Eastern Kentucky University is among 122 four-year colleges and universities nationally recognized in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For® program, according to the results of the second annual survey announced in a special supplement of The Chronicle, viewable at chronicle.com/indepth/academicworkplace.
The Chronicle’s Great Colleges to Work For® program recognizes small groups of colleges (based on enrollment size) for specific best practices in areas such as compensation and benefits, work environment and institutional policies.
Among four-year colleges and universities with enrollment of at least 10,000, EKU ranked in the top 10 nationally for Tuition Reimbursement (tuition waivers for eligible employees, their spouses and dependents) in the Pay/Benefits category and for Professional/Career Development Programs (employees are given opportunities to develop skills, and understand requirements to advance in their careers) in the Institutional Policies category.
“Obviously I am very pleased that the responses to the Chronicle’s survey by our faculty and staff have resulted in this distinction for Eastern,” said EKU President Doug Whitlock. “It reflects a sense of pride and appreciation of place among our community members that is gratifying and will be very helpful as we seek to attract other individuals to join us.
“But the most significant thing, in my mind, is that this recognition is truly a reflection of the excellence and dedication of the Eastern faculty and staff. I believe your colleagues are the single most important factor in the quality of the workplace experience. This is a fitting honor for the many faculty and staff who truly make this a great place to work.”
The Chronicle program is modeled after Fortune Magazine’s popular “Best Companies to Work For” issue, but does not rank institutions in one comprehensive list. Instead, schools are recognized in the special Chronicle supplement.
“Despite the down economy, colleges are still hiring,” said Jeffrey J. Selingo, editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. “Through this program, The Chronicle is able to provide more information to job seekers about the colleges that are the leading innovators when it comes to providing a rewarding work environment.”
To administer the survey and analyze the results, The Chronicle turned to ModernThink LLC, a strategic human capital consulting firm that has conducted numerous “Best Places to Work” programs, surveying hundreds of thousands of college and university employees nationwide. The Great Colleges survey included a two-part assessment process: a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional‐support staff (the ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey©) and an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies and practices from each institution. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was feedback collected from faculty and staff.
“Leaders within higher education are facing tough challenges on many fronts,” said Richard K. Boyer, principal and managing partner of ModernThink. “The opportunity for national recognition draws institutions that are looking for a competitive edge in recruiting, retention and even research dollars. In addition, leaders are thirsty for reliable data that can help them make better decisions, prioritize scarce resources, and improve morale. As expected with a more established recognition program, the number of participants wasn’t the only thing that went up. We also saw a commensurate jump in the caliber of the field.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education is the No. 1 source of news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty members and administrators. Based in Washington, D.C., The Chronicle has more than 60 full‐time writers and editors, as well as a dozen foreign correspondents positioned around the world. Published since 1966, The Chronicle publishes a daily Web site, a weekly newspaper, a weekly magazine of ideas, and produces newsletters and events. A nine‐time finalist for the National Magazine Awards, the newspaper has a weekly print readership of 350,000 and Web traffic of more than 14 million pages a month at chronicle.com.
As a research and consulting leader in workplace issues, ModernThink has supported a wide variety of “Best Place to Work” initiatives. Through these programs, the firm has gained substantial survey and industry expertise, including specific insight into higher education. ModernThink knows what it takes to build a great place to work and shares that know‐how with its clients. The ModernThink team of organizational development experts is dedicated to helping colleges follow through and capitalize on feedback from employees and benchmark data from peers to drive meaningful change at their institutions. Learn more at www.modernthink.com.
