MGH Institute of Health Professions is the only college in Massachusetts named a 2021 “Great College to Work For,” according to a national survey released September 13.

The MGH Institute, which was one of just two colleges in New England to make the list, also was one of 48 schools to achieve honor roll status in the annual survey by research and consulting leader ModernThink. The survey, one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country, recognizes colleges that receive top ratings from their employees regarding workplace practices and policies. This is the eleventh year the Institute was recognized, and the fifth year it achieved honor roll status.

“The Institute is characterized by the shared values of justice, inclusion, equity, and respect for all members, as well as service to Charlestown and Greater Boston,” said MGH Institute President Paula Milone-Nuzzo. “It has a strong sense of community that is displayed through collaborative teaching and scholarship and a culture of strong engagement of both faculty and staff in the mission of the organization. Receiving this recognition once again is an affirmation by our faculty and staff that the MGH Institute is a place where talented people have opportunities to thrive as they dedicate themselves to our mission of educating tomorrow’s health care leaders.”

The IHP was recognized in seven categories: Job Satisfaction & Support; Compensation & Benefits; Professional Development; Mission & Pride; Confidence in Senior Leadership; Shared Governance; and Faculty Experience. The school, which has approximately 1,600 students, was included in the Small Colleges category of schools with fewer than 3,000 students. 

“The IHP benefits from leadership that lives its values and its motto ‘Tomorrow Ready’,” said Dr. Patrice Nicholas, chair of the Faculty Senate, a distinguished professor of nursing, and director of the school’s Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health. She pointed to the confidence in senior leadership, shared governance, faculty experience, and professional development categories as areas of successful collaboration between the faculty and administration.

Greg Moore, chair of the Staff Council and the Instructional Technology manager, cited the sense of community the school has maintained throughout the pandemic. “Over the past year and a half, the Institute’s staff has supported each other through virtual social events, monthly forums, and by reaching out to each other in whatever ways they could,” he said. “Our support for each other speaks volumes about the community we have.”

“It’s been said that character and competency are revealed in times of crisis. We have to look no further than the 2021 Great Colleges to Work For program to find examples of institutional character and competency that warrant not just praise, but in many cases, emulation,” said Rich Boyer, managing partner at ModernThink. In all, 70 of 196 participating institutions from across the United States earned “Great College to Work For” status for specific best practices and policies.

“It is no surprise to me that MGH Institute of Health Professions has once again been recognized as a great place to work,” said Rob McCarron, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, of which the IHP is a member. “The MGH Institute has long been a leader in the Commonwealth, and its growth and success are the direct result of a leadership team focused on providing an environment in which all employees can thrive.”