UNA officials announced July 29 that the university 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 category. 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.”

Colleges that took place in the survey were divided into four-year or two-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 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.

“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.”

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

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