Confidential Position Specification
Simmons College Director of Online Programs
CONFIDENTIAL POSITION SPECIFICATION
- Position: Director of Online Programs
- Company: Simmons College
- Location: Boston, MA
- Reporting Relationship: The Director reports to the Provost
- Website: www.simmons.edu
Simmons Online — Background and Vision
VISION
As an institution, Simmons College prides itself in leadership and empowering its students to make a difference in the world. As an enterprise, Simmons Online should be an innovator and look to be a leader in the online education space, not just applying ‘best practices', but creating and leading ‘best practices'. It should build upon its internal intellectual competencies while potentially creating new ones.
Among Simmons' traditional strengths are an emphasis on ‘student centeredness' and the related ‘high touch' approach with students as well as rigorous, high quality academics. It is essential that the online unit embrace these guiding principles and build an enterprise that reflects them. Thus, it is important that Simmons Online establish pedagogical designs that ensure student and faculty satisfaction; robust online student support services and pro-active involvement; and strong faculty development and support services; as well as programmatic assessment tools to insure continuous improvement and high standards.
BACKGROUND
Education and its delivery in the U.S. is undergoing dramatic transformations. This is no more apparent than in the online arena. Online education has grown immensely in the last decade but remains fragmented, allowing for opportunities for institutions that have been slow to enter the online world. Online programs, certificates and courses are providing institutions with new revenue streams, marketing vehicles and branding opportunities. Online programs also allow institutions limited by physical capacity to expand to grow their student populations, penetrate non-traditional geographic areas and the convenience of online programs is a natural attraction to adult learners (Simmons has identified this cohort of students as an integral part of the College's strategic plan).
With a reputation for innovative teaching, Simmons is poised to enter the online market in a coordinated, aggressive manner. The administration is acutely aware that it needs a robust online program to remain competitive and grow. Simmons wants to use its online program to reinforce the Simmons mission and brand, better serve student needs, generate incremental revenue and develop a sustainable competitive advantage. There is strong institutional leadership in support of online education, and it has been identified by Simmons' President as a pillar of the College's 2015 Strategic Plan. Simmons Online was created in September, 2011 to accomplish these goals.
Simmons has limited but valuable experience in online education. The School of Nursing and Health Sciences' online program in physical therapy has been running successfully since 2001; almost 75% of the faculty in the Graduate School for Library and Information Sciences (GSLIS) have online training (through a 2009, Sloan Grant) and 25 % of its faculty have taught online. GSLIS will launch a master's and two certificate programs in 2012; and the School of Management successfully launched an Accelerated Master's of Health Administration (AMHA) degree online in September of 2011.
Simmons College — Overview
Located in Boston's historic Fenway area along the Emerald Necklace designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Simmons College is a small, private university that has educated students for enriching careers and useful, independent lives since 1899. Simmons has a four-year, undergraduate women's college and five coeducational graduate schools. Decades before women in America gained the right to vote, Boston businessman John Simmons had a revolutionary idea—that women should be able to earn independent livelihoods—and Simmons College was the result. Today, Simmons continues to educate its students for successful careers and meaningful lives.
As a four-year, private non-sectarian undergraduate women's college with a comprehensive liberal arts and professional curriculum, Simmons offers a pioneering liberal arts education for undergraduate women that is integrated with professional work experience, interdisciplinary study, and a global perspective. Students receive a broad-based, liberal arts education strengthened by direct experience in their area of concentration through internships or independent studies, research, fieldwork, or theses. Simmons offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and programs, with minors in all departments and renowned co-educational graduate programs in health sciences, nursing, education, liberal arts, communications management, social work, and library and information science along with the first MBA program designed specifically for women.
Simmons enrolls 2,000 undergraduate women and over 3,000 graduate women and men. Twenty percent of the undergraduate women, and ten percent of graduate students self-identity as African American, Latina, Asian, Native American, (ALANA) or multiracial. In the past few years, undergraduate students have come from 40 states and 39 countries. The graduate programs have attracted diverse students from nearly as many states and countries as the undergraduate college. The five graduate schools at Simmons provide postgraduate awards at certificate, master's and doctoral levels in Library and Information Science, Social Work, Nursing and Health Sciences, Management, and Arts and Sciences. Their accredited awards are highly regarded by the professions they serve, and the schools are highly ranked nationally.
