2010 Choice Employers, 301+ Employees No. 3: Drury University

Private liberal arts school Drury University has 439 employees, most of whom are full-time. Drury pays 100 percent of employees’ health insurance premiums, and other benefits include flex time and discounts at the campus bookstore and for theater performances, free home Internet for employees and access to a mortgage assistance program. The Drury Volunteer Corps supports organizations such as Convoy of Hope and local schools, with about 20,000 volunteer hours logged for the year. 


Director of Human Resources Scotti Ann Siebert answers SBJ’s questions:

How would you describe your company’s culture?
Ours is a unique culture of inclusion, collaboration and empowerment. The theme for Drury’s recent Higher Learning Commission Self-Study document is, “I Am Drury.” This … illustrates how we are truly a community that values the individual as well as the power of working together for the greater good of our students. All employees, both faculty and staff members, know that the role each member plays is what adds up to the Drury experience, and we take that very seriously. Drury is a student-centric environment that emphasizes a rigorous, personalized education, entrepreneurial thinking and commitment to wellness and sustainability.

Beyond financial compensation, what benefits are most important to your staff?
Results from a recent employee benefit survey indicated that our employees most value their employer-paid health insurance, employer retirement match, tuition remission for themselves and their dependents and paid time off.

How do you reward employee accomplishments?
Faculty accomplishments are routinely recognized through promotions in rank and the awarding of tenure. There are also annual faculty awards for teaching, scholarship, leadership, advising, and liberal learning. Staff members are recognized each month with the Staff Excellence Award. There is also an annual Distinguished Staff Award, which is accompanied by a significant cash award. On a department level, high performing staff may also be recognized with additional development opportunities (and) possibly some type of merit increase.

What makes your company a family-friendly employer?
In most departments or offices, we are able to provide flex hours for those occasions when our employees (need) to be away from campus due to the demands of life and family. In the area of benefits, we have recently reinstated pro-rated tuition benefits for eligible part-time employees and their dependents. Family members also are eligible to use the campus fitness facilities and participate in campus wellness programs, such as the fitness activity classes and the annual health risk assessments.

Just for Fun
If there were no limitations – budget or otherwise – what benefit would you begin offering employees tomorrow?
Extend tuition remission benefits to our employees’ extended families and friends. Also, offer every employee paid leave and an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study for a summer at our campus in Greece or other study abroad programs.[[In-content Ad]]