Adelphi University Named a Forbes Best Employer in New York for the Sixth Consecutive Year

Adelphi University has earned a place on the Forbes list of America’s Best Employers By State for the sixth consecutive year, ranking No. 55 in New York and standing as the only private university on Long Island to receive the honor in 2026. Selected from thousands of organizations across the USA, Adelphi was among just 1,400 employers nationwide—and one of only 102 in New York State—to make the final list.

For job seekers, current staff, and leaders across higher education, this kind of sustained employer recognition carries weight beyond a headline. It reflects direct feedback from employees about compensation, culture, career growth, and how an institution responds when serious workplace issues arise. Below, we break down how Forbes builds its best employer rankings, why the recognition matters when evaluating career opportunities, and what practical lessons other organizations can take from Adelphi’s consistent performance.

Interested in joining a recognized workplace? Explore current job openings at Adelphi University and see where your skills could fit.

How Forbes Determines the Best Employers in the USA

Understanding the methodology behind the ranking is the first step in understanding its value. Unlike awards based on self-nominations or internal submissions, the Forbes list is built entirely on the experiences of working people.

A Research Process Built on Employee Feedback

To create the annual ranking, Forbes partnered with the market research firm Statista and surveyed more than 245,000 employees working for organizations with at least 500 U.S.-based workers. Respondents across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., rated their likelihood of recommending their current employer on a zero-to-ten scale. They also evaluated workplaces on core operational criteria, including fair compensation, company culture, career growth opportunities, and institutional action on serious workplace issues.

The process does not stop with current employees. Participants also assessed former employers from the previous two years and identified organizations they admired within their own industries. Forbes then combined these direct responses with historical survey data spanning the prior three years to produce the final scores.

Why the Methodology Gives the Ranking Credibility

Because the ranking rests on employee feedback rather than promotional efforts, it functions closer to an independent audit than a marketing exercise. An organization cannot purchase its way onto the list or influence results through public relations. For anyone weighing a career move, that distinction matters: the Forbes recognition reflects how people actually experience working at an organization, not how it presents itself in recruitment materials.

Why Employer Recognition Matters When You Are Evaluating a Career Move

Most candidates spend hours polishing resumes and preparing for interviews, yet far fewer invest the same energy in researching the employer on the other side of the table. Third-party recognitions—such as inclusion on a Forbes best employer list—offer one useful data point in that research.

Signals Worth Watching in a Potential Employer

• Consistency over time. A single-year award can reflect one good cycle; a six-year streak, as with Adelphi, points to durable systems and sustained leadership commitment.
• Employee-driven evidence. Rankings built on staff surveys reveal internal health in a way that polished employer branding cannot.
• Breadth of evaluation. Criteria covering pay, culture, growth, and responsiveness give a rounded picture rather than a narrow one.
• Peer and alumni perspectives. Because the Forbes survey includes former employees and industry peers, the results account for how an organization is viewed from the outside as well.

None of these signals replaces due diligence—reviewing benefits, speaking with current employees, and asking direct questions in interviews all remain essential. But employer recognition from a credible source can help candidates narrow their focus and prioritize the organizations worth a closer look.

Adelphi’s Position Among New York’s Top Workplaces

New York State hosts one of the most competitive employment markets in the country, with Fortune 500 headquarters, major hospital systems, financial institutions, and prestigious universities all competing for talent. Ranking No. 55 among the 102 New York organizations recognized places Adelphi in notable company.

The distinction carries additional meaning locally. As the only private university on Long Island to earn a spot on the 2026 list, Adelphi stands out within its own region—a meaningful marker for professionals who want to build careers in higher education without leaving the area.

“Receiving this recognition from Forbes for the sixth consecutive year is a tremendous honor,” said Michael Rhattigan, executive vice president of finance and administration. “This news comes at an exciting moment for Adelphi as we welcome students back for the new academic year and build on the energy brought by our new president, Michael Balboni [’81, JD]. Knowing this award reflects the direct feedback of our employees shows that Adelphi’s focus on fostering a supportive, fulfilling workplace remains as strong as ever.”

For readers following Adelphi news, the announcement arrives during a period of institutional momentum, pairing workplace recognition with a leadership transition and the start of a new academic year.