Simmons has 254 faculty members of whom 43% are tenured. In addition, there are 360 part-time/adjunct faculty, many of whom are clinical faculty who work in schools, archives, libraries, hospitals, businesses, government, NGOs, and a variety of non-profit organizations. The undergraduate student/faculty ratio is 13:1 and about 70% of the faculty is female. Faculty participates actively in academic matters through a variety of governance structures such as an all-College Faculty Senate and a Faculty Fiscal Affairs Committee. Faculty also contributes to two Board of Trustees committees: Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
Simmons is recognized as one of the "Best Colleges" by three national ranking groups. US News & World Report ranked Simmons in its 2012 edition of "American's Best Colleges." Simmons was in the top tier of schools in the Regional Universities North category. Simmons was also featured in The Princeton Review's 2012 "Best 376 College" guidebook and named by Forbes.com as one of "America's Best Colleges" in 2011.
Simmons alums have been appointed by President Obama to important national positions. David S. Ferriero, an alumnus of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS), is the Archivist of the United States at the National Archives and Records Administration. Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) alumni Winston Tabb is serving on the National Museum and Library Services Board, the advisory body for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
Alumna Ann Fudge was one of six members named by President Obama to a bipartisan commission charged with recommending ways to reduce the U.S. national debt. Fudge was the chief of Young & Rubicam Brands, and a senior executive at General Mills and Kraft. The commission included 12 sitting members of Congress. Finally, the President designated alumna and Simmons College Trustee Carol Waller Pope as Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
Simmons is a member of the Colleges of the Fenway, a voluntary collaboration among six colleges within a five-minute walk from the Simmons campus. This partnership allows cross-registration, social events for students, and faculty collaboration, as well as coordination on back-end technology and administrative functions. The College's other neighbors include renowned museums and cultural institutions (such as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), major libraries (such as the Massachusetts Historical Society and The Boston Public Library), other large university campuses (such as Northeastern University and Boston University), and a number of hospitals and medical research facilities (such as Beth Israel Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Children's Hospital), clustered around the nearby Harvard Medical School.
Opportunities, Priorities, and Challenges
Simmons is in a very strong position. Attention to infrastructure over the last ten years has led to beautiful and highly functional Academic and Residential campuses in the heart of Boston with state-of-the-art technology and classrooms and attractive renovation of many areas of the Residence campus.
Attention to financial and operating matters over the last three years has led to financial stability in a challenging marketplace for all higher education institutions. The last capital campaign, "Imagine," exceeded its goal. The College has undertaken a new campaign, "Making Education Work" with the largest goal ($85 million) in its history to support financial aid and academic priorities. The Faculty Policy Manual was completed and approved by the Board of Trustees in October 2010. NEASC (New England Association of Schools & Colleges) re-accreditation was completed in January 2011.
The College recently completed two critical strategic projects — an Academic Business Review (ABR) and a Strategic Plan. President Helen Drinan and Provost Charlena Seymour led the Academic Business Review (ABR) during Fiscal '10 with analytical assistance from the Deloitte Higher Education & Academic Restructuring team. The ABR was a comprehensive, data-driven evaluation of Simmons's academic structure and offerings undertaken to better leverage the College's strengths, to align the academic structure and curriculum offerings with the College's Mission, to carefully review academic resource allocation and to assess opportunities for additional revenue generation. Recommendations have been implemented under the leadership of the Provost's Office.
The strategic planning process was a community-wide effort that energized faculty and staff. Over 150 people participated in various steps of the strategic planning process during the spring, which led to the development of the Simmons Strategy Map. Under the leadership of President Drinan and with the assistance of Bink Garrison, an outside consultant, the core purpose, values, vision, strategy and tactics that will take Simmons College to the next stage of success were identified. The Strategic Plan, "Strategy 2015," was approved at the October 2010 Board of Trustees meeting. Specific plans and detailed supporting budgets have been prepared and implementation is underway.
