October 5, 2015

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Over two years ago, our college community began to implement our strategic plan - Building on the Block - which focuses on achieving our goal of providing the finest liberal arts education in the country by building on our strengths. Our people are one of those strengths, and ensuring that CC is a great place to work continues to be one of our top priorities.

Your voice was heard in the 2013 climate survey and contributed to several strategic initiatives that were launched over the last several years. For example, many staff members asked for opportunities for professional development. As a result, Excel@CC was launched and more than 300 staff and faculty members have participated in the last year. In addition, participants expressed a desire for more consistency and transparency regarding compensation. In response, our performance evaluation process has been changed and much more information and data are being shared about the faculty salary model and staff compensation processes. Many of you suggested improving orientation for new employees, and CC Connect has become a great new tradition.

We need your input again! To assess our progress since 2013, identify focus areas that will continue to improve our work place, and strengthen our culture, a second climate survey will be conducted from October 8-23. The opportunity for honest feedback is a valuable one, and it is important that we continue to strive to be an even better CC!

To assist us with the survey process, we have partnered again with ModernThink, a firm that works with many colleges and universities across the country, conducts the annual survey with The Chronicle - Great Colleges to Work For, and is the same firm that conducted our 2013 survey. You will receive an email from ModernThink on October 8 inviting you to participate, along with a link to the survey.

The survey, called "Your Voice, Your CC," should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. To protect anonymity, individual responses will be sent directly to ModernThink. They will share only aggregated data with the college; your individual responses will remain anonymous. Survey results will be presented to the college community in the coming months. Please visit www.coloradocollege.edu/climatesurvey for more information.

Your participation and candid feedback are critical to the success of this effort. Please take the time to complete the survey. If you have any questions, contact: Barbara Wilson, bwilson@coloradocollege.edu, 389-6421; or Lisa Brommer, lisa.brommer@coloradocollege.edu, 389-6202.

Thank you for all that you do for Colorado College!

With warm regards,

Jill