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Winona State University

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Winona State University Reviews

4.3

85% would recommend to a friend

(124 total reviews)
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Scott R. Olson

84% approve of CEO

74% positive business outlook

Winona State University has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 124 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Winona State University employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

124 reviews
1.0
8 Sept 2017

Faculty

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Small campus, Friendly staff, Well-mannered students, Reasonably good equipment, Good library,

Cons

Higher education system is messed up; low budget, union, lack of leadership, superficial accountability.

4.0
10 Oct 2013

GDemanding

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Generally, good salaries, excellent benefits, and equitable treatment, because nearly all employees belong to a state or national union. That gives the union great leverage in negotiating workplace policies including salaries, benefits, opportunities for development, evaluations, hiring practices, and more. Most employees, including supervisors and administrators, are dedicated and supportive, and staff and faculty work as team. The university is located in a smaller city (30,000) with a low cost of living, a rich array of fine arts, and a multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities.

Cons

As in many colleges and universities, some staff and faculty take advantage of the security of tenure, fulfill only part of their responsibilities, and/or perform minimally or worse. Until faculty and staff themselves hold their colleagues accountable, this will continue. For faculty, the union can do little in cases of unfair denials of tenure and/or promotion. While most tenure and/or promotion decisions are just, a significant portion are not, and this can be brought about by a single colleague or administrator. In evaluating faculty performance, administrators ratchet standards ever higher as if faculty have ever-more energy and hours. For staff this takes the form of always-increasing responsibilities while the number of employees remains static. Conversely, the number of administrators has grown sharply over the past decade. This university is part of a statewide system, and the central administration for the system, located in St. Paul, consumes resources far in excess of the benefits it provides. Yet until recently it has been held largely unaccountable. This past year, for the first time, the legislature forced them to distribute allocated funds to the universities and colleges without first taking a huge slice for themselves.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 124 Reviews

Glassdoor has 137 Winona State University reviews submitted anonymously by Winona State University employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Winona State University is right for you.