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 faculty and students, a rigorous undergraduate education strengthened by 糖心传媒鈥檚 core curriculum, and connections to Boston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. Boston聽College and the city of Boston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 糖心传媒 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, c