Pros
I had a chance to work with some great people who I will remember all my life. Most of the time, it is a pretty laid back atmosphere. It can be a great place for someone with little experience to start a new career, get some experience, and move on. On the other hand, Pretty much all of the full-time faculty I worked with were exceptional. Many employees cared very deeply for students and volunteered time to help with various activities or went above and beyond in other ways. They also cared for one another, which established somewhat of a grassroots Christian community. Holiday time off was great. Overall, I enjoyed my time at SAU, but there are definitely some systemic issues.
Cons
Too overreaching into personal lives. Until recently, employees were not allowed to consume alcohol period, even outside of work. Supposedly, it is now allowed, but with much resistance. The president also reserves the right to interject him or herself into divorce proceedings to try and reconcile employee marriages. I understand and support that this is a Christian institution, but there are differing opinions and interpretations on alcohol and what makes a university president an expert in divorce counseling? And, divorce is a whole other oddity, which may affect employment, depending who was "at fault." Pay is not very good and there is a very disproportionate ratio of male to female management. I also knew at least a couple women doing the same or more work as their male counterparts for less money. Management is not consistent in general responsibilities or knowledge of laws, which leads to inappropriate situations. HR was quite grumpy, too. There were no real groundbreaking efforts to improve employee satisfaction or culture. There have been pretty large layoffs and pay cuts the past few years. SAU is in a slump and it is hard to know if they will recover. If the past few years are an indication of future performance, I would not recommend SAU to anyone looking for longterm employment.
