Aiming Higher, NJIT Launches Unprecedented Survey of Diversity on Campus

In response to the societal call for diversity, inclusion and social justice, NJIT is embarking on a groundbreaking and comprehensive survey of its entire campus community to unlock what it takes to become a model for diversity in higher education.

Data from the campus climate survey will inform the steps that NJIT takes to heighten diversity within its student body, faculty and staff. The high-visibility initiative also reflects the university’s larger mission of being a preeminent polytechnic and community leader.

“Such a survey is the initial necessary step in developing a set of recommendations for concrete, achievable actions that support further growth in the inclusivity and equity of our campus,” NJIT President Joel S. Bloom said. “Specifically, the university will expand on its knowledge of how students, faculty and staff experience and perceive the climate for learning, working and living, and how the community responds to them.”

Developing an action plan 

The survey was sparked by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force that Bloom appointed amid the national outcry around the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Its leaders — Dean of Students and Campus Life Marybeth Boger, Vice President for Human Resources Dale McLeod and Chief External Affairs Officer Angela Garretson — need quantitative and qualitative data to develop an action plan for fueling diversity, equity and inclusion, with a particular focus on Black students.

Conducting the survey is Rankin & Associates Consulting, a Howard, Pa.-based firm that specializes in college climate assessments. Some 15,000 community members will receive an online questionnaire that’s anonymous and tailored to NJIT’s specific goals.

“Students are looking forward to an opportunity to participate in the development of the instrument and to share their experiences and thoughts in focus groups,” said Boger, who’ll work with the Student Senate, Graduate Student Association and other student groups to maximize participation.

The survey will be administered in the spring, with the resulting data analyzed during the summer and then shared with the community next fall. The final plan will outline the specific steps that NJIT will take to achieve its diversity goals by 2025. The project is supported by an anonymous funder.

An inclusive spectrum 

“A diversity and inclusion action plan will ensure that we stay focused on our goals and provide a practical template for tracking progress toward becoming a prominent leader in higher education,” Provost Fadi P. Deek said. “In the meantime, as our enrollment continues to grow more diverse, we remain committed to ensuring that our students are taught by faculty and supported by staff that represent an inclusive spectrum of our society.”

NJIT has become more diverse in recent years, with, for example, its percentage of female professors and Hispanic undergraduates each rising to 21% between 2014 and 2019. During the same period, however, the percentage of Black students remained flat, at about 8%, and the proportion of underrepresented minorities in administrative positions declined a bit, to 16%.

Diversity has long been a core value of NJIT, and it’s a guiding principle in the university’s 2025 strategic plan, which states, “We celebrate the inclusiveness of our university community and are sensitive to cultural and personal differences. We do not tolerate discrimination in any form.” Now, with the addition of new data, NJIT aims to fortify its efforts and inspire collective action across all its schools and departments.

Ultimately, Boger hopes that “we will better understand the experiences of our diverse student population and that individuals feel that they are part of a university community that embraces their cultural, ethnic and racial differences.”