Baylor University works diligently to be a stellar employer that reflects a Christian mission with a highly competitive benefit program, wellness and wellbeing resources and a caring community for faculty, staff, and students, while also striving to improve in all areas of the employment life cycle.
In fact, since 2011, Baylor has been named a Great Colleges to Work For® in numerous areas, based on faculty and staff responses to a related annual survey. The survey, conducted by ModernThink, is a way for colleges and universities to gain a deeper understanding of how their employees experience and view various aspects of the institution. At Baylor, the information gleaned from the survey is becoming increasingly important for the Human Resources Office to identify areas of employee satisfaction as well as areas for improvement.
“Baylor University’s mission challenges us with a call to excellence. The Baylor Family of faculty and staff commit their time and talents to creating a caring community dedicated to leadership, service, academic excellence, and Christian commitment. Beyond the privilege of preparing our students to be leaders and servants throughout the world, employees enjoy an active community, stability, investments in employee success and outstanding benefits, all of which make Baylor a Great College to Work For.”
- Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., Baylor University President
Great Colleges to Work For
Great Colleges to Work For® is one of the country’s largest and most respected workplace recognition programs. Each year, Great Colleges recognizes the colleges and universities that get top employee ratings regarding workplace practices and policies across 10 areas.
In partnership with The Chronicle of Higher Education, ModernThink launched the Great Colleges to Work For program in 2008 with 89 institutions included in the survey. Since then, Great Colleges has gained esteemed recognition for the quality of data collected and the valuable feedback gathered for institutions. More than 230 colleges and universities participate annual survey each spring, and recognitions are shared each September – using a special insert in The Chronicle of Higher Education and online.
As a research and consulting leader in workplace quality, ModernThink has been involved with more than 50 city, state and regional “Best Places to Work” initiatives. ModernThink served as the survey, research, and analysis engine for the Great Colleges to Work For® program for 11 years before assuming full responsibility for oversight, in addition to research, in 2019. As a result, ModernThink has accumulated an unparalleled database of higher education benchmarking statistics and best practices that represents more than 1,300 institutions.
Baylor on the Great Colleges to Work For® Honor Roll
Each year, a select group of colleges and universities are named to the Great Colleges to Work For® Honor Roll, the highest recognition possible, and demonstrating those institutions are standouts in their size category. Positioned in the large university category (10,000 or more undergraduate students), Baylor has earned Honor Roll status in several areas every year since 2011. The 10 areas included in the survey include:
Baylor has received the Honor Roll distinction in four or more of these areas every year since 2011. However, the University has not yet received recognition in the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging area. And in response, University leaders continue to focus on this identified area of improvement, understanding that although progress has been made, the work is never complete. Some of the University’s efforts are noted on the diversity and belonging website. For example, some of Baylor’s forward steps include outcomes from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations, continuing support of the McNair Scholars Program, and launching several Employee Resource Groups.
Although Great Colleges to Work For® survey responses are not directly connected to University initiatives, the feedback received has historically influenced efforts pursued by the Human Resources Office for faculty and staff collectively, and across campus as some data become more available for the unit or department level, subject to ModernThink’s guidelines.
Survey Results
The Great Colleges to Work For® survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captures demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff, which is the primary factor in deciding whether an institution receives Honor Roll recognition. Baylor currently boasts one of the highest participation rates among all colleges and universities surveyed – 41 percent. Continued engagement with the program is crucial for improved data and workplace experience, and the Human Resources Offices strongly encourages faculty and staff to participate in the annual survey.
For more information on the current year’s Great Colleges to Work For® recognition, the official Baylor University release is issued each September when results are announced by The Chronicle of Higher Education and ModernThink.
