Grand Canyon University, which is about to start the 2022-23 academic school year with another record enrollment class on its Phoenix campus, is also being recognized for another milestone.
The Christian university has been ranked No. 3 on Forbes’ list of Best Employers in Arizona. GCU checks in right behind the Mayo Clinic at No. 1 and Southwest Airlines at No. 2. Others in the Arizona top 10 are PayPal (4th), Pima Community College (5th), United Services Automobile Association (USAA)(6th), HonorHealth (7th), Costco (8th), WL Gore & Associates (9th) and McKesson (10th).
“First and foremost, I think that is a reflection of the amazing efforts of our GCU employees as well as those at our partner institution, Grand Canyon Education, to provide the best educational experience possible for students and families,” said GCU President Brian Mueller. “Our employees also look at their employment not just as a job, but as a calling where they can live out the University’s mission to be servant leaders and pour their collective efforts into outreach opportunities that benefit the greater community. That is a significant part of who we are as a Christian institution and a big reason people want to work here.”
Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to compile its fourth annual list of America’s Best Employers By State. In addition to many of the universal hallmarks of a top employer — such as fair pay, safe working conditions and an inclusive culture — Forbes said other priorities also emerged because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were able to continue to thrive during the pandemic due to our heavy investments in technology,” Mueller said. “That enabled students to continue on their academic journey through online and hybrid learning modalities before returning to full in-person instruction. And it benefited our employees who were able to work remotely at a very high level and still meet the needs of our students. Post-pandemic, we have found that many of those employees are able to continue to work remotely either full- or part-time.”
GCU did not experience layoffs or furloughs during the pandemic and continued to provide annual pay raises and bonuses to its employees.
Forbes’ list was compiled by surveying 70,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees. Surveys were conducted anonymously, allowing participants to freely share their opinions. The respondents were asked to rate their employers on a variety of criteria, including safety of work environment, competitiveness of compensation, opportunities for advancement and openness to telecommuting. Statista then asked respondents how likely they’d be to recommend their employer to others, and to nominate organizations in industries outside their own.
