Sweet Briar College has been recognized in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For survey. The College appears in six individual recognition categories: collaborative governance, job satisfaction, supervisor-department chair relationship, perception of and confidence in fair treatment, housing assistance programs and vacation or paid time off.
This is the second year the Chronicle has conducted the Great Colleges survey and the first time that Sweet Briar has participated in the program. Results were announced in a special supplement today at http://chronicle.com/indepth/academicworkplace.
“Collaborative governance and fair treatment for all employees are central values at Sweet Briar,” said President Jo Ellen Parker, reacting to the news. “Recognition in those categories is therefore especially gratifying.”
The goals of the Chronicle’s survey are to recognize excellent workplaces within higher education and to compile data that institutions can use in strategic planning, improving performance and recruiting the best faculty and personnel. Colleges that participate receive benchmarking and best practices reports to see how they compare to peer institutions and determine where improvements are needed.
According to the Chronicle, 247 four- and two-year colleges took part in the two-part assessment process in which nearly 41,000 randomly selected administrators, faculty members and staff members at the participating institutions responded to an online questionnaire. The second part was an institutional audit that collected demographics and workplace policies and practices from each school.
“The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback collected from faculty and staff members,” the Chronicle said.
The surveys are not used to rank institutions in one list. Rather, the program recognizes small groups of colleges (based on enrollment size) for specific best practices and policies, such as work-life balance, compensation and benefits, faculty-administration relations and confidence in senior leadership.
There are 26 recognition categories for four-year institutions, and 15 categories for community colleges. Among four-year colleges, 122 institutions were recognized in at least one category. Among two-year institutions, 28 were recognized in at least one category.
ModernThink LLC, a human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results for the Chronicle. According to a Chronicle press release, ModernThink has conducted numerous “best places to work” programs, surveying hundreds of thousands of employees nationwide.
“Despite the down economy, colleges are still hiring,” said Chronicle editor Jeffrey Selingo in a press release. “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.”
For information concerning the Chronicle’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For program or about the survey administration and analysis, please contact:
Jeffrey J. Selingo, editor, the Chronicle of Higher Education, at “jeff.selingo @ chronicle.com” (remove quotes and spaces), or (202) 466-1075 (office) or (202) 997-3385 (cell).
Richard K. Boyer, principal and managing partner, ModernThink LLC, at “rboyer @ modernthink.com” (remove quotes and spaces), (302) 442-6055 (office) or (202) 468-4549 (cell).
