ACE Makes Fifth Straight Appearance on List of Indiana Best Places to Work

INDIANAPOLIS – For the fifth year in a row, American College of Education (ACE) has been named one of the 125 Best Places to Work in Indiana. This elite group of honorees were selected based on employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys.  

“This is a testament to the culture and mission we all live day in and day out,” said KK Byland, vice president of human resources at ACE. “Being a Best Place to Work isn’t just recognition or an award for us.  It’s who we are and it’s how we behave. Even in the most challenging of times, ACE will be a Best Place to Work. We certainly appreciate the honor, and we will continue to celebrate our passion for our mission.”  

As a 100-percent online institution with an already remote workforce, employees were able to adapt quickly to the changing landscape of 2020 while still continuing their mission of delivering high-quality, affordable, and accessible online programs for their student base. Employees were also encouraged to give-back to their communities in 2020. During the month of September, all ACE alumni, students, staff, and faculty were encouraged to choose a day to volunteer with nonprofit organizations or charities in their local area.  

In addition to the positive employee impacts, ACE was also able to give back to their students. In March, the college created the COVID-19 Financial Hardship Scholarship Program, which provided $1,000 scholarships to 90 students to help cover tuition and fees to students impacted by COVID-19. ACE also launched a free webinar series, the ACE Digital Toolbox, to provide online resources, tools and expertise to ACE students, alumni and institutional partners. 

“While 2020 was certainly unprecedented, our employees were able to quickly pivot and continue serving the needs of our students and communities,” said ACE president Shawntel Landry. “We work hard to maintain a culture that goes above and beyond for our students and allows employees opportunities at home and work to contribute to their communities and be present for their families.”  

Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Indiana. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25 percent of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75 percent of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Indiana, analyzed the data, and determined the final rankings.  

On May 6, the companies nominated will be invited to the Best Places to Work in Indiana Awards Event, where they will learn their official ranking. ACE previously scored the No. 4 spot in the large-sized companies division in 2020, the No. 2 spot in the medium-sized companies division in 2019, No. 7 in 2018, and No. 6 in 2017.