All Campus Climate Assessment Initiative

The university’s strategic plan, “The Next 150,” outlines that the campus will “conduct climate surveys at regular intervals and use the results to educate and improve the campus community” with the goal of identifying “a path forward to respect diverse groups, develop educational strategies to increase knowledge about different cultures, and create a campus that celebrates our diverse university and community.” This broad campus climate assessment is an institutional effort to better understand how students, staff and faculty experience our campus as they study, work and live.

This assessment will begin with an all campus climate survey in Fall 2023 to assess perspectives, attitudes, and individual experiences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that affect sense of belonging and inclusion. It will help colleges, units, and departments to prioritize crafting and creating initiatives or action plans to promote an inclusive, dynamic, and welcoming environment for all.

Steering Committee

• Gioconda Guerra Pérez, Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, OVCDEI
• Staci Provezis, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment, Office of the Provost
• Beth Hoag, Director for Assessment and Planning, Student Affairs
• Amy Edwards, Associate Provost and Director of Division of Management Information
• Nathan Todd, Professor, Department of Psychology
• Angela Reggans, Assistant Director of Labor & Employee Relations, Illinois Human Resources
• Patricia Jones, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Compliance, OVCRI
• Elizabeth Tsukahara, ex-officio, Associate Director for Communications, OVCDEI
• Kaamilyah Abdullah-Span, ex-officio, Director of Campus Culture & Climate, OVCDEI

Leadership Team

• Kaamilyah Abdullah‐Span, Chair, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Nizam Arain, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Lorenzo Baber, College of Education
• Domonic Cobb, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
• Linell Edwards, Office of the Provost
• Angela Reggans, Illinois Human Resources
• Elizabeth Tsukahara, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Nicholas Vasi, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
• Maryalice Wu, Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Working Groups

Faculty/Staff Working Group

• Nizam Arain, Chair, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Ellen Althaus, Grainger College of Engineering
• Joe Bohn, College of ACES
• Bridget Hillier, Gies College of Business
• Lisa Merrifield, Illinois Extension
• Alyssa Prorok, Department of Political Science 
• Angela Reggans, Illinois Human Resources
• Sharon Reynolds, Office of the Provost
• Rochelle Sennet, College of Fine & Applied Arts

Student Working Group

• Domonic Cobb, Chair, Student Affairs
• Lizet Alvarez, Grainger Engineering, 2025
• Matthew Jenkins, Fine & Applied Arts, 2024
• Eddie Collins, Liberal Arts & Sciences, 2024
• Emma Kuhns, ACES, 2024
• Emilia Mancero, Media, 2026
• Evelyn Morales, Applied Health Sciences, 2025
• Odi Ogbuefi, Media, 2026
• Akash Saini, Education, Graduate Student
• Abby Stiefvater, Liberal Arts & Sciences, 2025
• Queenie Yu, Liberal Arts & Sciences, 2025

Assessment Working Group

• Maryalice Wu, Chair, Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning
• Sowmya Anand, Office of Proposal Development
• Brandon Araujo, Office for Access & Equity
• Zaheeda Darvesh, Office for Access & Equity
• Linell Edwards, Office of the Provost
• Ryan Young, Student Affairs

Communications Working Group

• Elizabeth Tsukahara, Chair, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Charlotte Bauer, Graduate College
• Stephanie Henry, Office of the Provost
• Claire Hettinger, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Nicholas Vasi, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology