Workplace full of wonders
By Matt Rupel
Santa Clara has been named one of the "Best Places to Work in the Bay Area" by a survey in the San Jose Business Journal.
"Santa Clara is one of the best places to work in the Bay Area, I would say, because of the camaraderie among the colleagues that you work with, the support that you get from the administration for professional activities outside the classroom and the health and welfare benefits that are available to the faculty," said Jennifer Segura-Lisses, a Spanish lecturer in the Modern Languages department.
Segura-Lisses has been at Santa Clara for two years and said she hasn't had any negative experiences.
Freshman Daniel Dayan said he sees a closer and more direct connection between the professors and students because of the small classrooms, and the professor's moods have a direct impact on that relationship. Dayan said he enjoys having happy professors.
The article, which was sponsored by the San Francisco Times and the San Jose Business Journal, placed the university in the number eight spot in the "large employers" category, which is defined by a staff of 501-1,500 employees.
According to a press release published by the university on April 29, Santa Clara has placed in the top 15 companies over the past six years in the San Jose Business Journal, and they are the only university in the Bay Area to make the list, although Santa Clara did fall two places from the number six spot last year.
Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants, a chain of hotels and restaurants along the west coast, held the number one spot for the second year in a row. Kimpton Hotels, a hotel chain that strives for diversity and individuality in the workplace, held the second "Best Place to Work" spot.
Various research has shown a direct correlation between satisfied faculty and satisfied customers. According to a study from Ohio State University, when the faculty members at an institute of higher education are satisfied, the students receive a better overall education.
The study showed, in particular, that students benefit when relationships among faculty members are satisfactory. This means that the often overlooked factors affecting faculty satisfaction, such as camaraderie in a department, are indeed important.
The high ranking represents a victory for Santa Clara because it shows a strength that could potentially attract more students to the university, therefore raising revenue from tuition. Currently, Santa Clara is hurting financially and the increased income could help bring more profits to the university.
According to a statement in a university press release, President Michael Engh, S.J. congratulated and thanked faculty and staff for fostering a work environment of mutual respect and genuine concern for one another.
"The positive campus climate they help create benefits the entire Santa Clara family, especially the students," he said in the press release.
The university press release says that the annual survey ranks the top 125 places to work in the Bay Area by gathering answers from various employees with an extensive questionnaire that regards management practices, policies, benefits, work climate, culture, diversity, career development, and training.
The award to Santa Clara comes in stark contrast to complaints of alleged worker mistreatment in Bon Appétit, the catering company that provides food on campus. Bon Appétit is a separate workplace from Santa Clara and was therefore not included in the Santa Clara faculty satisfaction ratings in the San Jose Business Journal.
While this accomplishment does overlook the problems that Bon Appétit faces, it represents an overall victory for Santa Clara and shows that the school is taking care of those who work for here.
Contact Matt Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu or (408) 554-4546.