Inconsistent institutional personality - great for students, horrifying for support staff
Pros
Students are highly engaged, the non-traditional nature of the college attracts diversity, and the campus is gorgeous.
Cons
The administration is significantly at odds with academics, to the extent that the two worlds seem almost diametrically opposed. Enrollment and retention issues abound, but the college continues to push for more out-of-state, traditional students, even though they are usually the most likely to transfer or drop out. Support staff aren't supported, and they openly resent the students they serve. Salaries are abysmal, and there is high turnover in many student affairs positions as a result. No upward mobility in staff positions, middle management is largely made up of under-qualified, grumpy people who hang onto their jobs seemingly in order to control and manipulate the people under them. Raises and even horizontal mobility within the college are non-existent. The culture encourages the worst people to stay and the best and brightest to move on. Cultural issues are well-known to the administration, but for some reason no one does anything. Senior staff hates their jobs just as much as support staff, but fear the unions or change in general, so do nothing. Students easily sense these issues and offices like financial aid, admissions, and registration are widely acknowledged as completely dysfunctional, lacking in customer service, and populated by angry and bitter people.
