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Excelsior University

Engaged Employer

Excelsior University reviews

2.6

29% would recommend to a friend

(158 total reviews)
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David Schejbal

20% approve of CEO

28% positive business outlook

Excelsior University has an employee rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars, based on 158 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Excelsior University employee rating is 30% below average for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

158 reviews
3.0
Jun 15, 2018

Corporate

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice people to work with, formal structure

Cons

HR needs improvement, not a place where new ideas are welcome

3.0
May 10, 2018

Great mission; declining pay

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great mission serving adult learners.Their willingness to allow students to bring in credits earned elsewhere or by exam makes them one of the "Big Three" (+TESU and COSC) who get that adults need other options for getting their degrees. The result of that mission is that you get amazing students--soldiers deployed overseas, teachers powering up on degrees for advancement, lifelong learners who have lived interesting lives and bring those experiences into the classroom. The courses are canned but mostly well-designed and interesting. Ability (for now) to buy into retirement plan Support from faculty leads

Cons

Some students can't do graduate-level work when I get them, so there's a lot of hand-holding to get acceptable final work completed to standard. That comes with the territory, though, and I don't mind it; if you've not worked with adult learners before, it may come as a shock to you in the beginning, however. 25% pay cut announced two months ago, so this is my last term there. The messaging from the new leadership is that we were just getting paid too much compared to the adjuncts/peons at other schools (/s) and EC wants to focus on attracting quality faculty and meeting student needs. Strange way of showing it considering 1) the bulk of their instructors are adjuncts, and 2) underpaid adjuncts=adjuncts taking on more work to keep income steady=adjuncts paying less attention to each student=decrease in instructional quality. Odd things are happening in higher ed in NY and nationally. I think Excelsior is in trouble. I hope they make it.

2.0
Jan 21, 2017

Downsizing due to declining enrollments. Beware of more layoffs.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Commendable mission 37.5 hour work week All Holidays off and generous PTO

Cons

Recent layoffs has the remaining staff struggling doing more work with less resources Benefit package used to be superior but has been scaled back to average If enrollments continue to decline more cuts in staffing are expected

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Excelsior University Response
9y
I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. I believe a common characteristic among all successful organizations is effective communications, so I’m disappointed to hear that we fell short during your time with us. We have a new leadership team that shares my commitment to open and honest exchange and I expect that the condition that you describe will be effectively addressed moving forward. We will continue to open communication channels across all levels because we know it is essential to achieving our mission and are making it clear that employees can share their valuable perspectives without fear of reprisals. I thank you again for your comment. -Dr. James N. Baldwin, President, Excelsior College
Viewing 67 - 69 of 158 Reviews

Glassdoor has 165 Excelsior University reviews submitted anonymously by Excelsior University employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Excelsior University is right for you.