In alignment with the university’s Guiding Values and Statement on Human Dignity and Diversity, Marquette University reaffirms its commitment to achieving excellence by fostering a respectful and welcoming environment where all individuals have equal opportunity to thrive and contribute to the culture of learning, appreciation and understanding. This commitment is further reflected in Marquette’s Strategic Plan 2031, Guided by Mission, Inspired to Change, which outlines goals to enhance the well-being and sense of belonging for all students, faculty and staff.
To support this mission, Marquette has conducted periodic campus climate studies to better understand how the campus environment influences individuals’ ability to learn, teach, work and thrive. The 2025 Campus Climate Study is the third of its kind, following surveys in 2015 and 2020.
The 2025 climate survey was made available to students, faculty and staff from Feb. 11 to March 21. The sample included 3,431 Marquette community members, for an overall response rate of 24%. Response rates by constituent group varied: 58% for staff, 43% for faculty, 18% for graduate students and 18% for undergraduate students.
Following is a selection of key takeaways from the 2025 study that were noted in the Campus Climate Study Executive Summary. Additional Campus Climate Study results and dashboards are available online.
- Overall, 73% of study respondents feel comfortable or very comfortable with the campus climate. By position, 80% undergraduate students, 77% of graduate students, 72% of staff and 51% of faculty indicated they were comfortable or very comfortable.
- A larger percentage of students feel comfortable with campus climate compared to 2020 findings, while staff sentiment remained steady and faculty decreased from 66% from the 2020 study.
- Gaps in comfort are evident for some historically marginalized groups, such as Black/African American respondents and respondents identifying their gender as not exclusively man or woman.
- A minority of Marquette community members reported experiences of exclusion across all groups. The percentage reporting exclusionary conduct that interfered with their experience at Marquette was the same or decreased from the 2020 study for:
- Faculty (23% in 2025, 23% in 2020)
- Staff (13% in 2025, 23% in 2020)
- Undergraduate students (14% in 2025, 24% in 2020)
- Graduate students (18% in 2025, 23% in 2020)
- About 4 out of 5 undergraduate and graduate students agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with their academic experience and the extent of their intellectual development.
- Faculty responses to statements about working at Marquette varied more than staff. Statements where a minority of faculty members agreed or strongly agreed were related to promotion/tenure track standards being equally applied to all faculty (49%), university leaders adequately integrating guidance from shared government bodies (26%) and the process for determining salaries being clear (24%).
- For staff and faculty, responses to statements about feeling valued varied. A key trend for both groups was that larger proportions of faculty and staff agreed with statements of feeling valued from students or those in their department/unit versus statements of feeling valued by the broader Marquette community and Marquette leadership.
- Thirty-five percent of undergraduate students, 22% of graduate students, 54% of staff and 62% of faculty indicated that they had at some point seriously considered leaving Marquette.
The campus community is invited to learn more about the process and key takeaways during a town hall on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the AMU Monaghan Ballrooms. All are invited to attend, and no RSVP is required.
To encourage meaningful dialogue and action, a series of focus groups will be held throughout the fall semester. If you are interested in serving as a focus group facilitator, contact Jodi Blahnik, co-chair of the Campus Climate Study Implementation Committee. Marquette also invites departments, offices, divisions and colleges to host their own conversations and strategic planning sessions. To request a facilitator or support for department-level discussions, please complete the request form.
Watch Marquette Today for updates on actions taken as a result of the 2025 Climate Study findings.
