Columbia Employee Climate and Engagement Survey
The Columbia Employee Climate and Engagement Survey is a centrally administered assessment tool developed in partnership with Rankin Climate, a national firm with decades of experience conducting campus climate studies, and a committee of Columbia faculty, researchers, staff, and administrators. This survey is designed to help us better understand the conditions under which our faculty, researchers, staff, and administrators work, what challenges persist, and how we might improve our institutional culture.
Participation is voluntary, responses are private, and results will be reported only in aggregate form. Data will be used exclusively for University planning and assessment purposes, to help strengthen the workplace climate and guide future initiatives.
Columbia faculty, researchers, staff, and administrators were invited to share their experiences through the survey, which opened on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, and closed on Friday, September 26, 2025. Read the announcement.
What is the workplace climate survey about?
- Research shows that people who feel connected and supported by their campus communities have a higher likelihood of success in every area of their lives.
- The purpose of the survey is to gather data about the experiences and perceptions of staff and faculty workplace climate at Columbia University.
- All faculty and staff were invited to take the survey.
Project Benefits
We’re working to bring about change in areas where it is needed, to help community members feel engaged and valued and to foster an environment where everyone thrives.
There’s much more we can do in the future when we discover how to help faculty, researchers, staff, and administrators feel a sense of belonging within a culture that values each individual experience.
When we incorporate your unique perspective, we can truly create a better campus community.
Privacy
Privacy is vital to the success of campus climate research, particularly as sensitive and personal topics are discussed. Learn more.
*While the report was finished in fall 2025 and shared with campus leaders, public sharing of the results was put on hold for several months because of other pressing University news and announcements that required leadership’s attention.
Project Working Group
Melinda Aquino, Associate Dean of Multicultural Affairs
Maritza Gutierrez, Executive Director, Recruitment and Human Resources Compliance
Cynthia Langin (Co-chair), Senior Associate Provost for Institutional Research
Neil McClure, Chief Human Resources Officer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Elias Saber-Khiabani, Administrative Assistant, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Talha S. Siddiqui, Lecturer in the Discipline of Chemistry
Marc Spiegelman, Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
Ann Thornton, Vice Provost and University Librarian
Sony Jean-Michel Thornton, Senior Human Resources Business Partner, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Olajide A. Williams, Professor of Neurology and Vice Dean of Community Health
Susan Witte (Co-chair), Professor of Social Work
Frequently Asked Questions
Over the past two years, Columbia has grappled with urgent questions about institutional responsibility, academic freedom, protest, and inclusion. These challenges have prompted concern, uncertainty, and hope- and they have underscored the importance of listening carefully to the experiences of those in our community.
Engagement refers to what we can learn from employees’ experiences about how they think, act and feel about Columbia’s environment and policies. Taken together, this gives us a sense of how they may feel about the University as a whole.
In August, we developed the survey. The survey is being administered from September 9-26. The data analyses and the Key Findings Summary will be completed in October.