Empower Women. Change the World.

That is the ethos and driving force for Salem College. A focus on health leadership can be and will be the lens through which to change the world, and we can only do so through the preparation and empowerment of women.

Why Salem Began a Transformation

It All Starts with an Idea

The world is changing, and we recognize that great institutions must change too. Since our founding in 1772, Salem has a unique history of responding to change and the needs of our time. We have survived the Revolutionary War, epidemics of measles and smallpox, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and unparalleled political and cultural change. Throughout it all, we have adapted to prepare women to lead and take on the challenges of their time.

That is why three years ago we began the discussions to decide what our next 250 years would look like. Aided by deep research, outside consultants, and engagement with more than Salem 200 stakeholders—including faculty, staff, administration, students, alumnae, Board of Trustees members, and more, we decided to focus our institution on dedicating our resources to preparing women to become the next generation of health leaders.

This decision was ultimately grounded in data and research related to our current capabilities, future and current needs of students, burgeoning career opportunities, the shifting tides of liberal arts, and the critical need for women to lead across the health ecosystem.

The traditional liberal arts education needs a drastic shift, and we believe our approach does just that—it meets the needs of students and society while maintaining the core foundation of skills a liberal arts education provides.

Staying True to Salem

Salem’s long track record of delivering highly focused, personalized, and immersive educational experiences makes it uniquely equipped to prepare the next generation of women to become empowered, ethical, and effective health leaders in a wide range of fields. Here are just a few reasons why we are uniquely equipped:

• Our size: Salem can make this strategic shift in ways other large institutions will not be able to for years to come. We also are able to offer personalized and customized education and leadership learning programs for students looking to make a difference in the world.
• Our track record in the fields of health and sciences: Salem College has a strong history and track record in mathematics and science with an 89.6% acceptance into health-related graduate programs and professional schools of medicine.
• Our history in leadership development: Salem has 250 years of experience preparing women to lead and rise to the challenges of their time.
• Our innovative new majors: We have added four new majors – Health Sciences, Health Humanities, Health Advocacy and Humanitarian Systems, and Health Communication and Data Visualization
• Women who attend women’s colleges are uniquely equipped to lead: Women who attend women’s colleges earn an average of $8,000 more per year than women who graduate from co-ed colleges, are more than twice as likely to earn a PhD, and are 1.5 times more likely to major in math, science, or pre-med than women in co-ed schools.
• Our ability to build a network and future pipeline: One of the challenges in creating women leaders in health is building a strong enough pipeline and network that is able to reach back and pull others forward. Salem will build an unparalleled network that will act as a new pipeline of women prepared to lead throughout the health ecosystem.
• Our location: Salem is located near downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which is a unique hub of health and innovation. This allows our students to have relevant real-life extracurricular and internship experiences, as well as build strong professional networks early in their career journey.

Support our mission

Why Corporate, Foundation, and Agency Support is Needed

There is an essential need for women’s voices, perspectives, and skills to drive progress in all fields that effect health, and for women leaders to contribute to health innovation, problem solving, and collaboration at the highest levels. A new pipeline of strong women health leaders has the potential to radically transform the future of global health and drive positive social change.

Become a Salem Partner

Salem College offers businesses and other organizations a powerful way to help expand the number of women at top Health Leadership levels by supporting the development of tomorrow’s leaders today. Our corporate/foundation/agency sponsorship programs allow you the flexibility to define the best way to leverage your organization’s vision for enhanced Health Leadership by helping provide much-needed resources to launch the careers of a new generation of women as health leaders.

Impact of Corporate/Foundation/Agency Partnerships

Your business or organization will be aligned with women who are driven to change the future of Health Leadership. Salem College will work in tandem with you to develop a partnership program that supports our common goals. Partnership programs include:

• Custom Partnerships
  If your organization is interested in supporting the nation’s only liberal arts college dedicated to elevating and expanding the role of women in Health Leadership and helping women in leadership roles move from being the exception to being exceptional, please contact Kathy M. Barnes, VP for Institutional Advancement at kathym.barnes@salem.edu.
   
• Internships
  It is important for our students to hone their Health Leadership perspectives and skills through real-world experience. To attract the next generation of women health leaders, please contact Collier Lumpkin, Executive Director of the Lucy Rose Center for Global Leadership and Career Innovation, at collier.lumpkin@salem.edu.
   
• Informational Meetings
  Salem College welcomes health leaders as guest speakers to share information about their organization and lessons from their professional experience. These opportunities can be coordinated by contacting Katherine Knapp Watts, VP for Strategic Initiatives, at katherine.watts@salem.edu.
   

Together we can catalyze progress and advance Health Leadership opportunities for women through collaboration.

Be Part of the Movement. JOIN THE JOURNEY.

To Learn More Please Watch This Video

To find out more about Salem College’s Health Leadership focus, please take a moment to watch this video.