Community and Culture Assessment Focus Group Outcomes

Based on feedback from members of our community during the focus groups, as well as recommendations made by the Community Advisory Group, who were charged with identifying opportunities for us to share experiences and take actions in support of community building, we identified common themes about how we can create a living, learning and working environment that supports the success of everyone at RISD:

• Find ways to alleviate the pressure on students and make RISD easier for students to navigate and find support.
• Increase understanding of the resources offered to members of our community.
• Organize town halls and other opportunities for the community to be in dialogue with one another and provide feedback, along with multi-constituent social events to bring together our full community.
• Continue with an evolution of the Community Advisory Group or other group structure for bringing together students, faculty and staff to recommend ways to strengthen our campus community.

We have recently launched or are in the process of initiating several concrete actions that address the above themes:

• Student Hub: This digital destination helps RISD students find what they need to succeed and thrive at RISD. It includes key information and pathways to essential transactions, and houses digital “front desks” for many student-facing campus services.
• Holistic Student Wellness Initiative: A committee of students, faculty, and staff lead a comprehensive examination of student wellness, including the degree to which the living, learning and working environments we provide for students are consistent with our stated values concerning their physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
• Onboarding Pilot Initiative: Human Resources and Social Equity and Inclusion are partnering to pilot a new onboarding and orientation program for all RISD employees, which will focus on building an inclusive community, engaging with the institution and accessing RISD resources and support services.
• Town halls and info sessions: We will create additional opportunities for the campus community to learn more about the institution, voice concerns, and participate in dialogues.
• Social events: We will host more multi-constituency gatherings focused on building community, such the annual RISD Summer Gathering at Tillinghast Place for staff, faculty, and families.
• Assessment follow-up group: We will launch a new group, comprised of faculty, staff and student representatives from existing campus groups, that will gather, assess, and follow through on community-building recommendations.