USC Excels in Annual ‘Great Colleges’ Survey
For the fourth year in a row, The Chronicle of Higher Education has included USC in its Honor Roll of “Great Colleges to Work For.”
The publication identified 12 features of excellent academic workplaces and asked faculty and staff at 310 colleges of all types and sizes from across the country to evaluate their employers in those terms.
The four categories were leadership, compensation, careers and the workplace.
The survey announced on July 24 cited USC in the leadership category for collaborative governance (defined as faculty members appropriately involved in decisions related to academic programs) and confidence in senior leadership (leaders have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for institutional success).
In the compensation category, USC was honored for compensation and benefits (pay is fair and benefits meet the needs of employees), job satisfaction (overall job satisfaction) and respect and appreciation (employees regularly are recognized for their contributions).
In the category of careers, the university was noted for professional/career-development programs (employees are given the opportunity to develop skills and understand requirements to advance in their careers) and teaching environment (faculty members say the institution recognizes innovative and high-quality teaching).
And in the workplace category, USC was acknowledged for its diversity (the institution makes a concerted effort to create a welcoming and fair environment for all its employees), facilities, workspace and security (facilities meet needs, campus appearance is pleasing, and steps are taken to provide a secure environment) and work-life balance (policies give employees the flexibility to manage their personal lives).
Last year, USC also earned high marks in some of the same categories.
The survey received responses from nearly 44,000 employees at academic institutions, 69 percent of whom agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “This institution’s culture is special – something you don’t just find anywhere.”
Based on enrollment, the survey placed colleges in one of three size groups: small (fewer than 3,000 students), medium (3,000 to 9,999 students) and large (more than 9,999 students). USC was listed in the latter category with other institutions such as Baylor University, Duke University and the University of Notre Dame.
For each category, The Chronicle of Higher Education recognized the 10 highest-scoring four-year institutions and the four highest-scoring two-year institutions.
Approximately 20,000 of the people who responded to the survey were faculty members, about 15,000 were professional staff members and about 8,000 were administrators. The survey was sent to 111,000 people, with an overall response of about 40 percent.
ModernThink LLC, a human resources consulting firm in Wilmington, Del, oversaw the survey. A panel of experts in higher education helped customize the survey to reflect issues that are unique to colleges.
The university earned high marks in categories such as leadership and the workplace.