The University of Akron is being honored — for a fourth consecutive year — as one of the 99 best places to work in Northeast Ohio by the Employers Resource Council (ERC). UA and the other NorthCoast 99 Award recipients will be recognized on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at a banquet in Westlake.
ERC, founded 92 years ago, is now the largest organization in Northeast Ohio providing training and consulting to area companies on workplace programs and practices. Its mission is to help them attract and retain the most talented employees.
It is a mission shared by UA.
"Our employees show their commitment to our students every day and we try hard to help create an engaging workplace that will support them in this important work," says Becky J. Hoover, vice president of talent development and human resources, of UA's continued recognition from ERC.
Becky J. Hoover
"We provide great benefits, competitive wages, and a unique opportunity for our employees to always be learning and always be teaching," continues Hoover. "They can use our generous fee remission policy to learn valuable new skills and we encourage them to then share at least some of what they've learned with their colleagues. This commitment to growth for every member of our community is a big part of what makes us an award-winning workplace, year after year."
Top organizations focus on fundamentals
In 1999, ERC launched the NorthCoast 99 Awards to annually recognize the "99 great workplaces for top talent in Northeast Ohio." To be considered, each organization goes through a rigorous application process that requires them to look at all aspects of the workplaces they have created by focusing on seven fundamental characteristics — flexibility, opportunity, recognition, development, security, support and talent integrity.
Over the ensuing years, hundreds of organizations have applied for the award, and more than 400 workplaces have been honored for their "ability to maintain great workplaces that support the attraction, retention and motivation of top performers."
The University of Akron, which has now received the NorthCoast 99 Award a total of five times, finds itself among such honorees as the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Summa Health System, Akron Children's Hospital, The Lubrizol Corporation, InfoCision Management Corporation, Main Street Gourmet and the Cleveland Indians. Joining UA on the list as the only other higher education institution to be honored is Lorain County Community College — UA's partner in the MidPoint Campus Center in Brunswick. See the full list of 2012 winners.
To learn more, visit the NorthCoast99 site.
About The University of Akron
The University of Akron offers more than 300 associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and law degree programs – with accreditations by 35 professional agencies. With nearly 30,000 students and more than $65 million in research expenditures, UA is among the nation's strongest public universities focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment in community and economic growth. Programs are targeted to diverse groups of learners, including full-time, part-time and online students, veterans and adults returning to the classroom. The distinctive Akron Experience enhances postgraduate success through internships and co-ops, academic research (both undergraduate and graduate), study abroad, on-campus student employment and service projects.