Baylor University Recognized Among Top 100 Adoption-Friendly Workplaces
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recognizes Baylor’s parental leave, adoption and foster care parent benefits with No. 3 ranking in education industry
Media Contact: Lori W. Fogleman, Baylor University Media Communications, 254-710-6275
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WACO, Texas (Oct. 4, 2018) – For the second year in a row, Baylor University has been recognized on the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s 2018 Top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List.
Baylor tied for No. 86 overall among the nation’s employers and ranked No. 3 in the education industry on the 12th annual list that recognizes organizations that strive to make adoption a supported option for every working parent. The University also is featured on the foundation’s foster care benefits list.
Since 2002, the foundation has surveyed the nation’s employers and ranked the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces. The list compares financial reimbursement and paid leave offered to parents who adopt, based on surveys of organizations across the United States, and recognizes employers by size, industry, best paid leave and foster care benefits.
In 2017, Baylor implemented expansive new policies that provide paid parental leave for staff and an adoption assistance program that benefits both staff and faculty.
“We are honored to be recognized again among the Top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in the United States – and No. 3 in education – by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “Our parental leave and adoption assistance benefits align with Baylor’s Christian mission and reflect our deep commitment to supporting and strengthening families. We have made it a priority to provide a supportive work environment that enriches the lives of our faculty and staff and helps them and their families flourish.”
Baylor is among the few universities nationally that provide both staff and faculty with paid parental leave. With the adoption assistance program, Baylor is the only university in the Big 12 and one of a handful nationally that provides this benefit, placing Baylor among the top adoption-friendly universities in the country.
Baylor’s parental leave policy provides up to four weeks of paid leave for full-time staff (female and male) who become parents through birth or adoption. The policy, which is available to staff immediately upon employment, gives parents time and flexibility to bond with their new child/children.
The adoption assistance program helps full-time faculty and staff defray expenses associated with the adoption process and affirms the choice by staff and faculty to grow their families in this way. The program reimburses up to $6,000 of qualifying adoption-related expenses per adoption, up to two children per year. Faculty and staff are eligible to participate in the program following one year of full-time employment with the University.
More than 25 years ago, Dave Thomas led an initiative advocating for better adoption benefits in the workplace. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has carried that legacy forward through its signature Adoption-Friendly Workplace program and annual 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List. The 2018 list includes a diverse group of organizations, with six to nearly 500,000 employees, representing 22 industries.
“An increasing number of organizations are recognizing that providing adoption benefits is, in the words of Dave Thomas, ‘the right thing to do’ not only to grow stronger families, but also to build an organizational culture that promotes loyalty, productivity and employee wellbeing,” said Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “I want to thank all the organizations on the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list for helping to create brighter futures for children who need our help the most.”
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT THE DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION FOR ADOPTION
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 150,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org.