The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named to Forbes magazine’s inaugural list of America’s Dream Employers, announced Nov. 26.
“Receiving this inaugural award is truly an honor and a testament to our commitment as an institution to be an employer of choice. We take pride in providing a comprehensive benefits package that supports our employees’ well-being and growth, which we know is essential to building a vibrant and dynamic workplace,” said Tarah Keeler, interim associate vice chancellor and chief human resources officer. “As a large higher education employer, we invest deeply in our people, helping them advance both personally and professionally. For new graduates and those entering the workforce, UT aims to be an attractive employer, offering a wide variety of roles across campus. Our goal is to provide opportunities that allow employees to thrive and build long-term careers with us on Rocky Top.”
America’s Dream Employers 2025 includes a diverse array of employment sectors including health care, government, higher education, finance and service industries.
Forbes worked in partnership with Statista, a leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, to select employers based on an independent survey of college students as well as employees working over the past three years for companies and institutions that employ at least 1,000 people in the United States.
Surveys were conducted using a representative sample of the American workforce as well as current American college students. Students were asked which firm or institution offered their dream job and how excited they would be to be to receive an offer from it. The student participants were also asked how appealing the employer was based on criteria including growth opportunities, quality of work, compensation and company reputation.
Employee respondents were asked not only about their dream employers but also whether they would recommend their current employer to family and friends. Current workers were asked to evaluate their employers based on such criteria as salary, professional development opportunities, workplace flexibility and the ability of employees to express ideas openly. The final result is a list of the top 500 dream employers in the U.S. Only the top one-third of eligible companies made it to the ranking.
Currently UT has 2,212 faculty and 5,887 staff employees. In addition to generous health and retirement plans, the university offers employee tuition waivers and discounted tuition for qualifying employees and family members at state colleges and universities. Campus resources include a university-affiliated medical center, an early learning center for children from infancy to kindergarten, a veterinary clinic and botanical gardens.
Earlier this year Forbes recognized UT as one of America’s top colleges and the top public college in Tennessee, one of the best employers for new graduates and one of the country’s best large employers.
The full list of dream employers is available on the Forbes website. For information on employment opportunities at UT, visit the Human Resources page.
