The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education at Harvard yesterday released Top Academic Workplaces (2005-06). From the press release:
While the majority of junior faculty at America’s colleges and universities are satisfied at work, some institutions are doing extraordinarily well in this area. The survey, administered by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) in 2005, determined that some colleges and universities are "exemplary" on certain key dimensions of faculty work life….
In order to qualify as an "exemplar," a college or university needed scores that were notably higher than similar institutions. Five universities (Auburn, Brown, Ohio State, Stanford, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and one college (Davidson) achieved exemplary status in four of seven categories. Two universities (Dartmouth and the University of Virginia) and two colleges (Goucher and Kenyon) were outstanding in three categories. Two universities (Harvard and University of Kansas) and four colleges (Denison, Hamilton, Macalester, Wabash) were exemplary in two categories. The survey considered the following categories in assessment::
- tenure, clarity and fairness
- nature of work: workload, research and teaching environment, quality of students;
- effectiveness of key policies (e.g., mentoring, childcare, and leaves)
- compensation
- work and family balance
- collegiality
- overall satisfaction
Press and blogospshere coverage:
