July 18, 2018 - Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education named Panola College as one of the “Great Colleges to Work For” and presented the institution the Honor Roll designation for the seventh consecutive year.
One of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country, “Great Colleges to Work For” identifies colleges and universities that work to provide an exemplary work environment for faculty and staff. The results, released today in The Chronicle’s eleventh annual report on The Academic Workplace, are based on survey responses from more than 53,000 people at 253 colleges and universities. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.
“The unity of purpose among faculty, staff, students, the community, and our Board of Trustees is what makes Panola College a great place to work. The word "family" is frequently used to describe Panola College,” said Dr. Greg Powell, President of Panola College. “I am proud of our caring culture and our strong commitment to help students succeed.”
Panola College is listed as one of only 84 institutions that achieved the “Great College to Work For” recognition and one of only 12 two-year institutions to make the Honor Roll, which recognizes distinguished institutions for creating exceptional work environments.
Panola College was also placed on the Honor Roll as a stand out college in its size category for winning honors in 11 categories this year. These categories included:
Collaborative Governance: Faculty members are involved appropriately in decisions related to academic programs.
Compensation and Benefits: Pay is fair, and benefits meet the needs of employees.
Confidence in Senior Leadership: Leaders have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience for institutional success.
Facilities, Workspaces and Security: Facilities adequately meet needs, the appearance of the campus is pleasing, and the institution takes steps to provide a secure environment.
Job Satisfaction: Provides insight into the satisfaction with job fit, autonomy and resources.
Professional/Career Development Programs: Employees are given the opportunity to develop skills and understand requirements to advance in their careers.
Respect and Appreciation: Employees are regularly recognized for their contributions.
Supervisor/Department-Chair Relationship: Supervisors make expectations clear and solicit ideas.
Teaching Environment (Faculty only): Faculty members say the institution recognizes innovative and high-quality teaching.
Work/Life Balance: Policies give employees the flexibility to manage their personal lives.
“Great Colleges to Work For® looks at employee perceptions of the quality of their work environment. It examines aspects of the worker experience in a quantifiable and measurable way. This allows you to act on your faculty’s and staff’s feelings about job satisfaction, interdepartmental collaboration, pride in work and other important areas,” states Liz McMillen, editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Great Colleges to Work For is one of the largest and most comprehensive workplace study in higher education. To administer the survey and analyze the results, The Chronicle worked with ModernThink LLC, a strategic human capital consulting firm that has conducted numerous “Best Places to Work” programs, surveying hundreds of thousands of employees nationwide.
