offers, and is considered the top standard by which institutions can measure and assess the effectiveness of their work on equity and inclusion. Since 2018, HEDS has administered this Campus Climate Survey to more than 300,000 students, faculty and staff at more than 400 institutions.

The HEDS Campus Climate Survey asks students, faculty, staff, and administrators about their perceptions of their institution’s climate, how their institution supports different people and groups on their campus, and about their experiences with discrimination and harassment at their institution.

The survey is designed to be administered to everyone in the campus community – faculty, staff, administrators, and students. The survey usually takes around 15 minutes to complete, and participants’ responses are anonymous.

The St. Kate’s community completed a HEDS Campus Climate Survey in 2020. 

The recommended interval is every 3 years.

You will receive an email directly from HEDS inviting you to participate in the survey that will include a link to your survey.

Alternatively, you may access the survey through a QR code printed on one of our promotional flyers. Using a QR code to access the survey will require you to verify your identity. This information will be kept anonymous, and your identity will remain hidden from St. Kate’s.

The survey is set to profile mode, which is easier for screen reader adaptability. 

Please reach out to Student Accessibility and Accommodations, accessibility@stkate.edu, with any further questions. 

HEDS estimates that the survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Respondents will be able to pause and resume the survey as needed.

The survey will be live starting on February 9, 2026, and will close on March 8, 2026. 

Once the survey closes, there will be a period of initial analysis of the data collected; this will run through April 2026. A report of preliminary findings will be written and shared with University leaders and stakeholders in the spring.

A final report and action plan will be written over the summer months, and a full report with institutional commitments to an action plan will be shared by late August, 2026

Every voice at St. Kate’s matters and is important. Our hope is that everyone in our community completes the survey.

By working with HEDS, which collects and stores the data outside of the University systems. The data we receive from HEDS after the survey closes has no personal or identifiable information from the respondents. This includes information such as:

• Respondent name
• Email address
• Student or employee identification number
• IP address
• (if faculty member) Area of teaching

The HEDS team also reviews open-ended text responses and removes the names of anyone who identifies themselves or is accused of discrimination and/or harassment, and sends the reviewed open-ended text responses in a separate file.

Yes. We are committed to transparency. Survey results will be shared broadly across the community and serve as the foundation for an equity and belonging action plan. We expect to share a report of the survey results by the time students and faculty return to campus to start the 2026-2027 Academic Year.

The data will help us focus our energy and resources on the areas that matter most to the community. Once the full report is shared, the Task Force intends to host community discussions in September and October 2026. These will be opportunities to review findings together as well as gather input to help inform what action items and accountability measures will be used as we track progress in our Equity and Belonging action plan.

Contact the co-chairs of the St. Kate’s Climate Survey Task Force, Jackie Font-Guzmán and D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, at equitybelonging@stkate.edu.