The five core objectives of "Strategy 2015" are:
- Strengthening the Undergraduate College
- Collaborative and flexible undergraduate-to-graduate school opportunities
- Substantial expansion of non-traditional undergraduate student programs
- Increased Opportunities for online graduate education
- Creating a Student-centered culture
Among FY12 priorities are:
- Advancing the financial health of the college
- Addressing the financial aid needs of our students
- Ensuring that Simmons is student-centered in all we do
- Continuing a successful "Making Education Work" Campaign
- Implementing the strategic plan — "Strategy 2015"
- Focusing on recruitment & retention
- Ensuring the high quality and relevance of a Simmons education
Director Roles and Responsibilities
The Director of Online Programs provides strategic leadership for the design, development and implementation of online initiatives using state-of-the-art technologies and instructional design.
Innovation
- Reviews, enhances and implements existing marketing and sales outreach strategies.
- Provides direction and guidance for the development and implementation of faculty and student support services.
- Develops the technical and professional capabilities for the online community.
- Stays current with new trends, technologies and resources that help the college maintain that environment.
Strategy
- Provides active, visible leadership in campus-wide matters related to online learning such as accreditation, assessment and accessibility.
- Sets and maintains clear goals and objectives for academic affairs in support of campus wide online education.
- Identifies components needed to create exceptional virtual teaching and learning environments for faculty and students.
Implementation
- Develops strong working relationships with faculty, staff and other administrative units to insure high quality, sustainable academic programs.
- Develops and maintains a structured process for applying best practices to create and implement courses and programs.
- Supports development, implementation and strategies for quality and growth in online offerings while working closely with university leaders to ensure the best program offerings, work processes, delivery methods, technology and resources are available to students, staff and faculty to insure their success.
- In collaboration with academic affairs, Deans and faculty, develops and implements measures of quality assessment in online instruction.
- Supports program and institutional compliance with approval criteria for online programs, state and federal laws and accreditation organizations.
- Exercises financial management and oversight of assigned programs.
- Works with administrative units to insure financial viability of proposed programs.
- Works with finance unit to develop and implement formal agreements with vendors.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS
Essential Competencies
- Understanding and appreciation of higher education and academics.
- Proven entrepreneurial skills, business management skills, and creativity.
- Recognized business acumen.
- Organizational agility.
- Highly effective planning, time management and delegation.
- Superior written and oral communication skills.
- Success building effective teams.
- Engaging personality.
- Comfort around top management.
- Results and metrics oriented.
- Appreciation and support of diversity.
EDUCATION
Candidates are expected to have, at a minimum, a graduate degree from an accredited institution of higher education and 5 years experience delivering post-graduate education or professional development programs including online course delivery.
LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
Understanding the focus of Simmons Online
- Knows the mission-critical technical and functional skills needed to do the job; understands various types of operational/service propositions and understands how organizations operate in general; learns new methods and technologies easily.
Making Complex Decisions
- Can solve complex problems; is able to glean meaning from whatever data are available; is a quick study of the new and different; adds personal wisdom and experience to come to the best conclusion and solution, given the situation; uses multiple problem-solving tools and techniques.
Creating the New and Different
- Is creative and visionary and can manage innovation; is an effective strategist full of ideas and possibilities; sees multiple futures; has broad interests and knowledge; can both create and bring exciting ideas to fruition; is comfortable speculating about alternative futures without all of the data.
Managing Priorities
- Can quickly separate the mission-critical from the trivia; is effective in establishing and maintaining priorities; focuses on the critical few tasks that y add value
Getting Organized
- Is well organized and resourceful; is effective and efficient at marshalling multiple resources to accomplish goals; has demonstrated project management skills; is able to get things done within established budgets and timeframes; can work on multiple tasks at once without losing track; foresees and plans around obstacles.
Effectively Mangaging and Developing Others
- Manages people well; gets the most and best out of people sets and communicates guiding goals; measures accomplishments, holds people accountable, and gives useful feedback; delegates and develops; keeps people informed; provides coaching for today and for the future.
Managing Work Processes
- Is an effective process, work flow, and systems designer; is good at determining what to measure to track progress; sets up systems that can almost manage themselves; is a master at the effectiveness and efficiency of work systems; can quickly diagnose and fix a work flow problem; always seeks incremental process improvement.
Dealing with Challenges
- Thoughtfully takes on issues, challenges, and situations; comfortably confronts and works through conflict; deals promptly and fairly with faculty and staff; lets everyone know where they stand; thrives in crises and is energized by tough challenges; is not afraid to make difficult decisions and take action; challenges the status quo.
