By Adam Studzinski

NORMAL – Illinois State University has been named a “Great College to Work For,” according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The organization used a number of its own criteria, including an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution. ISU President Larry Dietz said out of that piece of the process, the school was especially recognized for its supportive teaching environment and the clarity of its tenure process.

“For faculty, obviously, both of those are very, very important,” said Dietz. “We hope it will not only send a message across campus that’s already there, that this is a great place to work, but also, perhaps, help us when we recruit new faculty/staff into the environment.”

Podcast: Listen to Dietz’s conversation on WJBC.

The Chronicle of Higher Education also did a survey of faculty and staff, which was given the most consideration.

“Anytime that your own folks think that this is a great place to be, and a great place to teach, and a great place to work that means a lot to us,” said Dietz. “So I think that survey helped.”

Dietz added it’s “wonderful” to be recognized for this on a national level.

“The university’s continued excellence is really our love of teaching and our motto of ‘Gladly we teach, gladly we learn.’ This falls right into that motto,” he said.

More than 280 schools across the nation were surveyed. Of those, ISU was one of just 86 to receive this honor.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].