Penn State reviews

Leadership was not dynamic. Poor decision making processes. Top down communication. Data and information were disregarded. Good and bright people were too often ignored. The success of the institution often created a sense of complacency. Resources were often not marshalled to appropriately meet problems and create solutions. Decision makers often did not have the expertise to understand or confront organizational uncertainty or a crisis. Personalities were often more important than knowledge and expertise.

These days it's become just another software production company. Turns out new feature set every 1-2 years, but very poor software quality. Not really doing much research anymore in our department; just writing code to make more GUIs. Morale is low. No Q/A, unit testing, code reviews, detailed design, or coding standards -- just "slapped-together" software that meets minimum requirements. Folks have lost a lot of pride in what they do these days. Micro-management in this division; engineers pushed into management roles with no training; management has a difficult time communicating the project vision, status, and requirements to engineers. Too often people discover they have a product or delivery due in just a few days or weeks because of poor planning by and communication from management. No bonuses or stock options. Health care benefits are good but seem pricey (about $6k/year for a family after UT kicks in their part). Very little continuing education offered except the opportunity to go to Univ. of Texas for a degree (bachelors, masters, and Ph.D.)