Houston, Texas is home to 40 different accredited colleges and universities. While it is impossible to fully cover all 40 of them, this article will focus on the University of Houston and Rice University as the two most prominent institutions in the area. While the two differ in multiple ways, the salaries for their staff and employees are relatively similar and can be equated to most other universities in the Houston area. Keep reading…
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The University of Houston was founded back in 1927 and is an R1 public research university, meaning it produces a very high level of research activity, in addition to having an NCAA Division 1 athletics program. It serves over 45,000 students, the majority of which are undergrads, and employs over 4,000 academic staff. In contrast, Rice University was founded back in 1912 and is an R1 private research university and also participates in NCAA Division 1 athletics. However, it has just over 7,000 students evenly split between undergraduate and graduate programs and employs just under 3,000 academic staff. Each institution employs roughly 3,000 non-academic staff as well, spanning a wide variety of departments.
Departments, Positions, and Pay
Non-academic staff positions at Houston universities span everything from technical and maintenance positions to clerical and administrative positions. Many of these positions are found in campus housing departments because universities tend to house a sizable portion of their undergraduate populations on campus. Universities also tend to offer a wide variety of employment opportunities to students, sometimes providing work-study benefits that can ease the cost of tuition while achieving work experience. Most staff positions are concentrated in areas of maintenance and earn anywhere from $13 to $16 hourly, usually requiring one year or less of relevant experience. Beyond those roles, the majority of positions are reserved for students, research assistants, and doctoral fellows and are reserved for those already affiliated with the university or another academic institution. Working at a university has immense benefits for those in academia, particularly R1 universities because of the abundance of funding and research opportunities. Still, academic staff are required to balance research with teaching which some view as a detraction from their work.
High Employee Satisfaction
Most university employees at the University of Houston and Rice University report a high level of job satisfaction. They list “working with students” as their favorite thing about the job as well as opportunities for mentorship and career advancement on the academic side of the institution. While some employees note dissatisfaction with administrative choices or department structures, this wasn’t enough to harm their overall appreciation of their position and they report a generally positive experience.