Past ACE Award Recipients

Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university that is one of nine colonial colleges chartered in 1766 before the American Revolution. Rutgers University School of Nursing (RUSON) was initially accredited 70 years ago and in the same year initiated the first psychiatric advanced nursing program in the nation, led by Dr. Hildegard Peplau, which is still running strong today. As a public institution, our investment in baccalaureate-prepared nurses is crucial to the State of New Jersey, which is forecast to have one of the most significant nursing shortages over the coming decade.

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Berea College, a mission-driven school in rural Appalachia, was founded by Rev. John G. Fee, an outspoken anti-slavery advocate whose ideal became the motto, "God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth," adapted from Acts 17:26. Berea College is the most economically diverse college in the U.S. (Leonardt & Wu, 2023). Since 1892, Berea College has not charged tuition to any enrolled student.

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The Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) has dedicated resources, time, and energy to strengthen inclusive excellence—a call to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism as critical building blocks to achieving and maintaining excellence. They have created lasting changes in the MNSON that have influenced across all areas of the school, from students to staff, faculty, and community. The following programming, initiatives, and projects articulate the scope of impact and commitment to inclusive excellence.

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The Mary Black College of Nursing (MBCON) at the University of South Caroline Upstate (USC Upstate) has been a champion for diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, and is a leading voice supporting equity and civility. We have a traditional four-year BSN program, an RN-BSN program, an MSN program with specialty areas in Clinical Nurse Leader, Education and Leadership, and are beginning a DNP in Community and Public Health this fall. The more than fifty men and women who make up the MBCON are a diverse group of individuals who represent the diversity we hope to achieve in healthcare, including those who identify as LGBTQIA, Black, Hispanic, Pakistani, Ukrainian, and Chinese. A statistic we are particularly proud of is that almost 30% of our faculty are people of color, which comes close to representing the 34% of our students who are people of color.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is at the forefront of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the nursing and midwifery professions. FNU has made DEI a primary focus of the university’s mission and a measurable element of its progress. One of the first objectives of the university’s DEI strategy was to increase the enrollment of students from underrepresented populations. Because data demonstrates that culturally concordant care improves healthcare outcomes, FNU’s leadership realized that the university had not only the responsibility but also the ability to help diversify the nursing workforce. Since 2010, FNU’s underrepresented enrollment has risen from 9% to 27%.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and initiatives are a staple in FNU’s annual strategic plans. DEI is part of our organization’s environment, shared governance, and policies. Progress has been made throughout the FNU community, including faculty, staff, students, admissions, curriculum, and educational programs. A number of DEI-focused committees, a President’s DEI Task Force, and two DEI Fellowship programs have been launched in the past few years. Each of these initiatives has clearly defined purpose statements and measurable goals designed to ensure DEI is present in every facet of the university, including its personnel, culture, policies, curriculum, and leadership.

Consistent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) mission, vision and values, the University of Florida College of Nursing (UF CON) is committed to promoting equity in all educational pathways. Some of the efforts taken to promote inclusive excellence that display the sustained commitment to this mission are highlighted in this application. The UF CON has had an intentional leadership role in inclusive excellence since 2016. This role has grown from director to assistant dean and is now served by the associate dean, demonstrating our commitment to growth, and evolving the focus over time. The associate dean is also a UF CON liaison at the HSC and the University of Florida’s Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs). Formed in 2020, the UF CON’s Council for Social Justice was added as a permanent component of our college’s organizational structure and consists of faculty, staff, and student representatives. One faculty and one staff member serve as co-chairs of the council, enabling the work of this group to equally engage both stakeholder groups. To demonstrate accountability to the mission of the UF CON, recommendations from this council are used to inform the strategic plan to ensure that thoughtful consideration and actions are embedded throughout the college’s initiatives.

