employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

National University

Engaged Employer

Poorly Run Organization, career dead-end - Marketing National University Employee Review

1.0
Nov 16, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Remote work is nice, and there are some really great people at the non-leadership level.

Cons

I wish there were a nicer way to say all of this, but there isn’t: NU is a poorly run organization. It’s true specifically for the marketing/enrollment department, but also the broader organization as a whole. The people in charge insist on referring to themselves as “leadership” despite the fact that nobody in this organization possesses even a trace of actual leadership qualities. I’ve tried to cut them a lot of slack, because NU has been pursuing some really ambitious goals over the past couple years. Unfortunately, everything about this transformation process has been a dumpster fire due to a complete lack of planning and critical thinking ability at the “leadership” level. Shiny-object syndrome runs rampant here – every half-baked idea gets green-lit, everything gets fast-tracked, everything gets given “high priority”. Everything gets given a deadline that is both wildly aggressive, and completely arbitrary. Despite the fact that this company loves to waste everyone’s time with meetings that could have just been an email, projects will commonly launch with major flaws that were painfully obvious to anyone not at the leadership level. Any attempts to get leadership to listen to concerns or suggestions get shrugged off. This would all be fine if the compensation were there, but it isn’t. NU pays below-market wages to begin with, and then this past year they waited until June to tell us that nobody was going to get the annual cost-of-living raise that normally happens in July. We’ve also been told that all promotions are on hold due to budget shortfalls – but somehow the marketing leadership team is able to find juuust enough budget to still promote themselves and their friends. All of this while still demanding that everyone else continues to work harder and faster on poorly thought-out projects that create negligible value.

avatar
National University Response
2y
We appreciate you taking the time to share this feedback with us. This will be shared with leadership and we encourage you to reach out to our Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sandi Best, at sbest@nu.edu to share more insights.

Explore other reviews about National University

5.0
May 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The University has taken tangible and meaningful steps toward fulfilling its mission in an increasingly thoughtful and responsible way. There is a genuine commitment among leaders to collaborate more effectively and work together in support of shared goals. The 403(b) match is an outstanding benefit, and the PTO/sick leave offerings are equally strong and greatly appreciated.

Cons

One ongoing challenge is the imbalance between the volume of work and the number of people available to support it. Teams are highly committed, but workloads can at times exceed current staffing capacity.

1.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The two pros of working at NU are: remote work and inexpensive healthcare benefits compared to other companies. Working from home is nice but other than that, there are no pros.

Cons

No room for growth, extremely toxic work culture, leadership micromanages but is not helpful. Everything is so poorly run and students and employees suffer because of it. Also, the pay is incredibly low - you’re doing the work of an academic advisor and a financial aid advisor but for $21 an hour. Leadership manipulates employees by crying in meetings, forces employees to be on camera for 8 hours straight, and subjects everyone to toxic positivity. This was one of the worst working environments I have ever experienced.

3
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All