Campus Climate Assessment

Commitment to an Inclusive Campus

Olympic College is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable learning and working environment for students, faculty, and staff.

In accordance with RCW 28B.10.147, Washington's public institutions of higher education conduct periodic campus climate assessments and engage the campus community in ongoing listening and feedback related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The College uses information gathered through these activities to better understand the experiences of our campus community, identify strengths and opportunities for improvement, and inform institutional planning and professional development.

2024 PACE Climate Survey

Olympic College's most recent employee climate survey was the PACE Climate Survey for Community Colleges, administered in January and February 2024 by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at North Carolina State University.

The survey was administered to 988 Olympic College employees, with 397 employees responding, for an overall response rate of 40.2%. In addition, 209 respondents provided written comments.

The PACE survey included 95 questions and incorporated the standard PACE questions as well as question sets addressing student success, racial diversity, and topics customized by Olympic College.

Overall Results

Olympic College's overall PACE climate score was 3.699 on a five-point scale.

Results across the four primary PACE climate factors were:

• Teamwork: 4.026
• Supervisory Relationships: 3.954
• Student Focus: 3.893
• Institutional Structure: 3.213

The results indicate particular strengths in teamwork, supervisory relationships, employees' connection to the College's mission, cooperation within work teams, and support for students.

Employees rated the statement "I feel my job is relevant to this institution's mission" highest, with a mean score of 4.481. Other highly rated areas included supervisors being open to different ideas, opinions, and beliefs; supervisors expressing confidence in employees' work, staff meeting student needs, and opportunities for creativity.

Opportunities for Improvement

The survey also identified areas where Olympic College has opportunities to strengthen the employee experience. The ten lowest-rated standard PACE items were all associated with the Institutional Structure climate factor.

Themes included:

• clarity of administrative processes
• institutional organization
• opportunities for employees to influence institutional direction
• information sharing
• open and ethical communication
• decision-making at appropriate organizational levels
• institution-wide cooperation
• opportunities for advancement
• institution-wide problem solving

Qualitative feedback reflected similar themes. The greatest number of favorable comments related to Student Focus, while the greatest number of unfavorable comments related to Institutional Structure.

Using the Results

Olympic College uses climate survey findings, community feedback, and other institutional information to identify opportunities to strengthen the learning and working environment.

Survey and listening-session findings can help inform institutional planning, professional development, communication practices, organizational improvement efforts, and initiatives designed to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across the College.

Olympic College will continue to gather feedback from students and employees and will publish campus climate assessment or annual listening and feedback results in accordance with RCW 28B.10.147.

Additional Information

2024 PACE Climate Survey Executive Summary

Washington State Requirement:
RCW 28B.10.147 – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism - Campus Climate Assessment