Salem College

Today, Salem College is focusing its 250-year legacy of leadership on becoming the nation’s only liberal arts college dedicated to elevating and expanding the role of women in Health Leadership. This new Health Leadership approach to liberal arts education will prepare the next generation of women to become empowered, ethical, effective health leaders in a wide range of fields from medicine and wellness to law and public policy, from business and not-for-profit to advocacy and the environment.

Salem has a long history of adapting to the most critical challenges of our time, as well as responding to the changing expectations and needs of women. As the world continues to rapidly change, great institutions must change with it. This process began almost three years ago—supported by deep research, expert education and industry consultants, and deep engagement with more than 200 Salem stakeholders—including faculty, staff, administration, students, alumnae, Board of Trustees members, and more. The data was overwhelming and impossible to ignore. Our decision was ultimately grounded in several critical factors including a growing interest from prospective students in health and more purpose driven education, Salem’s strong track record in health and sciences, continued job growth in health-related fields, and the crucial need to fill the gap of women leaders across the entire health ecosystem.

Salem’s 250-year history of delivering highly focused, personalized, and immersive educational experiences for women makes it uniquely positioned to educate, elevate, and expand the role women play in the future of Health Leadership. Having a health focus inside a liberal arts environment is a powerful combination for women who want to make a profound difference by planning a career path in the health industry.

Women play a critical role in the health arena globally, representing the majority of workers in health fields, but are vastly underrepresented in leadership and decision-making positions across the industry. There is an essential need for women’s voices, perspectives, and skills to drive progress in fields of health, and for women leaders to contribute to health innovation, problem solving, and collaboration at the highest levels—thereby transforming lives and communities across the country and around the globe.

Like any great transformation, this will be a careful and phased process. Starting this fall, Salem will add three new health-oriented majors—Health Sciences, Health Humanities, and Health Advocacy and Humanitarian Systems—as well as women’s leadership development programming, a renewed core liberal arts curriculum, and expanded internship and service-learning opportunities, all centered on the topics of leadership and health. Students will be immersed in Salem College’s Health Leadership focus, with core curriculum seminars and co-curricular activities centered on the topic.

This unique transition makes Salem College the only liberal arts institution to establish a distinct focus on elevating and expanding the role of women in Health Leadership.

Yes. Given health is not a singular field and Salem’s long legacy has focused on women’s leadership, Salem College has developed a unique curricular and co-curricular model that is rooted in a liberal arts foundation. We designed this curricular model specifically to address the shift in direction in the health industry—beyond medical and technical skills to include humanitarian and critical thinking.