OXFORD, Miss. – For the fourth year in a row, The Chronicle of Higher Education has named the University of Mississippi as one of the “2012 Great Colleges to Work For,” putting the institution in elite company.
“We’re proud of this recognition,” said Chancellor Dan Jones. “We are fortunate to have faculty and staff who are genuinely concerned about our students – and students who genuinely care for our faculty and staff. This is a great formula for an ideal work environment in a university.”
The results, released today in The Chronicle’s fifth annual report on The Academic Workplace, are based on a survey of more than 46,000 employees at 294 colleges and universities.
In all, only 103 of the 294 institutions achieved “Great Colleges to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium and large institutions, with the University of Mississippi included among the large universities with 10,000 or more students.
“The University of Mississippi is thrilled once again to be selected by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a Great College to Work For,” said Clay Jones, assistant vice chancellor and director of human resources. “Our employees have a tremendous amount of pride in working here, and this energy and spirit obviously shows through during the Chronicle’s process to select great places to work. Our administration is committed to providing all employees with a great work environment, and we are honored to once again be selected.”
In addition, the university will be named as a 2012 Honor Roll school because of its recognition in more than four categories. It was the only SEC school to be included in the Honor Roll.
The university was recognized for nine total categories:
- Collaborative Governance
- Professional/Career Development Programs
- Teaching Environment (faculty only)
- Job Satisfaction
- Confidence in Senior Leadership
- Supervisor or Department Chair Relationship
- Respect and Appreciation
- Tenure Clarity and Process (faculty only/four-year only)
- Diversity
The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.
“The Chronicle’s reporting shows that more colleges and universities are seeking ways to improve their workplaces,” said Liz McMillen, editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. “The ‘formula for success’ continues to evolve, yet there are certain common features among institutions that achieve significant levels of worker satisfaction. The Great Colleges to Work For program allows our readers to learn about the colleges that seem to be getting it right. Great Colleges is more than a ‘marketing’ opportunity for colleges – it is an authentic example of accomplishment.”
Great Colleges to Work For is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all the results of the survey, visit The Chronicle’s website at http://chronicle.com/academicworkplace.