The UMN School of Public Health (SPH) is committed to creating a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive environment for its entire community. To gauge its progress toward that goal, SPH gathers information about the experiences of SPH staff, students, faculty, and alumni relative to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the overall learning and workplace climate. The primary method to get this feedback is an anonymous online survey, and community members also share their experiences in focus group discussions and interviews.

To request access to historical climate assessment reports, please email: sphcomm@umn.edu.

What is the timing?

The school completed its first two climate assessments in 2020 and 2022. In the intervening year, SPH launched its Strategic Plan for Antiracism, the roadmap that guides the school as it actively makes diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and antiracism central to its operations and mission. The most recent assessment was initiated in 2024 and concluded in 2025.

Who is able to participate?

All students, faculty, staff and recent alumni are invited to provide feedback either through the survey, focus groups or both.

How is this assessment different from the University’s climate assessment? Should I complete both?

1. The SPH survey is distinct from the UMN Systemwide Climate Assessment Survey.
2. We encourage you to complete both of these assessments. The SPH DEI team uses a comprehensive approach to assess and plan, which includes data from the University’s assessment.
3. The systemwide climate survey only offers results at the school or college level, whereas the SPH assessment allows us to compare data across School units.
4. We are able to publish our results quicker and respond to your feedback more directly. We also include data from recent SPH alumni.
5. Our assessment began in fall 2020, before the University’s, which was first administered in Spring 2023.
6. The SPH climate assessment is focused on racial equity, antiracism, and the goals of our Strategic Plan for Antiracism (SPAR).
7. The University climate survey and the SPH climate assessment occur on a biennial basis. They are administered in opposite years.