Eastern Kentucky University Reviews

Pros

Supportive staff and co workers

Cons

Kentucky government and political whims

Pros

The benefit of working at Eastern Kentucky University is that you are supported to follow your passion, build collaborations, and enjoy flexibility in your work schedule. The students are unique and a joy to mentor and educate. There are opportunities for growth within the university.

Cons

Like many universities, EKU suffers from budget constraints. Raises are few and far between. To increase annual income faculty resort to teaching extra classes, seeking part-time employment elsewhere, and taking leadership positions. While there are areas on campus where the work culture is supportive, many areas it is not. There is no attempt to improve culture or discipline individuals who create a toxic environment.

Pros

It was an extremely flexible job where you could work where you lived, covered housing, and was full of very kind people. It taught you transferable skills and is a position that is considered in high remarks

Cons

They did sometimes overwork you due to it being a stipend of 1.5k a semester, and working up to higher pay, like becoming a GRHC or RHC was sometimes based on luck or if you were liked in the position.

Pros

University has good benefits and nice people

Cons

Did not have any merit raises year to year

Pros

flexibility and work life balance

Cons

almost no pay raise, never had merit pay, squeezed every bit out of its employee

Pros

Ok place to work. Doesn’t really appreciate employees

Cons

No raises in the past 4 years

Pros

- The faculty are wonderful! Very collaborative and student-centered. - Good benefits, including free access to a nurse practitioner, and a health insurance plan that is completely covered by the University. - Excellent time off. In addition to paid holidays, sick and vacation time, we also get a paid winter break and paid fall break (yes, even as a staff member). - The pay for an instructional designer is competitive for higher education. - Instructional designers work in a fully remote environment with equipment provided by the University. - IDs have access to various software to do their job effectively, including Articulate 360. - Very collaborative team environment.

Cons

- The pay, when compared to the corporate sector, isn't competitive, but overall job security, paid time off, and benefit packages more than make up the difference.

Pros

- Many new facilities - Diverse course offerings - Some teaching release possible for mentoring graduate/undergraduate research

Cons

- Inverted salary structures due to lack of raises for existing faculty despite increased salary to attract new faculty (i.e., new Assistant Professors are sometimes making more than tenured faculty who have been here 10+ years) - Athletics are the spending priority, while some facilities have broken HVAC systems and black mold...there is always money for athletics but somehow not for anything else - Very little support for research and professional development - No merit raises, only one raise in last 7 years - Generally non-competitive salaries; administration reiterates that faculty are not in it for the money as justification - Increasing work loads due to cuts and reassignment of duties on remaining employees

Pros

Great Work/Life Balance! Plenty of holidays off.

Cons

In general, pay is below market value. I found it very hard to advance beyond your current position, which is why I left. My part-time position was NOT EVEN CLOSE to a living wage, and despite all the positive feedback I received on my performance, I found it impossible to obtain a full-time position. I very much felt strung along, underpaid, and undervalued. As a part-time employee, I received no bonuses, benefits, PTO, or holiday pay (even though the university closes for two weeks at Christmas, the most expensive time of the year).

Pros

Getting new leadership and different approaches

Cons

Better communication with the organization