Assessment and Reflection

Claremont McKenna College consistently reviews its effectiveness in building a diverse community and an inclusive campus that supports success among all students. Accordingly, the College assesses whether members of the campus community feel safe to be who they are and to express themselves fully. It considers whether its academic and social environments facilitate positive interactions among people of different backgrounds and beliefs as they communicate with and learn from one another. The College also surveys its programs, curriculum, and policies to ensure that they reflect principles of equity and inclusion. None of this curtails free speech or imposes one thought: the concern is simply with ensuring all voices can be heard and can challenge each other.

In 2015-16 the review focused on a thorough empirical study of campus climate. This included student, faculty, and staff impressions of recruitment, admission, financial aid, student affairs, orientation, student counseling services, academic advising, engagement with co- and extra-curricular programs, personal and social responsibility, career services, and mentorship programming. The review was conducted in several primary ways:

The CMC Student Life and Campus Climate Survey has been issued every three years since 2007 and was last administered in February 2016. The survey asks students questions about demographics, the importance of and their satisfaction with various aspects of campus life and facilities, their level of agreement with statements about CMC experiences, and their level of agreement with statements about CMC campus climate, particularly as it relates to gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, political orientation, and religion. The 2019 analysis can be found online.

The College also tracks data related to compositional diversity, that is, the number of students, faculty, and staff in race/ethnicity and gender categories as defined in the federal government's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

The information from these prior reports and the most recent empirical analyses from 2015-2016 informs data-driven decisions and planning in CMC’s approach to community engagement on diversity and inclusion.