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PACE Executive Summary

PACE Climate Survey for Community Colleges

 

Lead Researchers
Daniel West & Greyson Norcross

 Conducted
February & March 2021

 

Research Team

Audrey J. Jaeger, Ph.D.
Executive Director		 Andrea L. DeSantis
Assistant Director of Research		 Greyson A. B. Norcross
Research Associate
Daniel R. West
Research Associate		 Emily R. VanZoest
Research Associate		  

 

Additional Report Editors

Renee Barger
Research Associate		 Monique Colclough, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate		 Kara Reddish
Research Intern
Melissa Whatley, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate		  

 

Phone
(919)515-8567		 Web
nilie.ncsu.edu		 North Carolina State University
706 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Fax
(919)515-6305		 Email
pace_survey@ncsu.edu

 

Suggested Citation: National Initiative for Leadership & Institutional Effectiveness, North Carolina State University. PACE Climate Survey for Community
Colleges Executive Summary, by West, D.R., & Norcross, G.A.B. Raleigh, NC: 2021.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During February and March 2021, the PACE Climate Survey for Community Colleges (PACE) was administered to 344 employees at Big Bend Community College (BBCC). Of those 344 employees, 209 (60.8%) completed and returned the instrument for analysis. Respondents were also given the opportunity to complete a qualitative section. Of the 209 BBCC employees who completed the PACE survey, 134 (64.1%) provided written comments.

Employees completed a 46-item PACE instrument organized into four climate factors as follows: Institutional Structure, Student Focus, Supervisory Relationships, and Teamwork. They also completed a custom section specifically for BBCC, a Student Success Subscale section, a Racial Diversity Subscale section, a Part-Time Faculty Subscale section, and a qualitative section. Respondents were asked to rate the items about the four climate factors on a five point Likerttype scale ranging from a low of “1” to a high of “5.” The PACE instrument administered at BBCC included 116 total items and four qualitative questions.

At BBCC, the PACE results yielded an overall 3.743 mean score. When disaggregated by the custom personnel classification demographic category of the PACE instrument, Administrative/Exempt rated the campus climate the highest with a mean score of 3.788, followed by Staff (Classified, Hourly) (3.770) and Faculty (3.723). The greatest number of favorable comments fell within the Student Focus climate factor and the greatest number of unfavorable comments fell within the Institutional Structure climate factor.

Of the 46 standard PACE questions, BBCC’s top 10 mean scores have been identified. Five pertain to the Student Focus climate factor, four pertain to the Supervisory Relationships climate factor, and one pertains to the Teamwork climate factor.

Of the 46 standard PACE questions, the bottom 10 mean scores have been identified as areas potentially in need of improvement at BBCC. All ten pertain to the Institutional Structure climate factor.

The full PACE report includes the following items: