Last week, the University of Colorado System launched the Campus and Workplace Culture (CWC) Survey for fall of 2021. I know we all get frequent asks for input these days; it feels like every time we order a product or use a service we get an email asking for feedback. But this survey is different. The purpose of the CWC is to get critical input from students, staff, and faculty about their academic, workplace, and residential environments. The information that’s gathered will play a critical role in shaping the future of our university.
The University System is committed to creating an inclusive environment on each of our campuses, where all members of our community feel respected, supported, and valued. The past two years have made it more challenging than ever for our community members to make their voices heard, and this survey is a first step in correcting that. Specific metrics will result from the initial survey, and action plans developed post-survey will have real impacts on our community. As the new CU Denver Strategic Plan has codified, making CU Denver a people-centered best place to work is central to the mission moving toward 2030. With your answers to this survey you can let the System know what kind of workplace you have now, and what you want for your future.
In addition, diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral parts of the new CU Denver Strategic Plan to become the nation’s first equity serving university. I hope you all saw the announcement this week that we officially achieved a major step in that direction this month when the U.S. Department of Education formally announced that it has designated CU Denver and CU Anschutz jointly as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). University leadership will use the results from this survey, which will serve as a benchmark against to measure our progress in the years to come, to better understand our existing culture and to identify both strengths and areas of concern in order to make recommendations for creating and sustaining an even more just, equitable, and inclusive culture at CU.
If you didn’t receive a unique link to complete the survey, which will close on November 12th, please consult the CWC website. I look forward to sharing the results of this important effort with all of you in the future.
