Top 10 ranking comes as no surprise to Connell School of Nursing community
The Connell School of Nursing鈥檚 top 10 ranking in the recent U.S. News survey of the nation鈥檚 best undergraduate nursing schools is an external acknowledgment of the school鈥檚 strength and clear momentum, CSON faculty, staff, and students say.聽聽
Based on the peer assessment of nursing deans nationwide, the Connell School placed 10th out of 654 programs鈥攁 12-point improvement from last year and CSON鈥檚 highest ranking to date.
Katherine Gregory (Caitlin Cunningham)
Connell School Dean Katherine Gregory, who has led the school since 2021, said CSON鈥檚 strong reputation is the result of multiple factors, including excellent 艾可直播and students, a rigorous undergraduate education strengthened by BC鈥檚 core curriculum, and connections to 艾可直播鈥檚 world-class hospitals and research labs. 聽
"Excellence in undergraduate nursing education requires scientific rigor embedded in the liberal arts,鈥� said Gregory. 鈥淚t also requires depth and breadth of clinical education and experiences. 艾可直播聽College and the city of 艾可直播鈥攐ne of the world's most vibrant and sought-after healthcare ecosystems, with cutting edge research and innovation in clinical care鈥攑rovide the ideal environment聽for excellence."聽
CSON community members say the ranking validates what they have long known鈥攖hat the school, despite its small size, has the teaching and research prowess to warrant its standing among the nation鈥檚 best nursing programs. But it is the student experience above all, they say, that makes the school distinctive.聽
Colleen Simonelli (Chris Soldt)
鈥淓mbedding our nursing 鈥榯raining鈥� in a liberal arts education and being very intentional about the formation of our students is critically important to our success,鈥� said Colleen Simonelli, professor of the practice and associate dean of student services in the Connell School.
鈥淭here is an art and a science to nursing, so even the way we lay out the curriculum with both the foundation of science and math and the humanities core in the first year sets the stage for that duality.聽In addition to the rigorous education, our tradition of making sure that CSON students are deeply a part of the broader BC community and involved in student organizations, international study, intramural athletics, and other extracurricular activities all contribute to their growth and success as students.鈥�
Christopher Lee (Lee Pellegrini)
Barry Family/Goldman Sachs Endowed Professor Christopher S. Lee said the faculty鈥檚 commitment to students in and out of the classroom is a central component of the school鈥檚 success.
鈥�Being a master teacher in the classroom or clinical setting is half the job in higher education,鈥� said Lee. 鈥淓qually important to us at the Connell School of Nursing are the personalized mentoring, coaching, and sponsorship of students that can make a real and enduring difference in both student formation and professional success.鈥�
BC senior Brian Harrington, who leads a first-year student seminar, said he and his fellow nursing students have been the beneficiaries of the faculty鈥檚 commitment to its students across all four years, and the mentorship that takes place among fellow students.
鈥淔rom the first day, I have felt completely supported by 艾可直播and staff, who take a genuine interest in students and provide them with the guidance and assistance they need to succeed,鈥� said Harrington. 鈥淐SON is a very caring and intimate program. Having unwavering 艾可直播support, the mentorship of older students, and career-focused 艾可直播advising is rewarding and reflective of the personal touch that distinguishes the school.鈥澛�
Harrington鈥檚 sentiment is shared by fellow students.
鈥淎s a first-generation college student and a McNair Scholar, the support I have received from CSON 艾可直播since the first day I stepped on campus is something that I know I would not have found at other schools,鈥� said senior Lesley Carranza Bonilla. 鈥淭hrough teaching, mentoring, and special programs such as international clinical opportunities, the Connell School creates nurses who are excited to join the field, but who also have a realistic and holistic understanding of the health disparities that exist in the world and a desire to address them."
Added senior Emma Goggins, 鈥淚t is so rewarding to be taught by 艾可直播who are great at what they do and who care so much about their students. I am grateful every day that I chose to study nursing in the Connell School. It is the best decision I have ever made.鈥�
Overall, Duke University was the top-ranked nursing school in the U.S. News survey, followed by the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, Ohio State University, University of Iowa, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Michigan, and the University of Washington. 艾可直播 College was tied for 10th with several schools, including Case Western Reserve and New York University, and retained its place as the top-ranked nursing school in New England and among Jesuit and Catholic schools nationwide.聽
鈥淭he U.S. health care system is deeply flawed, and at 艾可直播 College we seek to empower our students to be the change agents we need,鈥� said Simonelli.聽
鈥淏C鈥檚 commitment to educating a diverse student body with a deep sense of community and belonging is key to our success.聽Most importantly, engaging in reflective practice, and teaching the Jesuit ideals of being attentive, reflective, and loving prepares our students to truly meet their patients where they are and to advocate for them with keen powers of observation and a focus on optimizing health.鈥�
鈥淥ur undergraduate students are well positioned for success not only during their time on campus and as newly licensed nurses, but over the trajectory of their career, as a result of the clinical, research, and service-learning opportunities they have as BC nurses,鈥� said Gregory. 鈥淔urthermore, they are successful in launching and sustaining themselves within the nursing profession and the demands of the healthcare environment as a result of their liberal arts education. That is the BC difference.鈥