Best State Universities to Work For 2013

There are many options available to individuals seeking employment at the post-secondary level, and state universities offer some of the most diverse opportunities. Among these, not all are created equal in terms of job satisfaction, compensation, and employee benefits. We selected ten state universities that have reputations for being excellent places to work. We developed the list based on compensation, general benefits, and evidence of an atmosphere where the university goes above and beyond for their employees.

#1. Georgia Institute of Technology

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Location: Atlanta, GA

Website: http://wwww.gatech.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees of Georgia Tech cite a great work environment that encourages and facilitates professional growth. The CEO has a 93% approval rating according to employee reviews on glassdoor, and employees enjoy working in an environment with minimal bureaucratic obstacles.

Notable Perks: Georgia Tech takes childcare options to a whole new level. The programs at Georgia Tech are not just child care, but also early education centers for the children of faculty, staff, and graduate students. The programs serve children six weeks to five years old and provide high quality early education in a nurturing and caring environment.

Average Salary: Postdoctoral Fellows earn $44,137 on average, Assistant Professors earn $89,000 on average, Teaching Assistants earn $10.66 per hour on average.

#2. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Location: Urbana, IL

Website: http://wwww.illinois.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees are happy with the great work environment. They love working with the other faculty and the students. The administration has made a point of fostering a strong, academically oriented intellectual community. The area has a low cost of living. The CEO approval rating among employees is 90% according to glass door.

Notable Perks: One of the interesting and unique perks of working for this university is that they support the efforts of employees seeking to adopt a child. They offer up to a $1,500.00 adoption credit toward the adoption.

Average Salary: Postdoctoral Research Associates earn an average of $42,000 per year, Assistant Professors average $99,800 per year, Graduate Research Assistants average $22,478 per year.

#3. University of Delaware

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Location: Newark, DE

Website: http://wwww.udel.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees cite strong benefits, an actual pension plan over a retirement plan, and a laid back, caring, professional atmosphere as the primary reasons for job satisfaction. Employees also mention the prime location, easy distance from Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and New York City without having to live in an urban area.

Notable Perks: The retirement plan for employees is a full pension plan vs. a 401k, meaning the money is guaranteed by the state of Delaware.

Average Salary: Post Doc Researchers make $45,000 per year on average, Assistant Professors earn an average of $84,000, and Limited Term Researchers average $54,000 per year. There are very few hourly positions.

#4. George Mason University

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Location: Fairfax, VA

Website: http://wwww.gmu.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees cite a strong collaborative culture and diverse workforce as key components for job satisfaction. According to a glass door survey the CEO has a 97% approval rating, and 84% of employees would recommend GMU to a friend.

Notable Perks: GMU offers a wide array of work/life benefits and resources. From top notch quality childcare/early education for children under five, to programs, resources and information on elder care for those with aging family members.

Average Salary: Assistant Professors earn an average of $76,100 per year, Research Assistant Professors earn $57,700 per year on average, Hourly Graduate Teaching Assistants earn $13.67 per hour.

#5. Iowa State University

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Location: Ames, IA

Website: http://wwww.istate.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees appreciate the strong community atmosphere both at the university and in the surrounding area. Many staff reviews on glass door have commented on the location being an ideal place to raise a family. The CEO enjoys an 100% approval rating from staff reviews on glass door indicating strong and well respected leadership.

Notable Perks: The University recognizes the importance of a parent’s commitment to their children and offers child care services to ease stress and reduce absenteeism. The care extends to separate care services for sick children.

Average Salary: Assistant Professors earn an average salary of $78,000 per year, Post Doctoral Research Associates earn $41,000 on average, and Post-Doctoral Research Assistants earn $20.57 per hour on average.

#6. SUNY Buffalo

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Location: Buffalo, NY

Website: http://wwww.buffalo.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees of SUNY Buffalo enjoy the diverse culture and international perspective offered by the university’s community. The university has high standards for both teachers and students which breeds a culture of professional excellence. Also high on the list of many employee reviews on glass door is the low cost of living in the area.

Notable Perks: SUNY Buffalo offers both full and part time faculty and staff a tuition free education program.

Average Salary: Postdoctoral Associates average $37,000 per year, Research Scientists average $49,000 per year, Research Support Specialists earn $19.36 per hour.

#7. University of Mississippi

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Location: Oxford, MS

Website: http://www.olemiss.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employee reviews on glass door cite the beautiful surroundings and good benefits, including long vacations as the keys to job satisfaction at Ole Miss. 79% of employees surveyed by glassdoor would recommend working at Ole Miss to a friend.

Notable Perks: The university offers a wide range of fringe benefits including discounts on golf at the local club, free sporting event tickets, reduced tuition for nursery school; and perhaps most notably, the friends of children program, which helps pay for food, lodging, travel, and childcare for faculty and staff with children suffering from extreme medical conditions.

Average Salary: Postdoctoral Research Associates earn an average of $35,300 per year, Assistant Professors earn an average of $63,300 per year, Web Developers earn on average $20.26 per hour.

#8. University of South Florida

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Location: Tampa, FL

Website: http://wwww.usf.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees remark upon the diverse campus community, a collaborative atmosphere, an openness to change, and strong leave and health benefits as the primary reasons for high employee satisfaction.

Notable Perks: Administration and full time year round faculty earn 6.769 hours of paid leave bi-weekly, Staff earn 4-6 hours bi-weekly depending on how long they’ve worked for the university.

Average Salary: Assistant Professors earn $72,500 on average, Research Associates earn $41,700 on average, hourly Graduate Research Assistants earn $18.64 per hour on average.

#9. University of Kansas

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Location: Lawrence, KS

Website: http://wwww.ku.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Employees cite strong vacation and retirement benefits, good pay for full time faculty positions and reasonable pay for most of the other positions. The CEO of the university enjoys a 96% approval rating among employees signalling strong and fair leadership.

Notable Perks: Vacation days accrue on a per-pay-period basis for both hourly and salaried employees based on how long they they have worked for the university and how many hours they work. Employee loyalty is rewarded, those with the school for 10+years can accrue as many as 6.7 paid vacation hours per pay period (every two weeks).

Average Salary: Assistant Professors average $72,000 per year, Teaching Assistants average $11.38 per hour, post-doctoral research associates earn an average of $35,000 per year.

#10. Texas A&M University

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Location: College Station, TX

Website: http://wwww.tamu.edu

Why It’s a Great Place to Work: Large tuition discounts, a laid back environment, flexible scheduling, and a great reputation are all key components of employee happiness. 84% of employees would recommend working at TAMU to a friend according to a glassdoor survey.

Notable Perks: Great incentives, especially for hourly employees including raises based on amount of hours worked. Health benefits are strong and Dental can be added for a reasonable cost.

Average Salary: Assistant Professors earn an average of $78,100 per year, Postdoctoral Research Associates earn $37,200 per year on average, Assistant Research Scientists earn an average of $47,100 per year.

Sources

Glass Door

Chronicle of Higher Education

Other information was gleaned directly from university websites.

April 11, 2013
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