Baylor University Achieves Great Colleges to Work For® Honor Roll Recognition in All 10 Categories

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, 254-327-8012 
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Baylor University has once again 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. This year, the news is even more impressive as the University earned honor roll status in all 10 categories, one of only three institutions in the nation to do so, for the first time in the University’s history. 

"For Baylor University to be named to the Great Colleges to Work For® Honor Roll in all 10 categories – one of only three universities in the country – is a testament to our Christian mission, which requires us to pursue excellence in everything we do. 

- President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. 

"For Baylor University to be named to the Great Colleges to Work For® Honor Roll in all 10 categories – one of only three universities in the country – is a testament to our Christian mission, which requires us to pursue excellence in everything we do. The fact that we earned this recognition during such a challenging time in higher education is even more gratifying,” said President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “While we foster an environment for faculty and staff to help prepare students for worldwide leadership and service, we also strive to create a workplace where every employee is supported, valued and equipped to succeed. I am thrilled Baylor earned this honor again, and I expect the University to continue to be a Great College to Work For."

The results – released today at GreatCollegesList.com and in a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education – are based on a survey of faculty and staff at 199 colleges and universities. Baylor is included in the large university category with 10,000 or more students, and has now earned Honor Roll status 14 times overall, and eight times in a row.

Honor Roll categories

The 10 Great Colleges to Work For® recognition categories are:

• 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.
• Inclusion, Belonging & Community: Faculty and staff report their individual experiences on the impact of an institution’s commitment to building a sense of community and the policies and procedures for developing and maintaining community.
• Faculty Experience: (Only Faculty and Adjunct Faculty Considered): Faculty have a unique role in the life of a university and there are some elements of their specific employment experience – the support for advancement and promotion opportunities and the perceived balance of teaching, service and research, for example – that are uniquely viewed through the faculty lens.
• 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, professional development opportunities and support for career development.
• Shared Governance: Faculty and staff responses to survey items on collaborative governance processes and decision-making provide clarity on this widely valued and deeply respected higher education tradition.
• Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness: Managers provide clear direction and constructive feedback, ensuring effective communication and equitable treatment.

“Baylor University is deeply honored to be recognized in all 10 categories of the Great Colleges to Work For® survey this year – making this year’s recognition especially meaningful,” said Cheryl Gochis, Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at Baylor. “We are grateful to our employees and leaders who not only take the time to share their feedback but also use it to help us continuously improve our workplace. Their voices shape the caring community we strive to foster, one that reflects our Christian mission while offering strong benefits, meaningful well-being resources, and a supportive environment for faculty, staff, and students.” 

Caring and professional workplace

Baylor employs more than 3,300 faculty and staff who have access to a highly competitive benefits and advantages 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; an Emotional Wellbeing Solution that provides confidential counseling services to employees and their households at no extra cost; and a Baylor Physical Wellbeing program for employees enrolled in the Baylor medical plan.

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. 

The Great Colleges to Work For® program results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional 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.

“With years of experience studying workplace culture in academia, our data consistently shows that how institutions treat their faculty and staff directly impacts their ability to thrive – both as organizations and as communities,” said Richard K. Boyer, chief culture strategist at ModernThink. “When trust and support are present, institutions unlock the creativity, dedication and resilience essential to navigating today’s challenges in higher education.”

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 previously recognized institutions, visit 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.