University students are being asked to respond to four national benchmarking surveys this spring designed to gather significant data about their perceptions of issues related to campus life in and out of the classroom.

Three of the surveys—on campus safety and the campus judicial process, campus recreation programs, and campus activities and student involvement—are new and are coordinated through the National Association of Student Personnel Association (NASPA) Assessment and Knowledge Consortium in partnership with StudentVoice, a higher education assessment provider. The fourth survey is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which queries freshmen and seniors on a variety of topics including active and collaborative learning, enriching educational experiences, and a supportive campus environment. This is the fourth time William Paterson has participated in the NSSE survey.

Data collected through the surveys will be used to assess key performance indicators that have been developed by the Division of Student Affairs. “We are interested in assessing student satisfaction, the degree of student engagement on campus, student development, and whether we offer a safe and supportive learning environment,” says Glen Sherman, associate vice president and dean of student development. “We believe that these surveys, which are part of a comprehensive assessment program in student development, will provide us with important information that we will also be able to benchmark against our peer institutions across the country.”

Results from the three previous NSSE surveys in which William Paterson has participated have yielded important information about student perceptions of their academic engagement on campus, says Jane Zeff, director of institutional research and assessment, who coordinates the NSSE survey on campus. Beginning this spring, a task force consisting of faculty and staff has been established by Ed Weil, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, to analyze the results of this year’s survey and make suggestions for campus initiatives.

“We’ve gathered important information on a number of topics, ranging from the campus environment to in and out of the classroom education experiences,” says Zeff. “This task force will help guide us in determining where we should focus campus efforts.”

Selected students are currently being asked to respond to the survey on campus safety, which runs through February 12. The other three surveys will take place during the spring semester. No student will receive more than two surveys.

Sherman and Zeff ask, as always, that faculty and staff encourage students to respond to these surveys. “The more responses we get, the more we’ll know how students really feel about these topics, and how we should target any areas of concern,” says Sherman. “We really want to hear from our students,” adds Zeff, “and get their feedback so that we can be responsive to their needs.”