“Holding up a mirror”: Loyola community reflects on campus climate survey results

More than 600 students, faculty, and staff came together, both in person and online, for a campus-wide town hall reviewing the results of Loyola’s spring 2025 Campus Climate Survey. Conducted in partnership with Rankin Climate, the survey received 2,901 responses, representing 15 percent of the Loyola community.

The Town Hall included a presentation of the findings by Rankin Climate representatives, remarks by Douglas W. Woods, provost and chief academic officer, discussion of response planning by Dominique Jordan Turner, chief diversity officer and vice president for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as well as Q&A between the in-person and virtual audience with University leadership panelists.

“This climate survey offers an opportunity to hold a mirror up to ourselves,” said Provost Woods, during his opening remarks. “The data will help us better understand how people experience Loyola: where we are living up to our mission and beliefs about ourselves, and where we have room for improvement.”

Why now

The town hall was designed to share key findings from the survey, explore what the data reveals about campus culture, and outline next steps for turning insights into action.

“Knowing that campus climate profoundly influences whether our students, faculty, and staff want to remain part of this community, it is important that we understand where we are doing well and where we have room for improvement,” said Woods. “A strong campus climate helps keep our best resources—all of you.”

“This survey is an essential element in our ongoing work to create a campus community where all students, faculty, and staff feel seen, valued, and supported,” said Dominique Jordan Turner.

Jordan Turner emphasized that participation in the survey was itself an act of trust.

“In responding, you gave us your trust,” she said. “It’s an institution saying we’re willing to listen. Provost Woods and Dr. Reed chose integrity over convenience—and that matters.”

What the data revealed

Rankin Climate partners Victoria Cabal, EdD, and Katrina Alford, PhD, walked attendees through the results, highlighting both areas of strength and significant challenges.

The survey results reflected both strong connections to Loyola and meaningful challenges across the community. Many students reported positive academic relationships, with most saying they felt valued by faculty. At the same time, a significant number of students shared that they had seriously considered leaving, most often citing financial pressures and access to academic support as barriers. Students who remained pointed to academics, peer relationships, campus involvement, and future opportunities as reasons they chose to stay.

Faculty and staff responses echoed similar themes. Many expressed a strong sense of alignment with Loyola’s mission and positive relationships within their teams, while also identifying concerns related to workload, compensation, advancement, and communication. A number reported having considered leaving at some point during their time at Loyola, and some indicated they had experienced exclusionary conduct, underscoring the need for continued efforts to strengthen trust, belonging, and workplace climate.

Across all groups, the data showed that experiences at Loyola are not the same for everyone. Differences were most pronounced across identities related to disability, gender, sexual identity, race, and religion, highlighting the importance of approaching this work through an inclusive, community-centered lens.

Moving reflection to action

“We know from the data that not everyone is experiencing Loyola in the same way,” Jordan Turner said. “This statement isn’t about blame. It is about clarity and responsibility. If outcomes are uneven…as leaders, we must understand why. That is what this response planning process is designed to do.”

She added that the next phase of the work will focus on understanding what is driving the data and how Loyola can respond in meaningful, sustainable ways.

Woods echoed that sentiment, grounding the work in Loyola’s Jesuit mission.

“Addressing campus climate is not the work of one office or one group,” he said. “It is the work of all of us, faculty, staff, administrators, and students, each within our roles and spheres of influence. In the Jesuit tradition, we are called to hear these results, reflect on their meaning, and move that reflection to action.”

What’s next

To continue the conversation, Loyola will host a series of Community Dialogues this semester in the form of small, facilitated discussions open to all members of the University. These sessions will provide space to reflect on the findings, share lived experiences, and offer ideas for improvement.

A Task Force and Steering Committee will also guide the University’s response, using both the survey data and dialogue feedback to shape a campus-wide action plan.

Community members can stay engaged and access materials through the response planning SharePoint site or by emailing climatesurvey@LUC.edu.

Woods noted meaningful change will not happen overnight.

“Meaningful change takes time, resources, self-reflection, and sustained leadership at every level of the university,” he said. “But this work is essential if we are to deliver on the promise of a Jesuit education—equally, for all.”