Dominican University is a small private Catholic university located in River Forest, Illinois. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) strives to create a just and humane campus and is dedicated to assisting the community in discovering how to live together, inclusively. The goal of the ODEI is to extend the benefits of diversity to all members of the Dominican community by working to equip students, faculty, and staff for responsible global citizenship. ODEI's goals and mission are supported by the values of caring and compassion, welcoming and hospitality, confidentially and acceptance, fairness, continuous improvement, and periodic review.

As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Dominican University sponsored a cohort of faculty to participate in the ESCALA program specifically to close the gap in educational access and completion rates for Latinos, mainly through faculty development programming. Dominican University designed courses to provide culturally competent care that reflect the mission of the university. In the RN–BSN program, a Multi-cultural and Global Perspectives in Healthcare course was created for students to critically think about and discuss health and health care within a global environment and the impact of healthcare policies. In April 2021, Dominican University and the Borra College of Health Sciences, in collaboration with the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation committee, presented a Health Disparity Symposium to the learning community to address the need to advance health equity and DEI efforts.

Claflin University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) located in Orangeburg, SC, was founded in 1869 primarily to educate freed slaves. As the first university in South Carolina open to all regardless of race, class, or gender, Claflin remains dedicated and committed to educating individuals from underrepresented minority groups. Claflin University is the only HBCU with a nursing program in the state of South Carolina.

Through strategic partnerships with the South Carolina Technical College System and local hospitals, many associate degree graduates are afforded seamless transition to the RN–BSN program. These graduates help to improve health outcomes in the local area and state by preparing more BSN-prepared nurses for the workforce. Claflin University also has partnered with a local practice partner to increase diversity in BSN-prepared nurses in the hospital system. Through this collaborative partnership, the Regional Medical Center (RMC) committed to sponsor nurses working in their hospital system with full BSN program tuition. About 15% of graduates have been sponsored through this program. Because of the demonstrated value of the nursing program to the state of South Carolina, the university secured special funding for nursing student scholarships from the South Carolina Legislature in the amount of $600,000 since the BSN program began in August 2016. Through the academic/practice agreement, students in the MSN FNP program have clinical placement and a potential employment opportunity with a federally funded clinic with seven primary care locations. Participating students may receive loan repayment for their service.

The Ohio State University (OSU) continues to demonstrate a commitment to the recruitment, development, and retention of faculty, staff, and students with a focus on underrepresented groups. The College of Nursing serves as an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion across the academic institution and within the community. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of OSU’s culture, and last academic year (2021-2022), the institution added equity, inclusion, and social justice to its core values. OSU leaders embrace the role of change agent and are intentional about creating a more inclusive environment for all to thrive.

The College of Nursing initiated the university’s inaugural Health Equity Scholars Program, which is designed to prepare underrepresented undergraduate students at OSU with advanced education, knowledge, and skills to improve health equity outcomes in diverse and underserved communities. Diversifying the faculty, staff, and student population and building a more inclusive college culture are major priorities of the nursing school. The college recently launched a Student Success Series program for both undergraduate and graduate students to help improve soft and power skills that are needed in nursing, but not often a core component of the curricula. The college also has supported the development of two new student groups, focusing on students of color and LGBTQ+ students. Over 100 faculty and staff have participated in implicit bias training for admission committees to support a more diverse nursing class.

The College of Nursing has recently begun including demographic statistics on their website of their faculty, staff, and students to highlight the significant progress made in increasing the number of underrepresented individuals within the college. The annual Summer Institute for Future Nurses continues to spark interest from high school students across the country.

In 2006, Augusta University determined that its surrounding community was vastly more diverse than the actual nursing school population. The faculty implemented an aggressive plan to address this issue with these goals: 1) build capacity to sustain long-term growth in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); 2) cultivate an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated; 3) recruit and retain an academically talented and diverse student body; and 4) recruit and retain a capable and diverse workforce.