Evaluating and Deploying People Accurately
- Reads people accurately; can diagnose strengths, weaknesses, and potential; knows what skills are required to fill a job or role; hires the best.
Focusing on Action and Outcomes
- Approaches everything with drive and energy with an eye on effectiveness and value; is not afraid to initiate action before all the facts are known; finishes everything he/she starts.
Being Organizationally Savvy
- Maneuvers well to get things done; knows where to go to get what he/she needs; politically aware and agile; acts with integrity; presents views and arguments well.
Communicating Effectively
- Writes and presents effectively; adjusts to fit the audience and the message; strongly gets a message across.
Skillfully Relates to Management
- Knows how to relate effectively with top management and is effective in advocating for resources.
Relational Skills
- Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills
Caring About Others
- Helps others; demonstrates concern; goes out of her/his way for others; makes time to listen; makes allowances for those in trouble.
Managing Diverse Relationships
- Treats everyone with dignity and respect; treats differences fairly and equitably; builds diverse networks; seeks common ground.
Inspiring Others
- Is skilled at motivating individuals, teams, and an entire organization to perform at a higher level and to embrace change; negotiates skillfully to achieve a fair outcome or promote a common cause; communicates a compelling vision and is committed to what needs to be done; inspires others; builds motivated, high-performing teams; understands what motivates different people.
Acting Ethically
- Is a person of high character; is consistent and acts in line with a clear and visible set of values and beliefs; is direct and truthful but at the same time can keep confidences.
Being Open and Receptive
- Operates at ease and in a relaxed manner; easy to talk to and get to know; listens attentively; has a positive sense of humor; deals calmly with stress and gives people a chance to catch up.
Demonstrating Personal Flexibility
- Open to continuous personal improvement; aware of self and impact on others; is responsive to feedback; is very flexible; can act in ways that seem contradictory and is adaptable to characteristics of different situations.
KORN/FERRY CONTACTS
David Mead-Fox, Ph.D.
Senior Client Partner
Korn/Ferry International
265 Franklin Street, 17th floor
Boston, MA 02110
David.Mead-Fox@kornferry.com
APPENDIX
Academic Programs
The Provost
The Provost, Charlena M. Seymour, reports to the President, Helen G. Drinan, and is the Chief Academic Officer. In the President's absence and at the request of the President or the Board of Trustees, the Provost would serve as the Chief Executive Officer for Simmons. The Provost's areas of responsibility include supervision and oversight of all educational affairs and activities, including curricular, instructional, and research affairs and personnel. The Provost coordinates the promotion and tenure and sabbatical application processes, provides leadership for academic programs, research, faculty development and program evaluation, advises the President and Board of Trustees on academic matters including faculty hiring, appointments, promotion, tenure, and sabbaticals, and plays a major role in developing the annual budget and in recommending allocation of resources, particularly among academic units.
Undergraduate College
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) offers over 40 undergraduate majors and minors for women in liberal arts and in professional areas. Dorothea Dix Scholars, women over the age of 24, account for nearly 20% of the undergraduate enrollment. Simmons is best known for its small classes, access to faculty, and internship and research opportunities. One of the goals of the Simmons undergraduate education is to prepare women to be well-informed, open-minded, intellectually curious, critical thinkers, and life-long learners. The Simmons approach to liberal arts education is flexible, and the curriculum allows each student to develop a program suited to her individual interests and career plans.
Entering undergraduate students have diverse intellectual and academic interests. Popular majors include nursing, nutrition, English, physical therapy, communications, biology, sociology, psychology, management, and political science/international relations. About 15% of first year admitted students are undecided about their area of concentration.
Entering students participate in a First-Year Program that supports student transition to college, helps create community, and provides opportunities for all students to develop leadership skills while at Simmons. Students with distinguished high school academic records may be accepted to the Honors Program, which fosters a motivated group of students who explore the complexity of today's world and their place in it. This challenging academic program is designed to enhance the undergraduate experience of students in all departmental disciplines. Its goal is to encourage depth in the department of choice as well as to create opportunities for interdisciplinary studies and global awareness. Other academic programs include Pre-law and Pre-medicine; the pre-medical program prepares students for application to dental, medical, optometry, podiatry, and veterinary schools.
