Chronicle of Higher Education Names UNA One of America’s “Great Colleges to Work For in 2020”
Sep. 14, 2020
Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256-606-2033 or 256-765-4392
FLORENCE, AL – The University of North Alabama has been named one of America’s “Great Colleges to Work For in 2020” by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the nation’s premier publication for professionals in academia. In its 13th survey of faculty and staff on university campuses, the Washington, D.C.-based journal recognized UNA and 78 other institutions based on employee responses in a dozen categories.
“The recognition from The Chronicle as one of the ‘Great Colleges to Work For in 2020’ is confirmation of what UNA’s faculty and staff have known for some time,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “We take a great deal of pride in what we do, from the teaching environment for our talented faculty to the professional development opportunities offered to all employees, and it shows in overall job satisfaction. This is part of what makes UNA such a special place for our students to live, learn, and grow.”
UNA scored high marks in several of the categories, including job satisfaction and support, confidence in senior leadership, professional and career development programs, compensation and benefits, respect for shared governance and teaching environment. It is the third time UNA has been acknowledged as a Great College to Work For; previous recognition took place in 2010 and again in 2013.
The Great Colleges to Work For® program includes a two-part assessment process: First is a confidential survey administered to faculty, administrators, exempt professional and non-exempt staff; the second part is an institution questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies and practices. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received “Great Colleges to Work For” recognition was the employee feedback.
The initiative at UNA was spearheaded by the Office of Human Resources, which is headed by Assistant Vice President Catherine White.
“Despite the pandemic and the job changes we were all experiencing as a result of that global event, UNA’s employees reported a great deal of job satisfaction and overall pride in working for the University,” White said. “It is affirming to have this recognition for UNA.”
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Big South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/