Baylor Achieves Honor Roll Recognition as a 2024 Great College to Work For

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Baylor University again has attained elite Honor Roll status as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program. Based on faculty and staff responses to a related annual survey, Baylor was recognized in eight categories, including its first-ever recognition in the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging category. The category is reserved for organizations that are demonstrating an institutionalized commitment to belonging, as reported through the experiences of faculty and staff.

Over the last 15 years, Baylor has been on the Honor Roll 13 times, including each of the last seven years, receiving top recognition from one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country.

The results – released today at GreatCollegesList.com and in a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education – are based on a survey of 216 colleges and universities. Baylor is among only 42 institutions that earned Honor Roll status, the program’s highest award for recognition in the most categories. Baylor is included in the large university category with 10,000 or more students.

“Baylor University’s mission challenges us with a call to excellence in everything we do,” said President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “Our faculty and staff generously give 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 throughout the world, our employees enjoy a vibrant campus community, workplace stability, generous investments in their professional and personal success and outstanding benefits, all of which make Baylor a Great College to Work For.”

Honor Roll categories

Baylor achieved honors in these eight categories:

• Compensation and Benefits: Fair compensation and benefits play an important role in employees feeling valued and respected.
• Confidence in Senior Leadership: Faculty and staff express confidence in the capabilities and credibility of senior leadership, including the president and direct reports.
• Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging: Based on individual experiences of inclusion and belonging, as well as the impact of institutional diversity policies and procedures at the individual level.
• Faculty and Staff Well-being: Impact of one’s employment experience on well-being, such as the opportunity to do meaningful work, the support for work/life balance and the experience of a safe working environment.
• Job Satisfaction and Support: Satisfaction with job fit, autonomy and resources, which are essential to an engaged workforce.
• Mission and Pride: Understanding an institution’s mission and how one’s job impacts that mission, and a level of pride in being associated with the institution prompting a willingness to recommend the institution as an employer.
• Professional Development: Support for faculty and staff professional development, including onboarding processes and support for career development.
• Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness: Managers provide clear direction and constructive feedback, ensuring effective communication and equitable treatment.

“Baylor University is committed to being an exemplary employer that embodies our Christian mission by offering a competitive benefits program, well-being resources and fostering a caring community for our faculty, staff and students,” said Cheryl Gochis, vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer at Baylor. “The Great Colleges to Work For survey provides valuable insights into how employees experience and perceive different aspects of the institution. At Baylor, the feedback from this survey is essential in helping Human Resources identify strengths in employee satisfaction as well as opportunities for growth.”

Caring personally and professionally

Baylor employs more than 3,300 faculty and staff who have access to a highly competitive benefits program, wellness and well-being resources and a caring community for faculty, staff and students. In addition to a 10.8% university contribution to individual faculty and staff retirement plans. Baylor offers a growing number of Employee Resource Groups that are available to all faculty and staff while also meeting the needs of a more diverse campus community; an Employee Assistance Program that provides confidential counseling service to employees and their households at no extra cost; and a Baylor Physical Wellbeing program.

As a Christian university, Baylor also has designed several ways for faculty and staff to further nurture their spiritual growth, from Faculty and Staff Chapel services to Spiritual Wellbeing Leave. In its inaugural year, nearly 1,400 Baylor staff accessed more than 11,000 hours of paid time off for dedicated space and time for spiritual retreat in 2023.

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captures employment data and workplace policies, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.

“If you’re seeking inspiration, look no further than the 2024 Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll institutions,” said Richard K. Boyer, Chief Culture Strategist at ModernThink. “Their commitment to the quality of the workplace experience for of their faculty and staff has been steadfast and the spirit of resilience they’ve cultivated brings the members of these institutions together in ways that inspire confidence, community and optimism.”

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.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.