March 14, 2019

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Each year, U.S. News and World Report releases its rankings for education. Tuesday, March 12, it released its list of Best Graduate Schools for 2020, and it gives me great pleasure to announce that three College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) programs have made significant advances on their respective lists.

Most notable, CNHP’s physician assistant program now ranks in the top 10 of its kind, moving up three spots from its 2019 ranking. The program is known for its long history—the ‘grandfather’ of PA programs—and for being mission-driven bringing primary care to marginalized and underserved people. The Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs also made impressive leaps in the past year breaking into the top 100 —the MSN advancing 20 spots to 93 and DNP moving from 128 to 94.

U.S. News and World Report is a trusted source used by prospective students to research programs in their desired career paths and interests, and as such, these improvements make CNHP more visible and greatly aid in our recruitment efforts.

These rankings are particularly compelling because they are based not only on data, but on reputational surveys completed by deans, administrators and faculty at programs and schools within the same disciplines. We can take from this that CNHP’s programs are nationally recognized by our peers for academic excellence and that our faculty are known for their passion and dedication to providing students with an exceptional education. The College is recognized as a place that nurtures purpose. We are changing healthcare across the lifespan. You see this in where and how our nurses and physician assistants practice, teach and lead. People—faculty, students and community partners—want to be part of what we’re doing to improve quality, accessibility and equity in healthcare delivery. This is reflected in the gains in our rankings.

I’d like to congratulate Dr. Al Rundio, Dr. Kimberlee Montgomery, Dr. Fran Cornelius, Dr. Pat Auth and the outstanding faculty and professional staff members for these hard won accomplishments. The changes in rankings reflect the incredible jobs you do that make the College and our programs what they are today.

Sincerely,
Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN
Distinguished University Professor and Dean