Inclusive Excellence, Belonging, and Sustainability in Nursing Education Award Recipients

The Mary Black College of Nursing (MBCON) at the University of South Carolina 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, and 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.

The Diversity, Equity and Civility Council (DEC) was formed by the MBCON in 2020 to serve the College of Nursing, USC Upstate, the surrounding community in Spartanburg, and at a national level. This application will describe how we have provided many avenues to increase communication about diversity, equity and inclusion and provided opportunities at the program, university, and community level for learning about diversity and equity issues. We have achieved curricular changes at the MBCON and at the University level. In addition, this committee has created the MBCON Values Charter, a plan for our DACA/Dreamer students, and a Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The MBCON is a highly qualified candidate for this award.

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.