Great University - Research Assistant Indiana University Employee Review

Benefits and PTO were not bad

Lower pay than private offices but has benefits.

Historically the University has offered good benefits, although these have been cut back recently to improve the institution's bottom line. (Specifically, cuts to 403b contributions and changes to insurance benefits and HSA contributions.)

Over the course of 200 years, the University developed a strong reputation for outstanding programs and research, academic freedom, leadership, and integrity which led to a great sense of pride and community among the employees. Since the arrival of the current president in 2021, and aided by the Governor's takeover of the Board of Trustees in 2025, all of this has been squandered. Top administrators hired on since 2021 (there are legions) cannot be trusted. They disregard IU's culture. They ask staff to lie to students. They violate free speech, They put students in harm's way. They operate in secret. The Trustees also operate in secret (sometimes in violation of open meeting laws), and are unresponsive to faculty votes of no-confidence in top leadership. Renowned academic programs have been closed or damaged. Staff who have served the University honorably and faithfully for years beginning prior to 2021 have been fired or forced to resign without due process. Positions have been eliminated. Hiring has slowed or stalled. Pay is insufficient compared to peer institutions. Understandably, the sense of pride and community has nearly vanished, except for football fans (although the football program succeeds at the expense of other programs). Mistrust, fear, disbelief, and uncertainty are the norms. Before 2021, I would have enthusiastically recommended IU as a top employer. Now, I say avoid at all costs.