ST. LOUIS – University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis today announced that it has been named a 2020 “Great College to Work For” following the release of the results of a new survey conducted by the Great Colleges to Work For program and released last week in the Chronicle of Higher Education, a leading publication for colleges and universities.
Now in its 13th year, the survey recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that get top ratings from their employees on workforce practices and policies. A total of 221 institutions participated in the 2020 survey, with University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis being one of 79 institutions formally recognized as 2020 Great Colleges to Work For.
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The announcement comes on the heels of the institution’s recent name change from St. Louis College of Pharmacy to University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. The University includes both St. Louis College of Pharmacy, which houses its Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program, and the College of Arts and Sciences, which houses its undergraduate programs. The new name and brand identity is designed to honor the institution’s rich history in pharmacy education while highlighting its dedication to being a health-care focused, interprofessional learning environment educating the next generation of pharmacy and health care practitioners, leaders and innovators.
This year, the University was honored in the category of “facilities, workspaces and security.” The category recognizes institutions that successfully meet the needs of employees, feature an aesthetically pleasing campus environment and take steps to provide a safe and secure environment for the campus community. This is the eighth time that the University has received recognition as a Great College to Work For, and the third time it has been recognized in this category.
The past year has been a busy one for the University as it continued to enhance its facilities. Over the past several months, extensive improvements have been made inside the University’s historic Jones Hall to renovate and expand laboratory space to provide faculty researchers with a place to grow their research efforts and create space for future graduate students to conduct graduate-level research. Jones Hall also recently became home to a newly constructed esports facility featuring 30 dedicated computers, an exhibition area with large screen televisions for playing console games, practice rooms, office space and vending machines.
Additionally, as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic swept the nation this spring, members of the University’s Information Technology (IT) department stepped up to provide students, faculty and staff with new forms of technology designed to help them work and learn remotely. In recent months, the IT team implemented an upgraded, campus-wide phone system, migrated the campus community to Microsoft Office 365 and oversaw the implementation of Microsoft Teams for remote meetings and lectures.
In response to COVID-19, the University was also hard at work this summer preparing for a safe return to on-campus operations and instruction for the fall semester. As the University prepared to open its doors to the campus community, a number of new procedures were established in alignment with the city of St. Louis and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These included the reconfiguration of classrooms and learning, study, dining and open lounge spaces, the installation of self-administered temperature check kiosks in campus buildings, the establishment of traffic control patterns within campus buildings and the addition of physical barriers to further enhance safety where needed.
“It’s such an honor to have once again been recognized as a Great College to Work For,” said John A. Pieper, Pharm.D., FCCP, FAPhA, president of the University. “In these uncertain and unprecedented times, it is so rewarding to see that our campus community recognizes our many efforts to enhance our campus facilities and ensure that our students, faculty and staff enjoy a safe and productive environment whether they are working and learning on campus or from their homes. Now, more than ever, we are committed to providing the best campus environment possible, and we thank the campus community for its support.”
Representing one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country, the 2020 Great Colleges to Work For two-part assessment process featured an institutional questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies from each institution, along with a survey that was administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff.
For more information on the survey or to view the complete survey results, visit the Great Colleges to Work for program website at www.greatcollegesprogram.com.
About University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
For more than 155 years, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis has provided a world-class education for health care leaders and innovators. Since its founding, the campus has been a place where future professionals and practitioners come together to learn, grow, challenge each other, and find new ways to tackle society's most pressing health care problems.
The University offers both undergraduate and professional degrees. Undergraduate degrees prepare students for health professions careers and also serve as the foundation for graduate or professional study, while the University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program prepares students to be leaders and innovators in the profession of pharmacy. To learn more, visit uhsp.edu.
About The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is dedicated to serving the higher-education community with insights, understanding and intellectual engagement. Academic leaders and professionals from around the world trust The Chronicle’s analysis and in-depth exploration to make informed decisions.
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