Angelo State Earns National “Great College to Work For” Designation

Dr. Karl Havlak, professor of mathematics ASU is one of only 85 institutions of higher education recognized nationally by ModernThink, and also ranked highly enough to be one of only 42 institutions named to The Chronicle’s 2019 Honor Roll. This marks the fifth straight year ASU has made both the “Great Colleges to Work For” list and the Honor Roll.

Dr. Brian J. MayASU President Brian J. May said, “We call ourselves the Ram Family, and we work really hard to maintain that atmosphere throughout the ASU community. Our employees are the glue that holds the Ram Family together so we can provide our students with the complete college experience that they want and deserve. Our goal is to produce well-educated graduates who are ready to take on the world. That our employees are invested in that goal and truly enjoy working at ASU is the foundation of the Ram Family.”

Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell“The campus unity, environment and culture at Angelo State University are second to none, and I feel this recognition is well deserved,” Texas Tech University System Chancellor Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell said. “President May and the ASU administration have done a wonderful job of building leaders throughout the campus community by providing fulfilling career opportunities and empowering faculty and staff to play an important role in making Angelo State a great university to work for.”

The “Great Colleges to Work For” designation is based upon surveys conducted earlier this year of more than 56,000 employees at 236 colleges and universities nationally. Angelo State was one of seven Texas four-year institutions to earn the designation, one of only two Texas state-supported universities to be honored, and the only Texas state-supported university to make the Honor Roll. ASU was previously identified as one of the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” in 2009, 2013 and 2015-18.

ModernThink previously partnered with The Chronicle of Higher Education to sponsor the “Great Colleges to Work For” program, but while the partnership for publication still exists, ModernThink is now the sole underwriter of the program.

The ModernThink survey evaluates employee satisfaction in 12 categories in four general areas: leadership, the workplace, careers and compensation. Its two-part assessment process includes an institutional audit of demographics and workplace policies, as well as the survey of faculty, staff and administrators, with employee feedback being the primary factor. ASU is one of only two institutions in the U.S. to be recognized in all 12 categories.

Kurtis NealASU Human Resources Director Kurtis Neal said, “The leadership, commitment and hard work displayed by our employees on a daily basis create an amazing campus experience. I am lucky to be a part of an organization such as this. Our employees are committed to making Angelo State a great university for our students and a great place to work. The ‘Great Colleges to Work For’ designation for the fifth year in a row is a wonderful honor for the Ram Family, and making the Honor Roll for a fifth straight year is definitely something for the campus to brag about.”

Additionally, Neal said the broader national exposure for ASU that comes with the recognition will enhance the university’s ability to recruit high-quality faculty, staff and administrators. ASU currently has 1,012 employees, including 465 faculty and 547 staff.

The print edition of The Chronicle’s 2019 Academic Workplace special report featuring the complete survey results will be released Sept. 20.