Why Participate

Why Participate?

1. Gain National Exposure

   Those institutions that are deemed to be "Great Colleges to Work For" will be showcased in The Chronicle's August 3, 2012, Academic Workplace special report. The Chronicle attracts the largest audience of any recruiting service in higher education -- more than 350,000 weekly readers in print, more than 2.5 million monthly site visits, and more than 1.2 million monthly unique visitors online at Chronicle.com. The Academic Workplace special report and the Great Colleges to Work For survey receive extensive media coverage, consistently making the special report one of the most popular sections on The Chronicle's site.

   This national exposure is invaluable.  As described by one school, “It had an immediate and positive impact on our ability to recruit high-quality faculty. Candidates mentioned that they saw our institution named in the [supplement] and were impressed by it.”

2. Leverage your survey results to understand your institution's competitive edge

   ALL institutions who participate in the process receive:

• A climate/engagement survey of a random sample of your full-time faculty members, administrators and exempt professional staff. This ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey^©, developed specifically for higher education by ModernThink and a blue-ribbon committee of industry experts, offers institutions the opportunity to get a baseline read on the satisfaction and engagement levels across their campus community and to compare results against other similar institutions. Learn more about the Survey Process.
• Three complimentary high level Participation Reports.
• The opportunity to partner with a ModernThink survey expert to take a more in-depth look at your survey results. Institutions have used the ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey^© for strategic planning, assessing risk, establishing administration goals, enhancing existing communications on campus, and gauging reactions to recent initiatives. Learn more about your Consulting Options.

3. Boost recruitment and retention of the best faculty, administrators and staff

• An institution that is recognized as a Great College to Work For will benefit from the publicity and be able to promote its achievement throughout the hiring cycle to boost the recruitment and retention of the best employees. As described by one winner, “I was aware of the effect that placing well in this survey would have on recruitment. I was not surprised, therefore, to see that professors and staff alike were even more interested in working with us as a result of our recognition in the Best Colleges competition.” Click here to see how past Great Colleges have promoted their achievement.
• Students and parents appreciate doing business with institutions that are recognized for creating great workplaces for employees. One Great Colleges participant noted, “The results on our school [were] used in promoting the College to prospective students and groups and was written up in our local newspaper.”

4. Realize positive financial returns.

   In a great workplace, the way people are treated adds significantly to the competitive advantages available to the organization. ModernThink’s research confirms that these great workplaces benefit from the following:

• Receive more qualified job applications for open positions.
• Experience a lower rate of turnover.
• Experience reductions in health care costs.
• Enjoy higher levels of student satisfaction and loyalty.
• Foster greater innovation, creativity and risk taking.