UB continues holding its title as a great place to work. For another year, the university holds a spot on a list published by The Chronicle for Higher Education.
In a survey taken by 47,000 people from 294 institutions all over the country, The Chronicle has named UB as one of the top 103 colleges to work for.
The list of institutions was determined by a survey that asked administrators, faculty members and professional staff questions about both the institution itself in regards to its educational prowess, as well as an evaluation of the institution as an employer.
According to the survey, UB excelled in two areas in particular: "Compensation and Benefits" and "Tenure Clarity and Process."
Michael A. Stefanone, an associate professor in the department of communication, was granted his tenure this year. He said UB continually kept him informed about where he stood in the tenure process.
"While I was certainly delighted to get the positive news about tenure," Stefanone said in an email, "it wasn't that much of a surprise. [I worked] toward this goal for six years and [got] a lot of feedback along the way, so I had a good idea about where I stood."
UB's ranking as one of the top colleges to work for isn't anything new. This is the fifth straight year that UB has been on The Chronicle's list, every year since the study's inception.
"This type of recognition acknowledges UB's commitment to being a great employer and to its pursuit of excellence in workplace quality," James Nadbrzuch, associate vice president for University Life and Service, said in an email. "[UB] continues to acknowledge that its faculty, staff and students are its most important resources."
There are a number of programs that UB has created to ensure a healthy work environment for its faculty and staff. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a free program, helps faculty and staff members deal with various issues ranging from family-related problems to drug or alcohol related problems.
The survey's questions were based on a five-point scale and then were broken down into 12 categories based on that scale. The top 10 colleges in each category were added to the list.
Nadbrzuch believed UB's attitude was what allowed it to differentiate itself from other universities.
"The campus community has a real willingness and interest in continuing improvements to the campus experience," Nadbrzuch said.
Stefanone credits UB's ability to challenge professors as a tremendous benefit of working there. He chose UB because it is a research-focused school.
"I knew the faculty here would challenge me to work harder and do better research," Stefanone said. "UB is a great place to work. You can't beat the academic and intellectual freedom."`
Even though UB has been named on The Chronicle's list each of the last five years, Nazbrzuch isn't ready to settle. He feels that this honor is just another opportunity to improve the university as a whole.
In ten years, he sees UB as "maintaining our high standards of excellence in our workplace and continuing to be one of the best public research universities that's also a great place to work."
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