(Posted August 16, 2011)

Dan Welliver, assistant professor of sociology, and Destiny Waller hang out with a furry friend at a recent Campusfest.
Dan Welliver, assistant professor of sociology, and Destiny Waller hang out with a furry friend at a recent Campusfest.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College, an employer of approximately 420 faculty, administrators and staff, many of them Huntingdon County residents, was recognized in four categories in the nationwide Chronicle of Higher Education 2010 "Great Colleges to Work For" survey.

Juniata was recognized as a leader in the "Small College" division (499 employees or fewer) in four out of 12 categories. The survey is based on responses to the Chronicle from more than 44,000 administrators, faculty members and staff members at 300 colleges and universities, as well as community colleges, across the country. The survey was completed at 89 institutions in 2008, 247 institutions in 2009 and 275 institutions in 2010.

"Those of us who work here at Juniata have always known it is a great place to be," says Thomas R. Kepple, president of Juniata. "I am pleased that the college continues to be recognized for its sense of community, facilities, satisfaction and purpose."

The Chronicle of Higher Education survey, which was administered by ModernThink LLC, a human resources consulting firm based in Wilmington, Del. that has conducted numerous "Best Places to Work" programs, surveying hundreds of thousands of employees nationwide, found that Juniata rated highly in the following categories: Facilities, Workspace and Security; Job Satisfaction; Work-Life Balance, where policies allow employees to manage their personal lives; and Confidence in Senior Leadership, where the colleges leaders possess the skills and experience necessary for success.

Of the 300 colleges and universities polled, 111 were recognized as a Great Place to Work. To gain recognition as a great Place to Work, an institution must be recognized in at least one of 12 categories

"Those of us who work here at Juniata have always known it is a great place to be. I am pleased that the college continues to be recognized for its sense of community, facilities, satisfaction and purpose."

Thomas R. Kepple, president of Juniata

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was employee feedback.

The Chronicle's published survey results named only those institutions that scored high enough to be recognized in a particular category. Of the employees polled nationwide, approximately 20,000 were faculty, 15,000 were considered professional staff, and 8,00 were administrators.

The colleges and universities participating in the survey were representative of one of five classifications set by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: research universities with "very high" research activity; doctoral/research universities; master's colleges and universities; and baccalaureate colleges for arts and sciences.

Each institution participating in the survey was asked to submit a list of employees randomly selected from administration, faculty and professional support staff. The sample size for the survey was either 400 or 600, depending on the size of the institution.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.