March 8, 2022

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the University of Oregon will be conducting a climate survey of all faculty, staff, and graduate employees this spring. The purpose of the survey is to measure and positively impact our workplace culture here on campus. The IDEAL Climate Survey of Employees will gather insights through a confidential survey administered by Gallup, a nationally recognized workplace survey firm.

The idea to conduct a survey came from employees as our campus explored how to better create an inclusive, welcoming environment for all. We had originally hoped to conduct the survey in 2020, but the operational disruption caused by the pandemic delayed the survey. COVID-19 is likely to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future, and we believe this important work to understand and improve our campus culture can no longer wait.

On April 11, Gallup will send a unique survey link to your UO email address. The survey will take approximately 25 minutes to complete, and it will be available in English and in Spanish. Supervisors will allow employees to complete the survey during their workday, and the survey will be accessible on smartphones, laptops, or desktops.

The survey is anonymous and confidential. When the campus-wide results are published, survey responses will be reported in the aggregate. When survey responses are shared at the school, college, and departmental level, the reporting will be done in a way that safeguards confidentiality and anonymity.

We encourage everyone to take the climate survey. We are committed to using the results to plan and take action to reinforce what is working, address what isn’t working, and make other necessary changes to improve our workplace culture.

If you have questions, please visit the webpage for the IDEAL Climate Survey of Employees. There you will find a list of frequently asked questions.

Thank you for your valuable contributions to the University of Oregon and thank you, in advance, for your integral support of this survey. 

Sincerely, 

Michael H. Schill
President and Professor of Law

Patrick Phillips
Provost and Senior Vice President

Yvette Alex-Assensoh
Vice President for Equity and Inclusion

Mark Schmelz
Chief Human Resources Officer