Kent State was honored as a superior place of employment with the NorthCoast 99 award yesterday.

This award, sponsored by the Employers Resource Council, recognizes the “99 Best Places to Work in Northeast Ohio,” according to a press release. There were more than 300 nominees, said Carolyn Pizzuto, vice president of human resources.

“I’d like to see it as a huge morale boost,” she said.

It is easy to see the problems at a job, such as old facilities or a lack of state funding, Pizzuto said, but people often take the positive aspects for granted.

An employee from the Stark campus nominated Kent State, Pizzuto said. Once nominated, other employees were contacted independently about their experiences with the university.

Kent State employees answered more than 100 questions about its employment practices, Pizzuto said. The decision was based on Kent State’s typical procedures, rather than statements from the university, making the review a critical one.

The council looked at employment issues such as benefits and services, the ease of access to leadership and recruiting and retention statistics, Pizzuto said.

This is the first year Kent State has won this award and the second time it was nominated, Pizzuto said. The university is the only four-year public university on the list, although a private university and some two-year public colleges were also included.

“We hope to be a repeat performer in the years to come,” President Carol Cartwright said.

Contact administration reporter Rachel Abbey at [email protected].