Simmons is nationally recognized for its experiential learning programs, its blend of graduate and undergraduate offerings, and its commitment to liberal arts and professional education. As an urban institution deeply committed to the city, Simmons offers programs that support and encourage partnerships between the College and the city of Boston. Thirty percent of all undergraduate students do service learning and many more volunteer in the community. The Scott/Ross Center, directed by a faculty member, has a staff of three who work closely with faculty to support the integration of service learning into the curriculum. Service learning takes place in graduate and undergraduate courses. For the fifth year in a row, Simmons was named to the 2010 President's (Obama) Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its students' volunteer contributions to the community. Simmons is one of only four schools in Massachusetts to be recognized on the 2010 "Honor Roll with Distinction," a designation given to schools that have exhibited significant community service. Simmons also is the only college in the state to have received the "Honor Roll with Distinction" designation four times since the honor roll was established in 2006.
The independent learning requirement--one of the hallmarks of a Simmons undergraduate education--challenges students to apply the conceptual skills they have learned and to approach a problem, project, or workplace experience as independent researchers and applied learners. Students in the sciences, for example, may complete their independent study requirement in the research laboratory of a Simmons faculty member or in internships or research projects at such institutions as the Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Forsyth Institute, New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo, Museum of Science, and Harvard School of Public Health. Additionally, students have been admitted to summer research programs sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association. Every academic program offers internships.
In recognition of the increasing importance of graduate degrees, Simmons offers an accelerated BS as well as BA/MA-MS programs for qualified undergraduates. In addition, the college offers integrated undergraduate/graduate programs in the following areas: chemistry and pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, and physical therapy. Simmons partners with a number of cultural and academic institutions that enrich our academic offerings and increase opportunities to students, faculty, and staff. These include:
Colleges of the Fenway, Boston, MA - Offers cross-registration and other academic and extracurricular opportunities at five other Fenway-area colleges.
Community Service Learning - Offers students opportunities to participate in diverse projects and programs throughout the Boston community, such as Mission Safe, the Farragut School, the Timilty School, Hale House, Best Buddies, and Action for Boston Community Development.
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY - Collaborates with Simmons on a Women in Materials program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, to enhance the participation of women in materials-related study and research. Includes opportunities for summer study at the Cornell Center for Materials Research.
The New England Conservatory of Music, Boston - Provides qualified Simmons students with opportunities to earn credit in performance studies and theoretical subjects.
Graduate Programs
There are five graduate schools at Simmons — the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS), the School of Social Work (SSW), the School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS), the School of Management (SOM) and the College Arts and Sciences Graduate Studies (CAS).
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS), established in 1902, is one of the oldest library schools in the country and awards master's and doctoral degrees. GSLIS is ranked among the nation's top 10 schools of library and information studies in the U.S. News & World Report's 2012 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." GSLIS is the only library and information science school in New England to be ranked in this category this year, and it is the only small-to-midsize graduate program to make the top 10 list.
There are two areas of specialization within the Master's program — the Archives Management Concentration and the School Library Teacher Program — as well as the generalist Library and Information Science focus. Both areas of specialization have a significant experiential learning component; generalist students also have opportunities to do internships towards the end of their program. Internship sites include the Boston Athenaeum; EBSCO Publishing; Harvard and Yale Libraries; Fidelity Investments; Boston Public Library, and many others. GSLIS is ranked in the top ten nationally for its "Archives and Preservation" and "Services for Children and Youth" concentrations. Over the past two years, GSLIS has received over $600,000 in funding to build and support a Digital Curriculum Laboratory for archives and preservation classes. Once out of the testing phase, the Laboratory will be used for classes across the GSLIS curriculum. Funding was received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
GSLIS has a 100-year tradition of helping students build exceptional careers in library and information science and also has a strong international presence. The Digital Curriculum Laboratory (DCL) project combines both aspects: Simmons, along with the University College of London and Mid-Sweden University, is seeking to make the DCL a space where collaborators from across the world can participate in joint academic endeavors, ranging from co-taught courses to research and publication projects. Previous international initiatives include preparing a new generation of librarians and library directors in Iraq (funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and in partnership with Harvard University), Kosovo (funded by the U.S. Department of State) and Vietnam (funded most recently by Atlantic Philanthropies). Another recent project involves GSLIS staff and adjunct faculty traveling to Liberia. Originally an effort to work with the University of Liberia to assess the use of books donated from the U.S., the 2011 trip involved assisting in the development of a strategic plan for the University Library. GSLIS adjunct faculty members are now among the lead coordinators to develop the library system within the University of Liberia. An additional international program involves GSLIS students and faculty traveling to Seoul, South Korea, to take part in a joint program with Yonsei University. For the last several years, GSLIS and Yonsei University students have attended classes together in Seoul taught by GSLIS faculty. Also each year, two Yonsei students travel to Boston to attend Simmons.
