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Brown University

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Does not Pay Admin Staff Appropriately; does not recognize the contribution of Admins - Administrative Coordinator Brown University Employee Review

2.0
Dec 16, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits are decent if you stay at least 5 years and then the 4 years for you child to attend college. RISD, PC, RWU and many others have much better benefits.

Cons

Pay is lousy and they know it, admitted in in President Simmons letter stating admins are paid 6% on average lower than the surrounding area for the same jobs. To compensate, they decided on a pool of 2% to increase salaries 2011. Do the math, with an increase below inflation when we were already 6% below the average, we continue to lose money every year we stay there. The amount of work administrative staff are expected to do and the vast diversity of that work with the constantly changing "experiments" and software makes it impossible to do the great job we want to do. Being unappreciated doesn't help. Though you may hear thanks from faculty, the thanks is never relflected in the pay check. They also charge us over $500 to park!!! Not to mention, they took away our benefit of free gym membership, so we lost another nearly $400 if you count that as slaary. They steal from the poor to give to the rich at the university. I don't make enough to live here or to work at Brown and I only have one child to support. It's not a living wage!

Explore other reviews about Brown University

5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay Great culture/community Flexible hours

Cons

Difficult to get hours some weeks Have to work on Sundays

4.0
Jun 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

World-Class Benefits: The total compensation package is excellent. The health insurance plans are high-quality, the retirement match is very generous, and the tuition assistance program is a massive perk for employees and their families. Work-Life Balance & PTO: Brown is incredibly generous with time off. Beyond standard vacation and sick time, the university shuts down for a paid "Winter Break" between Christmas and New Year’s, and summer hours offer a great reprieve. Campus Culture & Environment: Working on College Hill in Providence is a fantastic experience. The campus is beautiful, the community is deeply mission-driven, and there is a genuine sense of intellectual curiosity and collaboration among colleagues. Stability: It provides a highly stable work environment compared to the volatile corporate tech or private sectors.

Cons

Salary Lags Behind the Market: While the benefits are elite, the base salary often falls below market rate for equivalent roles in the private sector (especially in IT, finance, or specialized project management). Siloed Bureaucracy: Moving projects across the finish line can be slow. Decisions often require navigating multiple committees and layers of administrative hierarchy, which can feel frustratingly inefficient. Internal Mobility can be Tough: Because people tend to get comfortable and stay at Brown for a very long time, upward mobility within the same department can sometimes feel stagnant unless you look to transfer to an entirely different division. Advice to Management

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