Appendix 2 - Survey Instrument

Rice University Faculty Survey

Demographic Information

1.      What is your gender? ___female   ___male

2.      What is your race/ethnicity?  ________________________________________________

3.      In what country were you born? ___________________________

4.      From what institution did you get your high school diploma?_____ undergraduate degree? ______ Ph.D?_____

5.      What is your department?_________________________________________

6.      What rank do you hold at Rice?_______(full, associate, assistant professor)

7.      How many years have you been at Rice?______

8.      Which of the following best describes your role with your graduate students. (Check all that apply)

___ Advisor

___Instructor

___ Mentor

___ Lab supervisor

___ Role model

___ Friend

___Other, Please specify _________________________________

9.      Approximately what percentage of your professional time is spent in the following activities

___(%) teaching

___(%) research

___(%) mentoring students

___(%) university service (committees)

___(%) departmental meetings, committees, colloquia

___(%) other, Please specify ___________________

Hispanic

___Mexican-American

___Cuban-American

___Mainland Puerto Rican

___South American

___Central American

___Mexican national

___African American

___African national

___Caribbean Islander

Indigenous groups

___Native American                

___Alaska Native

___Native Chinese

___Asian-American

___Pacific Islander

___Low socioeconomic status

___Women

___Men

Other

___International Students

For all the following questions "underrepresented minority" will be defined as citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. who are African-American, Native-American, or Hispanic- American.

In questions 10-11, give your impressions, not an actual count:

10.  In a typical year, approximately how many graduate students are enrolled in your department? (estimate a number) ____

11.  In a typical year, approximately how many underrepresented minority graduate students are enrolled in your department? (estimate a number) ____

12.   How many graduate students do you currently have working in your lab/research team?___

13.  How many are underrepresented minorities?____

14.  Please list the racial/ethnic groups to which the graduate students currently working in your lab/research team belong:

15.  In your opinion, optimally, what percentage of your department's graduate students should be underrepresented minorities? ___(%)

University Involvement

16.  How much of a priority would you say it is for the Rice administration to increase the number of underrepresented minority graduate students at Rice?

__High priority

__Medium priority

__Low priority

__Not a priority at all 

17.  To your knowledge, have any of the following Rice administrators articulated the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in Rice’s graduate programs? (check all that apply)

_____Department chair

_____Dean

_____VP Research and Graduate Studies

_____Provost

_____President

_____Other:_________________________________________________________

18.  To your knowledge, have any of the following been provided by the Rice administration to increase and maintain the number of underrepresented minorities in Rice’s graduate programs? (check all that apply)

___Resources for departmental recruiting

___Centralized recruiting

___Fellowships for underrepresented minorities

___Centralized retention programs

___Summer research experiences for underrepresented minority undergraduates

___Formal recognition for faculty participation in activities that support this goal

___Consideration in the university reward system (salary increases and promotion) for participating in activities that support this goal

____Other, please specify _______________________________________________

19.  Using the scale below, please rate the effectiveness of those factors that you chose in Question 18.

1=not effective 2=somewhat effective 3=effective 4=very effective

___Resources for departmental recruiting

___Centralized recruiting

___Fellowships for underrepresented minorities

___Centralized retention programs

___Summer research experiences for underrepresented minority undergraduates

___Formal recognition for faculty participation in activities that support this goal

___Consideration in the university reward system (salary increases and promotion) for participating in activities that support this goal

___Other, please specify ______________________________________________________

20.  As it relates to your own professional career, what steps might Rice University take that would encourage you to engage yourself more fully in mentoring and supporting (on your grants) underrepresented minority graduate students?

Departmental Involvement

21.  How much of a priority would you say it is for your department to increase its number of underrepresented minority graduate students?

__High priority

__Medium priority

__Low priority

__Not a priority at all 

22.  To your knowledge, which of the following would best represent your department’s stance with respect to increasing and maintaining underrepresented minority graduate students:

___We have formally defined as a departmental goal increasing and retaining underrepresented minority graduate students

___The department has decided that increasing and retaining underrepresented minority graduate students should not be a departmental goal

___The department has never considered increasing and retaining underrepresented minority graduate students as a goal

___This issue has never been formally discussed by our department

___ Other, please specify:______________________________________________

23.  To your knowledge, does your department engage in any of the following activities? (check all that apply)

___In departmental meetings, strategies for increasing and maintaining underrepresented minority graduate students are discussed

___ Underrepresented minorities are actively recruited

___ Graduate student academic progress is monitored

___ Tutoring is provided where appropriate

___ A lighter academic load is allowed where appropriate

___ Preparatory undergraduate courses are recommended where appropriate

___ A community of students has been developed for peer mentoring

___Other, please specify _______________________________________________

24.  As you understand it, what are the key criteria that your department considers in selecting graduate students for admission?

