MGH Institute of Health Professions in Charlestown is the only school in Metro Boston named as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The results of the prestigious education magazine’s sixth annual report on the Academic Workplace, the 2013 Great Colleges to Work For® survey, are based on a survey of more than 44,000 employees at 300 colleges and universities across the United States.
“Being named for the fourth year in a row as a Great College to Work For is an affirmation from our faculty and staff of our strategic commitment to being a ‘preferred place to work’,” said President Janis P. Bellack. “We are proud that the MGH Institute is considered a great place to work, and will continue to strive that it remains so.”
In all, only 97 institutions in the United States achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. The MGH Institute, one of just three Massachusetts schools on the list, was included in the Small Colleges division for schools that have fewer than 3,000 students.
This year, the MGH Institute received recognition in the following five categories:
• Collaborative Governance,
• Compensation & Benefits,
• Facilities, Workspace and Security,
• Confidence in Senior Leadership, and
• Respect and Appreciation.
“The institutions that the Great Colleges program recognizes provide innovative educational experiences—while also offering their employees outstanding workplace experiences—and we are eager to help readers learn more about them,” said Liz McMillen, the Chronicle’s editor.
Department of Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Tracy Brudvig, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, Chair of the Faculty Senate, noted a culture of collaboration among faculty, staff, and administration, as well as the school’s state-of-the-art interactive classroom and physical therapy lab, as key reasons for the Institute’s high marks.
Assistant to the Dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Mary Ellen Ferolito, Chair of the Staff Council, noted the generous employee benefits for healthcare, retirement, and vacation. She also praised the Institute’s regular reviews of salary benchmarks and adjustments to ensure that employees are being paid in line with peers in other organizations.
The Chronicle’s 2013 Great Colleges to Work For program recognizes small groups of colleges, based on enrollment size, for specific best practices and policies. The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, professional support staff, and administrators. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was employee feedback.
Now in its sixth year, the Great Colleges program has become one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country.
MGH Institute of Health Professions, founded by Massachusetts General Hospital in 1977, is an innovative and independent graduate school in Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard. A member of Partners HealthCare, the MGH Institute prepares advanced practice professionals in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and rehabilitation sciences through a distinctive combination of academic study, clinical practice, and research. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in graduate level and certificate programs.