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Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research
PACE Climate Survey for Community Colleges

Questions, Customizations, and Comparisons

PACE Climate Factors

Question Sets

Customizations

Comparisons

PACE Climate Factors

Mission, leadership, structural organization, decision-making, and internal communication—and the extent to which each are perceived positively by employees.

Sample Questions:

  • The extent to which the actions of this institution reflect its mission
  • The extent to which open and ethical communication is practiced at this institution
  • The extent to which I have the opportunity for advancement within this institution

Centrality of students to the actions of the institution and—the extent to which the institution prepares students for their future endeavors.

Sample Questions:

  • The extent to which student needs are central to what we do
  • The extent to which this institution prepares students for a career
  • The extent to which this institution prepares students for further learning

Relationships between employees and supervisors—and the extent to which employees are able to be creative and express ideas.

Sample Questions:

  • The extent to which my supervisor/chair is open to the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of everyone
  • The extent to which positive work expectations are communicated to me
  • The extent to which I am given the opportunity to be creative in my work

Spirit of cooperation amongst work teams and the extent to which teams and departments are coordinated effectively.

Sample Questions:

  • The extent to which there is a spirit of cooperation within my work team
  • The extent to which my work team provides an environment for free and open expression of ideas, opinions and beliefs
  • The extent to which my work team coordinates its efforts with appropriate individuals and teams
Research and Methodology

Question Sets

In Depth Institutional Structure

A more in-depth exploration of mission, leadership, structural organization, decision-making, and internal communication—and the extent to which each are perceived positively by employees.

Sample Questions:

  • Employees in this institution share a common definition of its mission
  • Leaders of this institution effectively address crises

Change Readiness

The capacity, leadership, and culture required for change—and the extent to which employees are engaged in the change process.

Sample Questions:

  • Change occurs at our institution with well defined plans
  • Change efforts are supported with appropriate resources to carry out the change

Racial Diversity

Differences in how individual’s experience campus based on their race and ethnicity—and the extent to which the institution is a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

Sample Questions:

  • My institution is accepting of people of different racial/ethnic backgrounds
  • My institution advances the educational persistence of students from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds

Part-Time Faculty

Job security, advancement, compensation, training, and inclusion of part-time faculty—and the extent to which each contributes to their satisfaction.

Sample Questions:

  • My part-time position provides necessary income for me
  • My participation in meetings (e.g. department, unit, college-wide) is valued

Student Success

Assessment of learning, completion, and workforce preparation—and the extent to which each supports equitable outcomes beyond graduation.

Sample Questions:

  • The extent to which this institution disaggregates its data to show how programs serve different groups of students
  • The extent to which there is a systematic process for identifying at-risk students and reaching out with appropriate interventions

Customizations and Comparisons

Custom Questions and Custom Demographics

You are able to include up to 20 custom questions that can be created by your institution or can come from our custom question bank. Additionally, you can include up to 3 custom demographic items. The following are the 8 demographic items included standard on the PACE Survey:

  1. What is your personnel classification?
  2. Please select the race/ethnicity that best describes you:
  3. Your status at this institution is:
  4. What is the highest level of education you have earned?
  5. What is your gender identity?
    • Do you identify as transgender?
  6. How many years have you worked at this institution?
  7. How many years have you worked in higher education?
  8. You were born in _ (e.g., 1992).
View the Custom Question Bank

Comparison Groups

Every institution that participates in PACE receives comparison data in three categories of its choosing. When a comparison group is selected, your institution is compared to all other institutions in the PACE normbase that share your institution’s classification along that dimension. For example,  if you select size as a comparison group, if your institution is categorized as a medium institution, it will be compared to all medium institutions in the PACE normbase.

Clients are able to select three of the following categories:

  • PACE Normbase
    • All institutions in the PACE database between the 2018-19 and 2022-23 survey administration years.
  • Previous Administration
    • Previous administration data must be from a year in our current normbase (2018-19 through 2022-23).
  • Census Region
    • The Region comparison group compares your institution to other institutions in your census region. The five census regions are: Northeast, Midwest, South, West, and Canada.
  • Size
    • The Size comparison group is derived from the IPEDs total number of students enrolled for credit. The five size categories are: Very Small (Under 1,000 students enrolled), Small (1,000 – 4,999 students enrolled), Medium (5,000 – 9,999 students enrolled), Large (10,000 – 19,999 students enrolled), and Very Large (20,000 or more students enrolled).
  • Locale
    • The Locale comparison group is a compressed version of the IPEDs Degree of Urbanization variable. The five compressed categories are: City, Suburb, Town, or Rural.
  • Degree Type
    • This comparison is a compressed version of Carnegie Classification basic classification description. The five compressed categories are: High Transfer, Mixed Transfer, High Career, Baccalaureate/Associate’s Colleges, and Baccalaureate and Higher.
  • Division
    • The Division comparison group compares your institution to other institutions in your census division. The nine census divisions are: New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, Mountain, and Pacific.
  • State
    • All institutions in the PACE database from a selected state that administered the survey between 2018-2019 and 2022-2023. Note that there must be at least two institutions in the state that have administered in order to use this comparison group and if applicable, your institution’s previous administrations are also included in this comparison group.