Workers Unite: Juniata Voted as 'Great Place to Work' in Chronicle of Higher education
(Posted July 9, 2009)
HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College is one of 39 four-year colleges and universities nationwide to merit placement on the Honor Roll in the Chronicle of Higher Education 2009 "Great Colleges to Work For" survey.
The Honor Roll recognizes the top 10 colleges in each size category (and the top three in each category for community colleges) based on the number of mentions an institution earned in individual recognition categories.
"Juniata's sense of community is well known among its employees, students and alumni and I'm proud that our welcoming workplace is being recognized. Our employees are second to none and our being placed on the survey's Honor Roll reflects the college's growing national reputation as an outstanding and innovative college."
Thomas Kepple, president, Juniata
Juniata was rated in the "Small College" division in 16 out of 26 categories (499 employees or fewer) and received enough positive responses to merit mention in 16 categories. The survey is based on responses to the Chronicle from more than 41,000 administrators, faculty members and staff members at 247 colleges and universities, as well as community colleges, across the country. The survey is repeated annually and will be expanded to include more colleges and universities in subsequent years.
"Juniata's sense of community is well known among its employees, students and alumni and I'm proud that our welcoming workplace is being recognized," says Thomas R. Kepple, president of Juniata. "Our employees are second to none and our being placed on the survey's Honor Roll reflects the college's growing national reputation as an outstanding and innovative college."
The Chronicle of Higher Education survey, which was administered by ModernThink LLC, a human resources consulting firm based in Wilmington, Del., found that Juniata rated highly in the following categories: Work-Life Balance, where policies allow employees to manage their personal lives; Collaborative Governance, where faculty are appropriately involved in decisions related to academic programs; Confidence in Senior Leadership, which rates leaders for the skills, knowledge and experience necessary for institutional success; Healthy Faculty-Administration Relations, which rates how senior leadership communicates with and respects faculty; Internal Communications, which gauges how ideas are considered and issues are debated; Teaching Environment, a rating for how the institution recognizes innovative and high-quality teaching; Professional/Career Development Programs; Supervisor/Department Chair Relationship; Job Satisfaction; Connection to Institution and Pride, measuring employee's loyalty to the institution; Perception and Confidence in Fair Treatment, which measured whether employees were confident of fair treatment in compensation and performance; Respect and Appreciation, where employees are recognized for contributions; Facilities and Security, which recognizes campus appearance and steps taken to provide a secure environment; Policies, Resources and Efficiency; Vacation or Paid Time Off; and 403(b)/401(k).
Juniata was rated based on the answers to a survey from a representative sample of 400 to 600 employees participate in the survey. Surveys were sent to more than 96,000 people and nearly 41,000 responded -- which translates to a 43 percent response rate. The Chronicle's published survey results named only those institutions that scored high enough to be recognized in a particular category.
The colleges and universities participating in the survey were representative of one of five classifications set by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: research universities with "very high" research activity; doctoral/research universities; master's colleges and universities; and baccalaureate colleges for arts and sciences.
Each institution participating in the survey was asked to submit a list of employees randomly selected from administration, faculty and professional support staff. The sample size for the survey was either 400 or 600, depending on the size of the institution.
Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.