Evaluating Campus Climate at US Research Universities

Krista M. Soria is a Research Analyst at the University of Minnesota, USA.

This book examines campus climate data collected from undergraduates at several large, public research universities across the nation to enhance understanding of the long-term impact of campus climate on student success. Many universities have refocused their attention and energy on campus climate, defined in this volume as students' perceptions of how welcoming and respectful their campus environments are for students from different social identities. As structural diversity continues to grow more complex on college campuses around the nation, campus leaders have begun to take more steps to understand campus climate and address persistent inequalities, acts of discrimination, and violence against students from diverse backgrounds. The authors in this volume address initiatives to improve campus climate and provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of those programs. 

Fills a gap in the research on campus climate in public universities in the USUtilizes survey and assessement data from a wide range of demographics than are available in other studiesAddresses a wide variety of students' identities that are not typically examined in similar researchSheds light on underrepresented or marginalized college students' experiences with campus climate for diversity

Chapter 1. Campus Climate at Research Universities: 2012-2017.- Chapter 2. Effects of Campus Climates for Diversity on College GPA among Latinx Students at Selective Universities: An Examination by Gender, First-Generation College Status, and Immigrant Status.- Chapter 3. A Meta-Analysis of Queer-Spectrum and Trans-Spectrum Student Experience at U.S. Research Universities.- Chapter 4. Perceptions of Campus Climate at the Intersections of Disability and LGBTQ Identities.- Chapter 5. Students' Perceptions of Campus Climate by Social Class Background.- Chapter 6. The Campus Climate for Students with Disabilities.- Chapter 7.  "Mi Familia": Counterstories of First-generation Latina/x Students Navigating a Racially Hostile Campus Climate.- Chapter 8. Reframing Campus Climate Data to Advocate for Institutional Transformation, Praxis, and Activism for LGBQQ+ College Students.- Chapter 9. The Effect of Student Perception of Campus Climate for Diversity and Inclusion on Overall University Experience: A Race/Ethnicity Comparison Study.- Chapter 10. Perceptions of Campus Climate and Sense of Belonging among Non-Immigrant, First-Generation, and Second-Generation Students.- Chapter 11. Racial differences in the effects of campus climate on sense of belonging at public research universities.- Chapter 12. International Students' Experiences with Campus Climate at Large, Public Research Universities. Chapter 13. Vulnerable Populations at Public Research Universities: Centering Sexual Violence Prevalence and Perceptions of Campus Climate.- Chapter 14. Campus Climate for Diversity as Dialogue: Using an Equity Lens to Center Students.- Chapter 15. Patterns and Impacts of Racial and International Student Disparities in Experiences of Campus Climate, Academic Support, and Financial Conditions.- Chapter 16. "It's Cold in Here": First-Generation Students at American Research Universities.- Chapter 17. Necessary Yet Insufficient: Contextualizing Trans* Identities in Campus Climate Research.- Chapter 18. Much Discussion, Not Much Change: Perceptions of Campus Climate Continue to Differ Along Racial Lines.- Chapter 19. High Impact Practices for Student Engagement in the Research University.- Chapter 20. Learning about Difference in the Classroom and Students' Views of the Campus Climate for Diversity.- Chapter 21. Advancing Campus Climate Efforts through Action Research.- Chapter 22. Exploring the Relationship between Service-Learning and Perceptions of Campus Climate.