From 2007 to 2020, the number of qualified applications from diverse backgrounds,
including ethnic and racial groups underrepresented in nursing, increased from 14% to 30% of the total applications received. Enrollment of students from diverse backgrounds increased from 15% to 35% of total enrolled students. The college’s diversity statement sets standards for faculty, staff, and administrators, raises awareness of the need to promote DEI, and communicates the college’s commitment to advancing and sustaining DEI to all stakeholders. This statement was updated in 2018 to align with AACN’s commitment to equity in addition to diversity and inclusion. In addition, the college has exerted its influence through ongoing participation with the AACN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group (now the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Network) since its inception in 2018. The college has served as the campus DEI innovator and leader.

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is at the forefront as a leading activist for diversity in the nursing and midwifery professions. FNU has made diversity and inclusion a primary focus of the university’s mission and a measurable element of its progress. This commitment was formalized in 2010 with the implementation of the Diversity Impact Program. Since the implementation of this program, FNU has increased student of color (SOC) enrollment from 9% in 2010 to 24% in 2020. Progress has been made throughout the FNU community, including faculty, staff, students, admissions, curriculum, and training. Of note, FNU has five leadership positions filled by women of color: human resources director, chief diversity and inclusion officer, clinical director of the FNP program, director of campus operations, and a member of the board of directors. 

In 2018, FNU was awarded an Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant
from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The ANEW program supports innovative academic-practice partnerships to prepare primary care advanced practice registered nursing students who will serve in rural and underserved settings. FNU expanded formal academic-practice partnerships with five sites in order to co-design, implement, and evaluate strategies for improved academic and clinical training in rural primary care settings.

For the past five years, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) has been guided by a strategic plan that provides a clear roadmap for achieving its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Holistic review and admission processes have proven effective in identifying the strengths and skills of underrepresented minority (URM) applicants who may be overlooked in traditional review processes. In 2015, when the strategic plan was implemented, students of color represented 34% of the overall student body. In 2020, this percentage had risen to 48%, representing a 41% increase in overall diversity among students across all programs in the college of nursing. The undergraduate program met or exceeded strategic plan benchmarks for overall diversity (55% of all undergraduate students are students of color), Latinx students (23%), and males (16%). 

Since instituting its diversity strategic plan, UIC has achieved several key milestones. The first associate dean for Equity and Inclusion was appointed in 2020. Activities associated with improving the “educational climate” for students, faculty, and staff have included discussions/lectures on micro aggressions, restorative justice, and the development of a resource document for faculty on how to manage micro-aggressions in the classroom setting. Skill-building activities across stakeholder groups have included individual and collaborative group consultations on DEI issues and Ally Training.

The Lectureship Award for Diversity, Inclusion, and Sustainability in Nursing Education was presented to Dr. Mary Koithan, associate dean for student support and community engagement and Anne Furrow Professor of Integrative Nursing at the University of Arizona. This award highlights outstanding contributions made by an individual or a group to champion diversity, inclusion, and sustainability in a deliberate way. Diversity, inclusion, and creativity have been the hallmarks of Mary’s scholarship over time. Rooted in her strong diverse interdisciplinary approach to research, she has served as lead investigator, co-investigator, or consultant for over 12 externally funded national and international studies about integrative therapeutics or systems of care for diverse populations.

Dr. Koithan will received the award at the inaugural Diversity Symposium in December 2020.

The Nurse.com by OnCourse Learning Lectureship Award for Diversity, Inclusion, and Sustainability in Nursing Education was presented to Dr. Marion Broome, Dean and Ruby Wilson Professor of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing, and Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for Nursing at Duke University Health System. This award highlights outstanding contributions made by an individual or a group to champion diversity, inclusion, and sustainability in a deliberate way.

Since 2014 when she arrived at Duke, Dr. Broome has fostered and expanded the School’s vision for diversity and inclusion. She has actively engaged the Duke community in advocacy efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, and she has worked to expand a key element of her institution’s strategic plan focused on people and the environment to ensure her school of nursing is an inclusive environment.