May is always an interesting month. We finally start seeing the changes in weather that is heralding the coming of summer. We always have a group of students that have come to the end of their academic programs and we work to launch them into their chosen careers. Our amazing faculty and staff take a deep breath and look forward to a somewhat slower time for some and the excitement of a new class of students for others. And we welcomed a new group of 90 ABSN students to the IHP who are ready and excited to begin their program on the path to join the nursing profession. May is always an exciting month for those of us at the IHP.
But this May was spectacular. After 14 months of pandemic worry and fear leading to social isolation for many of us, we have begun to see opportunities for resuming somewhat of a normal life. With the nice weather came the ability to be outside where we know social interaction is far safer. Rules for indoor gatherings were loosened and people have started to travel again. The Navy Yard has come alive with visitors to the USS Constitution and the Freedom Trail. Our clinical partners, no longer feeling the crush of COVID admissions, are welcoming our students back into their clinical agencies. Unlike last year, we are having in-person, end-of-program celebrations for each of our disciplines to provide our graduates the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments with their classmates. Our IHP community is slowly returning to campus to prepare for more on-campus activity in the fall. The campus is starting to come alive again.
May was also spectacular because we received approval from the IHP Board of Trustees and the MGH Board of Trustees to add a new School of Health Care Leadership (SHCL), launch several new academic programs, and expand our Continuing Professional Development Department. Two new programs that will be part of the SHCL are a Master of Health Administration (MHA) in Leadership and a Master of Science (MS) in Health Care Digital Analytics. Two additional programs that were approved in the School of Nursing are a MS in Nursing Education and a MS in Nursing Leadership. With these approvals comes our ability to launch these on-line, part-time programs that will be transformational for the IHP as we go into the future. We will be adding new disciplines to our interprofessional education models and expanding our ability to think through complex health care problems from several more perspectives. We will be expanding our brand beyond the traditional health professions and growing the IHP student base to allow for greater economies of scale. As I said, May was a very exciting month!
As I write this on the very last day of May, Memorial Day, I think about all those men and women who gave their lives for our country so that we can have the freedoms that we live with today. The freedom to question the aspects of our country that prevent all people from experiencing equity and inclusion. The freedom to have conversations that take people out of their comfort zone to open their eyes about new ways of thinking and believing. The freedom to recognize past injustices perpetrated on our Black and Brown communities and work toward creating a better future. And while we have miles to go to improve our imperfect country, our imperfect people, and our imperfect community, I am grateful for the lives of those men and woman whom we celebrated on Memorial Day.
I hope you have a joyous summer filled with opportunities to reconnect with family, friends, and the things you have missed doing. Continue to stay safe and practice those behaviors that served you well during the pandemic: hand hygiene, social distancing, and masks at times when needed, including while on campus as we continue to adhere to the Commit @ IHP guidelines. We can still get back to our lives while being safe.