GSLIS faculty and alumni are distinguished experts in their fields and have held top leadership positions in every major library and information science professional association. The current president of the American Library Association, the nation's largest professional organization in the LIS field, is a GSLIS alum; the president-elect is an adjunct professor in the doctoral program. President Obama appointed a GSLIS alum as the United States Archivist. Two faculty members edit Library & Information Science Research, one of the top three journals in the field. GSLIS has a high rate of successful job placements and career paths for graduates and offers flexible full and part-time study options, as well as continuing education. The M.S. program in Library and Information Science is nationally accredited and internationally respected. In addition to the cultural life and opportunities for internships and practicums at Boston K-12 schools, colleges, universities, archives, museums and famous public libraries, GSLIS offers programs in western Massachusetts at Mount Holyoke College, another lively center for learning and libraries in New England.
The School of Social Work (SSW), founded in 1904, is the first academically-affiliated school of social work in the country. Today, it confers master's and doctoral degrees and is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The MSW program trains clinical social workers committed to social justice and culturally informed practice with options for clinical specializations, in gerontology and health, adult mental health and substance abuse, as well as special programs and certificates in Urban Leadership, trauma treatment, Spanish-language immersion, and international social work. SSW has partnerships with nearly 300 community-based training sites where students spend three days per week in fieldwork internships while specializing in health, gerontology, mental health, child and family, or forensic practice. The SSW Doctoral Program leads to the Ph.D. degree, and its graduates are faculty in dozens of social work programs across the country in addition to providing professional leadership in community practice, research, and government service.
SSW houses the new Center for Applied Research and Evaluation, which will provide support to Simmons faculty and community agencies engaged in a variety of social research and evaluation projects. The SSW is moving through the first phases of accreditation of its new BSW Program, which will provide a new pathway to a Simmons social work degree and licensure for entry-level social work practice. SSW faculty include a Fulbright fellow, two Hartford Fellow in Gerontology, three past presidents of the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW, a past president of the National Association of Social Workers, and the current President of the International Federation of Social Workers. SSW faculty members serve on the editorial boards of several professional journals as well as boards of directors of international, national, local and regional social service agencies and professional organizations.
The School of Management (SOM), founded in 1974 as the Graduate School of Management, offered the first MBA program in the country designed specifically for women. In 1990, the graduate program merged with the undergraduate management program, one of the first programs of study at Simmons College, to form the School of Management. In 2010, the Masters in Health Administration Program and the Masters in Communications Management programs joined the SOM. Currently, SOM faculty members advise over 125 undergraduate students and have over 350 students in graduate programs. Our SOM undergraduate offerings include four majors, five minors, two interdisciplinary minors (Entrepreneurship and Emerging Global Markets), two joint majors (Arts Administration and Chemistry Management) and the Prince Endowed Program for Retail Management. There are four SOM graduate programs: an MBA with eight concentrations, a Master's in Communications Management, a Master's in Healthcare Administration, an online Master's in Healthcare Administration for Pharmacists; as well as a coordinated MBA/MSW degree. The SOM also offers a BA/MBA program; executive education programs for senior women executives at leading corporations including EMC, Eli Lilly, Deloitte, Time Warner, and Verizon; and partnerships with two premier business schools in India.
