For the sixth year in a row, the University of Notre Dame has been named to the honor roll of Great Colleges to Work For by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Great Colleges program is the premier recognition program in higher education. The results, released Monday (July 21) in the Chronicle’s annual report on The Academic Workplace, are based on a survey of more than 43,000 employees at 278 colleges and universities. The primary factor in determining whether an institution received recognition as a Great College to Work for was the employee feedback.
Notre Dame ranked highly in six survey categories:
- Compensation and benefits: Pay is fair, and benefits meet the needs of employees.
- Work/life balance: Policies give employees the flexibility to manage their personal lives.
- Job satisfaction and support: Employees are satisfied with job fit, autonomy and resources.
- Supervisor or department-chair relationship: Supervisor makes expectations clear and solicits ideas.
- Confidence in senior leadership: Leaders have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for the success of the institution.
- Facilities, workspace and security: Facilities adequately meet needs, the appearance of the campus is pleasing and the institution takes steps to provide a secure environment.
“We’re proud of the tremendous talent we have in our faculty and staff,” said vice president for human resources Bob McQuade. “We know keeping that talent requires more than competitive pay and benefits, it requires an environment of inclusion and empowerment.”
McQuade noted that the University has taken many efforts in recent years to build a rewarding workplace, from the construction of an on-campus Wellness Center to the creation of several programs to improve communication among managers and employees. “This honor is a fantastic affirmation that those efforts are well-received,” he said.
Honor roll recognition denotes notes the “best of the best” among the colleges whose employees participated in the survey, according to the Chronicle. It is awarded to the 10 four-year institutions in each size category, based on enrollment, that were cited most often across all recognition categories. Notre Dame is included in the large institution group with enrollment of 10,000 or more.
Created in 2008, the Great Colleges program annually recognizes colleges and universities for specific best practices and policies. All accredited U.S. institutions are invited to participate in the survey. Each participating institution submitted to a two-part assessment process: a survey taken by faculty, administrators and support staff, and an institutional audit to capture demographics, policies and practices.
ModernThink LLC, a human resources consulting firm in Wilmington, Delaware, conducted the survey. The questionnaires were administered online in the spring.