North Arkansas College: medium employer.

A family-friendly, supportive spirit is exemplified at North Arkansas College, where employees are treated as members of an extended, caring family on the college's three campuses. It's a tradition carried through from the early years of the college, when there was only one campus and regular lunch group discussions in the faculty and staff lounge and potluck dinners were commonplace.

North Arkansas also makes extra efforts to create a healthy educational and work environment. Every Wednesday at the school is "Wellness Wednesday," with free health screenings. The entire campus is also tobacco-free, and help with tobacco cessation is offered to both employees and students.

Many of these health initiatives are grounded in a philosophy of employer-employee partnership. The best example is the 30-minute wellness initiative. Three times a week, each employee can take an hour--30 minutes of their personal time and 30 minutes donated by the employer--to walk on the track, work out in the gym or do something healthy. Every year, North Arkansas also hosts a health benefits fair, during which the school will cover almost all of the cost of a complete health assessment test for employees and Family members.

A recent addition to the college that contributes to employee wellness is the Community Health Resource Center (CHRC). A partnership of North Arkansas College, the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center and Dr. Dan J. Hawkins, it serves as a resource and referral location and has quickly become a valuable tool for employees, students and the public.