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Great College To Work For
Southern WV Community & Technical College President Dr. Pamela L. Alderman reveals new logos during a press conference Monday (9-12-22) showing a new national distinction for the local college.
Southern named a “Great College to Work For” & “Honor Roll” Distinction
Southern WV Community & Technical College has been selected as one of the 2022 Great Colleges to Work For®, with special designation this year as an “Honor Roll” institution.
The announcement was made Monday, September 12th, at a press conference in the Savas Kostas Performing Arts Center on the Logan campus of Southern.
There are a total of ten recognition categories this year. Making the Honor Roll means that you were among those recognized most often across those ten categories. This is the first Southern time has ever received Honor Roll distinction.
This is Southern’s 7th year participating in Great Colleges. Last year was the institution’s first time being recognized in three categories. This year, Southern has added four additional categories.
Based on the results of the employee engagement survey and your IQ submission, ModernThink has identified Southern as a college that excels in seven different categories, including Job Satisfaction & Support, Mission & Pride, Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness, Confidence in Senior Leadership, Shared Governance, Faculty Experience, and Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging.
“This is a very satisfying affirmation of Southern, but our real goal is not recognition – it’s being a community that values the needs and contributions of every individual. In that sense everyone at Southern helps to make this a great place to work,” said Southern President Dr. Pamela L. Alderman.
The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captured employment data 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 Great Colleges to Work For® program is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all current and previous recognized institutions, visit the Great Colleges program website at GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com. ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results.
212 institutions participated in 2022, including 130 four-year institutions and 82 two-year institutions.
68 institutions are recognized as a 2022 Great College to Work For, including 46 four-year institutions and 22 two-year institutions.
42 institutions are on the Honor Roll, recognized as standouts in their size categories.
ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey© was updated for the 2021 program and vetted by a panel of higher education experts from across two- and four-year institutions, hailing from departments in research, diversity, administration, and more.
“While the Higher Education space is generally not well known for its agility or its ability to affect change quickly, the institutions recognized in this year’s Great Colleges to Work For program have proven otherwise,” Richard K. Boyer, Principal and Managing Partner at ModernThink, said. “They’ve managed and orchestrated change rather than be victims of it, all the while remaining true to their stewardship of the institution’s culture.”
There are 10 recognition categories (see below). Special acknowledgment goes to those schools recognized in multiple categories. Accordingly, Honor Roll recognition goes to the top schools in each 4-year size category and the top schools in each 2-year size category based on the number of times they were honored in the individual recognition areas.
Recognition Categories for Southern
Job Satisfaction & Support
This recognition category is based on satisfaction with job fit, autonomy, and resources. High degrees of job satisfaction are essential to an engaged workforce.
Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness
It is widely regarded that the experience of one’s immediate supervisor is among the most important factors influencing whether an employee is truly engaged. This recognition category is based on the survey items providing insight into critical managerial competencies such as providing clear direction and constructive feedback and ensuring effective communication and equitable treatment.
Confidence in Senior Leadership
This recognition category is based on the expressed confidence faculty and staff report in the capabilities and credibility of senior leadership. In the Great Colleges to Work For program, “senior leadership” is defined as the most senior members of the institution (e.g., chancellor or president and those who report directly to him/her).
Mission & Pride
Understanding an institution’s mission and how one’s job impacts that mission are considered primary drivers of faculty/staff engagement. In addition to mission understanding, this category is based on survey items that provide insight into the level of pride in being associated with the institution and the willingness to recommend the institution as an employer.
Faculty Experience (Faculty and Adjunct Faculty Only)
Faculty have a unique role in the life of a university and there are some elements of their specific employment experience – the support for advancement and promotion opportunities and the perceived balance of teaching, service, and research, for example – that are uniquely viewed through the faculty lens. This recognition category is based on the faculty responses to the survey items addressing these topics.
Shared Governance (Faculty and Adjunct Faculty Only)
The concept of shared governance is one of the most widely valued and deeply respected traditions within higher education. For many Faculty, it is a core part of their experience. Consequently, this recognition category is based on Faculty responses to the survey items on collaborative governance, processes, and decision-making. We also include the responses of Adjunct Faculty respondents from two-year institutions.
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
This recognition category is reserved for program participants who are demonstrating an institutionalized commitment to diversity, as reported through the experiences of faculty and staff. It is based on measures of individual experiences of inclusion and belonging, as well as measures of the impact of institutional diversity policies and procedures at the individual level. This recognition category is based on the responses of all employees at an institution and does not necessarily reflect the specific employment experience of any one demographic group of any protected class of employees.
As a research and consulting leader in workplace issues, ModernThink has supported a wide variety of “Best Place to Work” initiatives. Through these programs, the firm has gained substantial survey and industry expertise, including specific insight into higher education. ModernThink knows what it takes to build a great place to work and shares that know-how with its clients.
The ModernThink team of organizational development experts is dedicated to helping colleges follow through and capitalize on feedback from employees and benchmark data from peers to drive meaningful change at their institutions. Learn more about the Great Colleges to Work For® program, including all current and previous recognized institutions, at GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com, and about ModernThink at ModernThink.com.
