Climate study draws on strength of committee members

Shortly after librarian Debbie Morrow arrived at Grand Valley in 1991, she volunteered to be a member of the first campus climate study. Her two decades of institutional knowledge makes Morrow an invaluable member of the myGVSU Survey committee, according to Neal Rogness, who co-chairs the climate study.

“The past experiences of people like Debbie and others help us out tremendously,” said Rogness, professor of statistics. “Plus, she knows firsthand the positive, tangible outcomes that have resulted from prior surveys.”

The myGVSU Survey will be offered online February 1-14 for students, faculty and staff members. The survey committee is currently working on question development. Morrow, a member of the question development subcommittee, said she volunteered because of her respect and regard for Grand Valley.

“Part of my interest is the ability to take a broad look at Grand Valley and also the ability to see the survey process through from conceptualization to results,” Morrow said. “A lot of great things have come from past surveys.” She cited establishing the Children’s Enrichment Center, LGBT Resource Center and outdoor safety lighting as examples.

The process of administering a survey has certainly changed, Morrow said. In 1994, the first campus survey was a bubble sheet that participants marked using a pencil. In February, survey participants will anonymously enter information online.

For the 2011 survey, Grand Valley hired Sue Rankin, a nationally recognized expert in this field, to help guide the formation and tabulate results. An early task for the question development group was to determine the appropriate ethnic categories that survey participants will check.

“You want to create ownership of the survey and with demographics, it’s where someone sees themselves,” Morrow said. “That’s part of inclusiveness and that conversation is at the heart of learning to be a diverse institution.”

For more information about the survey, visit www.gvsu.edu/mygvsu.