Embry-Riddle Expands Its Collection of Best-Employer Awards

Daytona Beach, Fla./Prescott, Ariz., July 25, 2011 – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is one of the nation’s best employers in higher education, according to a survey conducted by the leading source of news about colleges and universities in the United States.

Nearly 44,000 employees at 310 colleges and universities submitted feedback on their employers for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s fourth annual Academic Workplace special report, to be published today as part of the July 29 issue and posted online at http://chronicle.com/academicworkplace.

Of the 310 institutions whose employees were polled, only 111 achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for their worker-friendly practices and policies – 85 four-year institutions and 26 two-year institutions. Each school is listed in one of three size categories and some schools win additional recognition in specialized categories, but the schools are not ranked against each other.

With more than 34,000 students enrolled annually at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at 150 Worldwide Campus locations around the globe, and in online learning, Embry-Riddle falls into the large-university category. To serve these students, the University employs over 2,500 faculty, staff, and administrators worldwide.

“The Chronicle is the gold standard in higher-education news and analysis, so we’re very proud and honored to appear on its prestigious list for the first time,” said Irene McReynolds, Embry-Riddle vice president of human resources. “We’re also grateful to our faculty and staff for the vote of confidence they gave us in their survey responses. Even in a challenging economy we continue to fine-tune our benefits package to maximize our ability to attract and retain top-quality faculty and staff – after all, our people are the foundation on which we’ve built our reputation as the global leader in aviation and aerospace education.”

Embry-Riddle employees who participated in The Chronicle survey rated the University highly enough for it to win placement in the special category of Work/Life Balance, which honors institutions that excel in creating policies and programs that allow employees more flexibility and enrichment in their personal lives.

Embry-Riddle employees enjoy several paid holidays, including the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day, a generous personal leave program, a four-day summer workweek, a telecommuting option, a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program, and health insurance with vision and dental coverage. A tuition waiver program offers free tuition to employees and family members, with employees allowed paid time off to attend Embry-Riddle classes.

The new honor from The Chronicle of Higher Education augments Embry-Riddle’s reputation as an award-winning employer. Arizona Business Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ recently selected Embry-Riddle as one of the winners of the 2011 “Arizona’s Most Admired Companies (MAC) Awards” (www.bestcompaniesaz.com). At the MAC awards ceremony this September the University will learn whether it has won any additional awards in the specialized categories of Customer Excellence, Leadership, Social Responsibility, and Workplace Culture. In 2010, for the second year in a row, Embry-Riddle was named one of Florida’s “Best Companies to Work For” by Florida Trend magazine. Also last year, for the sixth year in a row, Embry-Riddle was named one of Central Florida’s “Top 100 Companies for Working Families” by the Orlando Sentinel.

The “Great Colleges to Work For” survey results are based on a two-part assessment process – an institutional audit that captures demographics 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 receives recognition is employee feedback. The goal of the “Great Colleges to Work For” program is to recognize the best employers in higher education and to give institutions employee feedback they can use to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

To administer the survey and analyze the results, The Chronicle works with ModernThink LLC, a strategic human capital consulting firm that conducts numerous “Best Places to Work” programs, surveying hundreds of thousands of employees across the country.

Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., The Chronicle of Higher Education is an independent source of news, analysis, opinion, and engagement for the academic community. Each week, in print and online at http://chronicle.com, The Chronicle is read by more college and university faculty members and administrators than any other news source in higher education.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.