UF is one of the best public universities to work at according to a new list released by Forbes.
The university is ranked sixth among public universities in a list released by Forbes Magazine of America’s top employers, said UF spokesperson Steve Orlando. UF, which employs 31,062 people, also ranked 19th among all universities, private and public and placed 242nd among all large employers in the U.S.
The ratings were based both on opinions of those working within the organization itself as well as nominations from individuals working for other organizations within each industry, Orlando said.
“Apparently, a substantial number of our employees and people within education rates us very favorably,” Orlando said.
This ranking comes almost two years after UF began its Faculty 500 initiative.
This initiative aims at hiring 500 new faculty members to improve the student-to-faculty ratio in hopes of rising to become one of the top five public universities, Orlando said.
“I think the most interesting part about this ranking is that it’s based largely on input from people who actually work here and the satisfaction level of people who are employed at the University of Florida,” Orlando said.
Gabriela Hamerlinck, a UF medical geography lecturer, is one of the 500 new faculty members. She said the initiative wants to bring 500 new minds to the campus to reinvigorate both research and teaching at UF.
“There's new innovation in teaching, there's new innovation in research, and there's new innovation in outreach activities that have been going on,” Hamerlinck said. “All of those things put together will help raise our profile as a university.”
Hamerlinck taught at Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin, and the University of Iowa prior to coming to UF in May 2018. She said she enjoys teaching at this large of a university because it allows students and faculty members the opportunity to connect with one another beyond the required course material.
“When you’re getting more than just an education and attending more than just your classes: you’re getting the whole UF experience and shaping that into how you get to where you want to go in life,” Hamerlinck said.