The SOM was named in 2010 and 2011 among the "300 Best Business Schools" by The Princeton Review and the #1 school in the U.S. with "the greatest opportunities for women." Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review named the SOM's entrepreneurship program one of the 25 best programs in the nation four of the last five years. In addition, the SOM was ranked #15 on the "Global 100" list of business schools, and the #1 small business school by the Aspen Institute in its 2009-2010 MBA ranking, "Beyond Grey Pinstripes." Simmons School of Management is the only school in Massachusetts to make the top 15 list. The student Net Impact Chapter has gold level status, which is an accolade given to only a small number of schools. There is also a chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the academic honor society for business schools as well as a chapter of Edun LIVE on campus, a student run, mission driven, for profit venture that sells 100% organic shirts that fuel the market for African goods.
The Simmons Annual Women's Leadership Conference was started by SOM alumnae and, along with the Center for Gender in Organizations, is internationally renowned. SOM faculty members are recognized as leading authorities on women, leadership, management, healthcare and communications; they hold endowed chairs, Fulbright fellowships, and grants from the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and a host of other foundations. Faculty members also hold leadership roles in academic and professional association and actively consult with businesses and organizations.
The School for Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS) includes both undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing and nutrition. In addition, it offers innovative graduate programs of high quality in nursing, nutrition, and physical therapy, including a doctorate in physical therapy, a doctorate in nursing practice, and a joint SNHS and CAS Ph.D. program in health professions education. SNHS faculty are committed educators who combine theory and practice in their teaching approach. High pass rates on national licensure examinations (nursing, nutrition, and physical therapy) attest to the effectiveness of this approach.
The nursing and nutrition programs allow Simmons undergraduates to earn the B.S.N. and M.S.N. (nursing) or a B.S and M.S. (nutrition) degrees in five years. Other graduate nursing programs include a dual-degree program in parent-child health with the Harvard School of Public Health, a master's degree program in primary health care nursing, and an exceptionally popular "direct entry" program for individuals with an undergraduate degree in another field who seek a career in nursing. Certificates in advanced graduate study (C.A.G.S.) are offered in oncology and health professions education (online). The new and innovative post-master's doctorate of nursing practice program for experienced nurse practitioners and nurse executives is a blended learning program with 80% of content presented online with two face-to-face weekend sessions per semester.
Other nutrition programs include the master's in nutrition and health promotion, certificate programs in the didactic program in dietetics (required to apply for a national dietetic internship before taking the national licensure exam to become a registered dietitian), sports nutrition, and a nationally competitive dietetic internship program. The sports certificate program can be completed entirely online.
The physical therapy program offers a six-year B.S./doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degree program, a three-year post baccalaureate doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degree program, and an online doctorate program for practicing physical therapists.
Global activities include the nursing department's collaboration with Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and with the Khan Family Foundation in Bangladesh to establish baccalaureate programs in nursing. Annually, nursing faculty and students travel to Romania with the New England Alliance to Hospices of Hope to help develop hospice care in that country. In past years, nursing and physical therapy faculty and students have traveled to Nicaragua and Bolivia for service learning clinical experiences. While these programs are not offered currently, other similar local endeavors are being planned.
This year, the SNHS is working to strengthen its inter-professional course offerings and learning opportunities for students. Last year, the College hosted the first in a series of "Grand Rounds" where SNHS, SSW, and GSLIS faculty modeled a case presentation on day one, seven, and twelve of a patient with a traumatic brain injury, similar to that of Congresswoman Giffords. SNHS students and faculty will also be involved in the Coleman Foundation Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellows Program.
The College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Studies (CAS) offers over thirty master's and doctoral level programs in liberal arts, education and behavior analysis. It includes nationally renowned programs, such as Children's Literature and Gender/Cultural Studies, as well as master's programs in English and History. Additionally, the College offers its M.A. and M.F.A. in Children's Literature at the Eric Carle Museum of Picturebook Art in Amherst. The Graduate Division also offers dual degrees, such as History and Archives with the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and Management and Gender/Cultural Studies with the School of Management. The Education Department includes on and offsite includes Master's programs in all general education categories, special education (moderate and severe needs), language and literacy, and assistive technology as well as certificate programs in general and special education, a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, and extensive leadership in the Simmons - Boston Teachers' Union partnership to found the city's first public school operating via shared governance. The Department of Behavior Analysis offers the M.S. and Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis; the master's degree program is accredited by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board™ (1 of 14 approved programs nationally) and the ABA International (1 of 16 in the country). A new program, Master's in Public Policy, will be launched in Fall 2012 in conjunction with the four other schools.