1= no consideration 2= little consideration 3= an important consideration 4=most important consideration

___ Undergraduate GPA

___ Past research experience

___ Letters of recommendation

___ GRE scores

___ Student personal statement

___ Grades in intended field of study

___ Quality of undergraduate institution

___ Interview with student

___ Other, please specify:_____________________________________________

1=not at all 2=a little 3=quite a bit 4=almost completely

___ Undergraduate GPA

___ Past research experience

___ Letters of Recommendation

___ GRE scores

___ Student personal statement

___ Grades in intended field of study

___ Quality of undergraduate institution

___ Interview with student

___ Other, please specify ________________________________________

26.  In your opinion how well do the following admissions criteria predict the success of underrepresented minority students in your department?

1=not at all 2=a little 3=quite a bit 4=almost completely

___ Undergraduate GPA

___ Past research experience

___ Letters of Recommendation

___ GRE scores

___ Student personal statement

___ Grades in intended field of study

___ Quality of undergraduate institution

___ Interview with student

___ Other:____________________________________________________

27.  In your opinion, what are the minimum GRE percentiles that an incoming graduate student should have to be successful in your department?

______quantitative     _____qualitative     ____verbal

28.  In your opinion, what is the minimum GPA that an incoming graduate student should have to be successful in your department?  ________

29.  In considering admitting more underrepresented minority graduate students, how much of a concern is maintaining the quality or ranking of the department?

____ Not of concern

____ Something of a concern

____ Of concern

____ Of considerable concern

30.  In your opinion, how would you say members of your department generally think of underrepresented minority graduate students? (check all that apply)

____ Prepared for graduate work

____ Underprepared for graduate work

____ Preparation depends on the quality of undergraduate institution

____Hard workers

____Not hard workers

____Requiring a lot of time and effort

____Lacking in research experience

____Having adequate research experience

____Possessing talent in the field of study

31.  Are there departments at Rice that you think are models for increasing participation of underrepresented minorities? ___Yes ___No

If so, which? ________________________________________

Individual Involvement

32.  How much of a priority would you say it is for you to increase the number of underrepresented minority graduate students in your lab/research group?

__High priority

__Medium priority

__Low priority

__Not a priority at all

33.  Which of the following have you done in your lab or research group (check all that apply)

___I have defined increasing and retaining underrepresented minority graduate students in my lab or research group as a goal.

___ I have decided that increasing and retaining underrepresented minority graduate students should not be a goal

___It has never occurred to me to make increasing and retaining underrepresented minority graduate students a goal

___ I have refused applicants who were underrepresented minorities in my group

___I have advised underrepresented minority graduate student/s

___I have wanted an underrepresented minority graduate student in my lab, but no qualified applicants were available

___I have funded from my research grant underrepresented minority graduate student/s

___I have provided activities that support retention.  Please specify activities ____________________________________

___Other, Please Specify: ___________________________________________________

34.  In making the decision to accept and support a new graduate student into your research group, to what extent are the following issues of concern to you:

Scale: 1= Not of concern; 2= Somewhat of a concern; 3=Of concern; 4= Of considerable concern

___The pressure on you to support students who will make rapid progress with regard to

publications and in finishing their degree.

___The pressure on you to be competitive in being able to renew your grant

___The pressure to increase the number of underrepresented minority graduate students

___Your own interest in increasing the number of underrepresented minority graduate students

___Having to decide whether to select an underrepresented minority student, a foreign student or

a non-underrepresented minority student

___Retention to degree

35.  To your knowledge, do any federal funding agencies offer any reward designed to encourage you to recruit underrepresented minorities to your research program? 

_____Yes  ______No   (If no, go to question 38.)

Which agencies?

___NIH

___NSF

___DOE

___private foundations _____________________(name)

___industry _____________________(name)

____Other funding sources _______________________________(name)

36.  To your knowledge, what are the rewards that federal funding agencies currently offer to encourage your willingness to recruit underrepresented minorities to your research program?   (check all that apply)

____additional funding  Which agencies? _____________________

____higher rating of your proposal Which agencies? _____________________

____increased time frame for producing research results Which agencies? ____

____Other, please specify________________Which agencies? _____________________

37. In your opinion, how effective are the rewards that you acknowledged in Question 36 at motivating you to recruit underrepresented minorities to your research program?

____additional funding  

____higher rating of your proposal

____increased time frame for producing research results

____Other, please specify________________

38.  What rewards would encourage you to recruit underrepresented minorities to your research program?

____no reward would cause me to consider it

____higher rating of my proposal.

____increased time frame for producing research results

____Other_______________________________________________________________

39.  If you have ever applied for an NSF grant, what kind of impact did Criterion 2 have on your decision to support an underrepresented minority graduate student on your research grant?

____Strong impact;

____Some impact;

____A little impact

____No impact at all

____Have never applied for an NSF grant

40.  For Rice University, which do you think pose serious challenges with regards to underrepresented minority graduate students?  (check all that apply)

___Recruitment

___Admissions

___Financial support

___Retention

___Academic preparation

___Faculty culture

___Other