Forbes ranks K-State No. 3 among America's Best Employers for Women

K-State has been recognized by Forbes as the No. 3 best employer for women in the country. | Download this photo.

By Vikki Watson

K‑State News and Communications Services

Kansas State University's commitment to being a top employer in Kansas and higher education was recognized in the national spotlight on July 30 when Forbes ranked the university No. 3 on its list of America's Best Employers for Women.

Forbes also included a profile on the university as one of its featured companies.

K-State placed third out of 700 U.S. companies and first among 50 universities/colleges ranked nationwide. It is one of only three employers in the state of Kansas to be ranked; AMC Entertainment in Leawood is ranked 626 and Garmin in Olathe is ranked 643.

“This recognition underscores K-State’s ongoing commitment to becoming an employer of choice — one that empowers faculty and staff with the opportunities and resources they need to succeed and thrive,” said Shanna Legleiter, chief human resources officer. “Supporting our people in this way is essential to realizing our vision of becoming the next-generation land-grant university.”

Of K-State’s nearly 4,600 employees, 56% are women. Women also comprise 50% of K-State’s 1,662 supervisors and 40% of the university’s academic deans/interim deans.

“At K-State, we’re committed to fostering growth, creating opportunities and celebrating the contributions of our employees,” Legleiter said. “We’re proud to have an outstanding community of department heads, supervisors, faculty, staff and student employees, all of whom play a vital role in making K-State an exceptional place to work.”

The ranking is based on a survey of more than 140,000 women working at companies with at least 1,000 employees. Survey respondents were asked how likely they were to recommend their current — and previous employers — and if they would recommend any employers they knew in their industry or through family and friends. Participants were also asked to rate their current employers in areas like working environment, pay equity, parental leave and the company’s handling of incidents related to sexual misconduct and discrimination.

Employees often cite K-State for its people-centered culture and robust benefits. Those include generous vacation and sick leave, tuition assistance, flexible work options, parental and military leave, and remote work opportunities for certain roles. Employees also have access to leadership-development resources, such as the Building Next-Gen Leadership Series and James R. Coffman Leadership Institute.

Earlier this year, Forbes also recognized K-State as one of America's Best Midsize Employers. Out of the 498 midsize companies recognized, K-State ranked No. 40. The university was one of only 39 educational institutions on the list, and the only one in the state of Kansas.

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