UNA announced July 29 that it was named one of the “Best Colleges to Work for in 2013” by The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

The Chronicle is a Washington, D.C. -based academic-professional journal. UNA joined 96 other universities in top recognition in the publication’s sixth-annual survey. The ranking was based on employee responses in 12 categories. 

UNA ranked in the top 10 nationally in five of the 12 categories within their school size.  The five categories included Collaborative Governance, Confidence in Senior Leadership, Job Satisfaction, Professional/Career Development Programs and Work-Life Balance.

University President, William Cale, said it is the students who benefit most from the kind of university UNA is.

 “With the way things are governed at UNA—what we call shared governance—everyone has a voice,” Cale said. “Having that good environment allows for a good production, which ultimately spreads to the students.” 

UNA student Meagan Blackburn said the working environment for students could still use a little bit of work.

“The Lion Jobs system is a little flawed, I guess,” Blackburn said. 

Blackburn is referring to the online-job database where students and alumni can search for job postings.

“I’ve had trouble with the resume submission, specifically the feedback,” Blackburn said.  “They denied my resume four times so I took my flash drive up there to their office and was pretty much told they would get back to me.”

UNA student Johanna Letson echoed those sentiments.

“The whole Lion Jobs system seemed like a hassle,” Letson said.  “I sent in all my information and then made the changes they asked me to and I never heard back from them.” 

UNA participated in The Chronicle survey once before in 2010.  At that time the school also ranked high in Shared Governance and Job Satisfaction – a trend Cale pointed out.

Colleges that took place in the survey were divided into 4-year or 2-year institutions and then further so by the enrollment size. UNA was recognized along with other major institutions, including 

Stanford University, University of Notre Dame and Duke University. 

“UNA has an extremely effective governance structure that fosters open communication and gives all employees the opportunity to be fully informed, to voice concerns and to seek change,” Cale said. “When individuals know that their voice is heard and respected, a university is on its way to being a great place to work.”

Dan Hendricks, vice-president for advancement, said UNA’s highly-regarded work environment is a collective production.

“A great university doesn’t just happen,” Hendricks said. “It takes wisdom and hard work.”

Natalie Wilson, a history major, said she feels like the university hires great faculty members. 

“Most of the professors in the history and political science departments are amazing,” Wilson said.  “It also seems to me that UNA genuinely takes its time to hire very capable and kind people to fulfill jobs like those in the GUC.”

Letson said a teacher’s interest in the subject material can make all the difference in the classroom.

“I have had some professors that were truly passionate about what they were teaching and very few that just flat out didn’t seem to care,” Letson said.  

In its summary of UNA’s “Outstanding Features,” The Chronicle emphasized UNA’s commitment to the development of writing skills for both students and faculty members. 

The Chronicle released the results of the survey July 26 in a special “Academic Workplace” edition.  Results and rankings can be found online.