St. Mary’s University honored by Great Colleges to Work For program

Employees rank University highly for mission, faculty experience

St. Mary’s University has been honored among the 2026 Great Colleges to Work For, which is one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country.

Now in its 19th year, Great Colleges to Work For recognizes the colleges that get top ratings from their employees for workplace practices and policies. The results were released today at GreatCollegesList.com and via a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“For nearly 175 years, St. Mary’s University has continued to offer a premier educational experience because our faculty and staff are deeply committed to our vision of excellence and our students’ success,” said St. Mary’s University President Winston Erevelles, Ph.D. “Our employees are the inspiring and enduring embodiment of our mission in the classroom and across our community.”

The program includes a two-part assessment process: the ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey administered to faculty, administrators, exempt professional and non-exempt staff and the ModernThink Higher Education Institution Questionnaire (IQ), which captures employment data and workplace policies and practices from each institution.

Of the 171 institutions that participated in 2026, 76 were recognized as a Great College to Work For.

“This year’s recognized institutions know that institutional success is not possible without the positive impact of their people,” said Richard K. Boyer, Chief Culture Strategist at ModernThink. “They understand the success of their students is tied to the experience and success of their faculty and staff.”

Survey results for St. Mary’s University indicated employees rated the institution in the “Very Good to Excellent” range for:

Mission and 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.
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 that 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).
Faculty Experience: 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.