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July 6, 2009
Emory makes ‘Great Colleges to Work For’ honor roll

Emory has been named to the honor roll in The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2009 Great Colleges to Work For program, its second annual nationwide survey of 41,000 administrators, faculty and staff of two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Emory was selected based on its responses to a questionnaire covering everything from salary, benefits and programs that support faculty and staff, to leadership development and governance structure.

"That Emory faculty and staff find the university a wonderful place to work is a testament to the entire community," says President Jim Wagner. "Throughout our campus people are working hard every day to make a positive difference—and it shows."

The Chronicle's Great Colleges to Work For program recognizes groups of colleges (based on enrollment size) for specific best practices and policies. There are 26 recognition categories for four-year institutions. Of the 247 institutions that completed the entire survey process, 39 were named to an honor roll, which highlights the top 10 colleges in each size category based on the number of times they were recognized in the individual recognition categories.

Emory was recognized in 11 categories (see Sidebar). Under the Internal Communications category, for example — in which Emory ranked for the second year in a row – the University provided information on innovative programs for employee suggestions like the Bright Ideas Program; regular meeting opportunities with senior leadership, such as Town Hall meetings and the “Ask the EVP” community discussion board; campus publications like Emory Report; and defining elements of institutional culture, such as the engaged dialogues on race through the Transforming Community Project.

"The survey participants value Emory for its teaching environment, its working conditions, leadership, relationships and collegiality," says Peter Barnes, vice president of human resources. "As one considers what it means to be a destination in which faculty and staff seek to be a part, we are clearly well on the way."

"Despite the down economy, colleges are still hiring," says Jeffrey L. Selingo, editor of The Chronicle. "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."

The Great Colleges survey included a two-part assessment process: a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional-support staff, and an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies and practices from each institution. The survey process was administered by human-resources consulting firm ModernThink LLC. A primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback collected from faculty and staff.

“We certainly want to thank the faculty and staff who provided valuable feedback on Emory’s community and its working environment,” says Barnes. “We value this input, and this information helps focus our efforts toward ongoing improvement.”