The AAS's Climate Assessment Site Visit Program Launched
Nancy Morrison University of Toledo (Emeritus)
The AAS's climate site visit program is underway. At the invitation of a department's chair or an institute's director, a three-person site visit team will spend a day and a half with the organization, conducting interviews in order to assess the climate and drafting a report with actionable recommendations. Organizations will benefit by receiving constructive feedback from neutral, highly-qualified peers.
This program has been developed and is being managed by the AAS Site Visit Oversight Committee (SVOC). Procedures and best practices documents are available on the SVOC web page.
For details of a site visit, please read the manual, which includes a template that organization members may use to create a letter requesting their department or institute invites a visit.
Department chairs or institute directors may request a visit, acknowledging that they have read and agree with the key points in the manual.
A good organizational climate has a positive impact on the productivity of all members of the organization, especially of junior members. Departments — even those that already have good climates — can expect to benefit from a site visit.
If you have any questions regarding the climate site visit program, please contact the AAS Site Visit Oversight Committee.