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Indiana University

Is this your company?

IU plays basketball and Second Life. Who needs scholarship? - Associate Professor Indiana University Employee Review

1.0
Jun 13, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

In the state of Indiana, Bloomington has the best quality of life. That isn't saying much, I admit, but if you're stuck in the state, you might as well be here. The Music School is great, if you have the good luck to be associated with it. And the campus landscapers do a very nice job.

Cons

The College is tremendously underfunded, and there are huge financial inequities between schools and even between departments on campus. It's not a happy place, and most faculty I know who are not tied down by family are actively looking for jobs at other universities. Funding for research and conferences is a joke: my annual travel money won't even buy me a domestic plane ticket, so it's no surprise I don't present at conferences. Salaries for staff and for core faculty barely keep pace with cost of living: no matter how much you publish or how many teaching awards you win, don't expect a raise beyond the across-the-board annual increments unless you have a job offer from another U. Promotions don't necessarily bring salary increases. "Congratulations on getting tenure! You're now an associate professor! Here's your 1.5% raise, which you would have gotten anyway, just like everyone else; and by the way, our new assistant prof, just out of grad school, makes only $500 less than you do, even though you've been here five years and you have published two books. We're sure your new title will make you very happy." Of course, if you're in the Law School, Business School, Informatics, or football/basketball, the living is easy, since you make between twice and ten times as much as those poor fools in fine art, history, French, mathematics, and sociology, and you have a nicer office, too. Students are for the most part genial idiots. Administrators like to show off the IT infrastructure, but they don't appear to care about anything else. The town in general is anti-intellectual: off campus it's best not to admit to being a professor, though it's fine to admit to being a coach, NCAA violations or not.

Explore other reviews about Indiana University

5.0
May 4, 2026
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Pros

Remote possibility and chill environment

Cons

Theres a lot of responsibility early

1.0
Apr 7, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Historically the University has offered good benefits, although these have been cut back recently to improve the institution's bottom line. (Specifically, cuts to 403b contributions and changes to insurance benefits and HSA contributions.)

Cons

Over the course of 200 years, the University developed a strong reputation for outstanding programs and research, academic freedom, leadership, and integrity which led to a great sense of pride and community among the employees. Since the arrival of the current president in 2021, and aided by the Governor's takeover of the Board of Trustees in 2025, all of this has been squandered. Top administrators hired on since 2021 (there are legions) cannot be trusted. They disregard IU's culture. They ask staff to lie to students. They violate free speech, They put students in harm's way. They operate in secret. The Trustees also operate in secret (sometimes in violation of open meeting laws), and are unresponsive to faculty votes of no-confidence in top leadership. Renowned academic programs have been closed or damaged. Staff who have served the University honorably and faithfully for years beginning prior to 2021 have been fired or forced to resign without due process. Positions have been eliminated. Hiring has slowed or stalled. Pay is insufficient compared to peer institutions. Understandably, the sense of pride and community has nearly vanished, except for football fans (although the football program succeeds at the expense of other programs). Mistrust, fear, disbelief, and uncertainty are the norms. Before 2021, I would have enthusiastically recommended IU as a top employer. Now, I say avoid at all costs.

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