What Six Consecutive Years of Recognition Reveals About Workplace Culture

One-time awards happen. Sustained recognition is far harder to achieve, because it requires an organization to maintain standards through leadership changes, budget cycles, enrollment shifts, and broader economic pressure. Adelphi’s six-year run on the Forbes list suggests the university has built strong workplace practices into its institutional fabric rather than treating them as a periodic initiative.

The Four Pillars Behind a Strong Workplace

The criteria Forbes measures align closely with what workplace research consistently identifies as drivers of employee satisfaction and retention:

• Fair compensation. Employees need to believe their pay reflects their contribution and prevailing market rates. Transparent, equitable pay structures reduce turnover and build trust.
• Company culture. Daily experience—how colleagues collaborate, how managers communicate, how conflict is handled—shapes engagement more than any perk.
• Career growth opportunities. Professionals stay longer at organizations that invest in training, promotion pathways, and skill development.
• Action on serious workplace issues. How leadership responds to harassment, discrimination, and safety concerns signals whether stated values are real. Employees notice when institutions act decisively.

Organizations that perform well across all four areas, year after year, tend to share a common trait: they treat employee feedback as operational data, gathering it systematically and acting on it visibly.

Practical Lessons for Organizations Pursuing Best Employer Recognition

HR leaders, executives, and administrators who want to strengthen their own workplace standing can draw several actionable takeaways from Adelphi’s example and from the Forbes methodology itself.

Measure Experience the Way Forbes Does

Ask employees the same core questions the survey asks: How likely are you to recommend this organization as a place to work? How do you rate compensation, culture, and growth opportunities? Does leadership address serious issues effectively? Internal pulse surveys modeled on these criteria give leadership a preview of how the organization would fare under external scrutiny.

Act on Feedback—and Communicate the Action

Collecting survey data accomplishes little unless employees see resulting change. Organizations that close the loop—announcing what they heard, what they will do, and what has been completed—build the credibility that eventually shows up in external survey scores. Silence after a survey often damages trust more than the original problems did.

Invest in Growth at Every Level

Career development remains one of the most cost-effective retention tools available. Tuition benefits, mentorship programs, internal mobility policies, and clear promotion criteria signal to employees that the organization sees a future for them. In higher education specifically, staff who see advancement paths are far less likely to move to other institutions or industries.

Build Recognition Into Long-Term Strategy, Not Short Campaigns

A six-year streak cannot be manufactured in a single initiative cycle. It reflects leadership continuity, consistent policy, and a culture where workplace quality is treated as a strategic priority rather than a branding exercise. Organizations serious about earning best employer status should embed employee experience metrics into annual planning and leadership accountability.

What This Means for Current and Prospective Adelphi Employees

For current staff and faculty, the recognition validates daily experience and reinforces institutional pride. For prospective employees—whether educators, administrators, or professionals in finance, technology, facilities, or student services—the award offers third-party assurance that Adelphi’s workplace reputation rests on employee feedback gathered over multiple years.

Students and families also benefit indirectly. Institutions with engaged, stable workforces tend to deliver stronger student experiences, lower staff turnover in advising and teaching roles, and greater continuity in the programs and services students rely on every semester.

Want the details behind the recognition? Visit Adelphi’s rankings, accolades, and awards page to review the university’s full record of distinction.

Stay Informed and Take the Next Step

Recognitions like the Forbes Best-in-State Employer list reward organizations that listen to their people and act on what they hear. Adelphi University’s sixth consecutive year on the list, its No. 55 ranking in New York, and its status as Long Island’s only recognized private university together paint a clear picture of an institution committed to sustaining a workplace where employees can build meaningful careers.

Here is how to stay connected and act on what you have read:

• Job seekers: Review open positions at Adelphi and consider whether a recognized Long Island employer aligns with your next career move.
• Higher education professionals: Compare the Forbes methodology against your institution’s internal engagement surveys and identify gaps worth addressing this fiscal year.
• Readers following Adelphi news: Subscribe to university news updates to stay informed on announcements throughout the academic year.
• Everyone: Have you worked at a Forbes-recognized employer, or does recognition like this influence how you evaluate potential employers? Share your experience in the comments below.

Employer recognition is earned one employee experience at a time. Adelphi’s six-year run on the Forbes list demonstrates what is possible when an organization treats workplace quality as a lasting commitment rather than a short-term goal.