Des Moines University (DMU) is one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to The Great Colleges to Work For® program.
Even better, the University achieved an additional special designation as an Honor Roll institution.
The results, released today in a special insert of the Chronicle of Higher Education, are based on a survey of 212 colleges and universities. In all, 68 of the 212 institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium and large institutions, with DMU included among the small universities with 500 to 2,999 students.
DMU won honors in six categories this year:
- Diversity, inclusion and belonging across the institution and among all employees
- Job satisfaction and support relating to job fit, autonomy and resources
- Compensation and benefits
- Professional development relating to the onboarding process, professional development opportunities and support for career development
- Supervisor/department chair effectiveness, including in managerial competencies such as providing clear direction and constructive feedback and ensuring effective communication and equitable treatment
- Faculty and staff wellbeing, including opportunities to do meaningful work, support for work/life balance and a safe working environment
The University also was named to the Great Colleges Honor Roll, a status granted to only 42 institutions each year who are highlighted most across the recognition categories.
“I’m not surprised by our results but very pleased that our faculty and staff – the people who make Des Moines University what it is – are being honored for their hard work, collaboration and shared values,” says DMU President and CEO Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D. “We are a community that values the needs and contributions of every person, and I believe we demonstrated that with our individual and collective contributions throughout the challenges we’ve overcome in recent years.”
The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff. Employee feedback was the primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition.
The Great Colleges to Work For® program is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all current and previous recognized institutions, visit the Great Colleges program website at GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com. ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results.
“While the higher education space is generally not well known for its agility or its ability to affect change quickly, the institutions recognized in this year’s Great Colleges to Work For program have proven otherwise,” says Richard Boyer, principal and managing partner at ModernThink. “They’ve managed and orchestrated change rather than be victims of it, all the while remaining true to their stewardship of the institution’s culture.
“In a year when the higher education headlines have been dominated by stories of faculty and staff being overworked, undervalued, highly stressed and fighting off burnout, it’s refreshing and inspiring to see the truly excellent work being done at this year’s Great Colleges to Work For honorees,” he adds.
