by Julie Burrell | January 8, 2025
In a year marked by rapid technological advancement and evolving demands on higher ed, CUPA-HR members prioritized the human in HR. Our most-read articles of 2024 reflect this, with a focus on employee retention, the responsible use of artificial intelligence, and data-informed approaches to fostering an equitable and effective talent pipeline.
Here we’ve listed the CUPA-HR articles, resources and research that resonated most with our readers in 2024.
Ethical AI
Last year, the use of AI became widespread on college and university campuses, transforming how HR performs many of its core functions. Higher Ed HR in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Human-Centered Approach introduces best practices, suggests common-sense guardrails for security, and shares advice from HR pros on how to use AI to maximize efficiency while prioritizing the human element.
For practical advice on using AI to create training scripts, learn how Colorado Community College System’s Jennifer Parker used ChatGPT to create a civility training program.
Data-Driven Decisions
From Zero to Dashboard – Getting Your Metrics Game Up to Speed shows the continued importance of metrics in creating effective partnerships with campus constituents. In this article, the HR team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville details their process of creating a data dashboard — without spending tens of thousands of dollars on a consultant. They’re now able to quickly and easily share insights on turnover, retirement eligibility, employee demographics, and more with campus partners, who use the information to inform strategic decisions.
Readers also expressed an interest in data about specific segments of the higher ed workforce. The Higher Education Financial Aid Workforce report — one of the most-read CUPA-HR research reports of 2024 — finds that more than half of financial aid employees are at least somewhat likely to look for other employment soon and offers recommendations for retaining these key employees. Also popular was The Higher Ed Professional Workforce report, which tracks broad trends from 2016-2024. While women and people of color have made strides during that time, most women are still paid less than White men, which can be improved by devoting resources to pay equity and succession planning.
Interested in learning more about how to make the most of data? CUPA-HR’s Data and HR webinar series offers insights designed to help you find and convey data to inform your institution’s workforce and policy planning.
Employee Retention
The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey remains a critical resource for understanding why employees stay and why they leave. Even as turnover started to trend downward last year, higher ed still faces the challenge of filling positions and maintaining morale, while employees seek jobs where their satisfaction and well-being are prioritized.
This spring, we will launch the 2025 Employee Retention Survey to help institutions understand retention trends. Learn how to participate.
Higher Ed as an Employer of Choice
Investing in People: How to Create a Coaching Culture on Your Campus builds on the insights of the Employee Retention Survey, which shows that 44% of higher ed employees are not satisfied with opportunities for advancement at their institutions and 34% are not satisfied with support for career development. This article explores how three institutions — the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Vanderbilt University; and the University of California, Berkeley — created opportunities for coaching and career development, which is associated with increased employee engagement, job satisfaction, retention, and overall organizational performance.
Another reader favorite from last year struck a similar theme. In Employee Engagement: Six Strategies to Help You Keep Your Talent, HR leaders at Worcester Polytechnic Institute share their six-point employee engagement strategy, which includes an honest focus on inclusion and a commitment to employee well-being.
A Foundation for a Strong Leadership Pipeline
The article What Does a Leader Look Like? Debunking Myths About Women in Leadership Roles highlights a concerning trend in the higher ed workplace: women are not being promoted at the same rate as men. For example, data show that fewer than half (46%) of senior administrative officers are women, and only one-third (33%) of presidents are women. At the root of this disparity are long-standing myths about the promotion process, as well as biases about what a leader looks or acts like. Jackie Bichsel, CUPA-HR’s associate vice president of research, dispels these myths and offers suggestions for how to combat them. Check out our summary on LinkedIn, too.
For more data on pay equity and composition of the workforce, see CUPA-HR data on administrators, faculty, professionals and staff.