September 17, 2021

SVSU named Great College to Work For, 6th consecutive year for workplace recognition

Through a collective commitment to supporting one another and overcoming challenging circumstances, Saginaw Valley State University earned designation as one of the 2021 Great Colleges to Work For®. It is the sixth consecutive year the university has received this recognition.

SVSU was the only public university in Michigan named to the Great Colleges list this year. In all, 70 higher education institutions across the United States were recognized with the honor.

“Our shared commitment to our university community makes SVSU a great place to work and a great place to learn,” said SVSU President Donald Bachand. “We showed this yet again through our response to the pandemic. We emphasized health and safety as we opened our classrooms and opened our residence halls in a safe way. When vaccines became available, we drew upon existing relationships to expedite vaccinations in our region. Nearly 50,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered on our campus.

“When it mattered most, we showed we truly care about the health and welfare of our faculty, staff, students and community.”

Institutions that have been recognized as 2021 Great Colleges to Work For will be officially announced in "The Chronicle of Higher Education" on Sept. 17. They also will be included in a special section of the Great Colleges Program website, GreatCollegesList.com.

The Great Colleges to Work For program was co-founded in 2008 as a partnership between The Chronicle of Higher Education and ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm. The program was funded this year by ModernThink, which shared the results in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

SVSU – which employs more than 700 people full time – has made the list each of the six years it applied.

Each institution on the list is recognized in specific categories. SVSU was honored in two categories: compensation and benefits for the fifth consecutive year and collaborative governance for the second consecutive year.

The list was determined based on a survey of 196 higher education institutions as well as analysis of demographic data and workplace policy. The survey distributed earlier this year to staff and faculty members online examines individuals' evaluations of their respective institution.

“Leadership in crisis is both art and science,” said Richard K. Boyer, principal and managing partner at ModernThink. “The leaders at this year's recognized institutions guided their institutions through unprecedented challenges with vision and transparency, all while modeling a spirit of partnership and genuine care for their fellow colleagues.”

The Great Colleges to Work For® program is one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country. Now in its fourteenth year, it recognizes the colleges that get top ratings from their employees regarding workplace practices and policies. For more information visit www.GreatCollegesProgram.com.