The Board of Directors Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

In January 2021, the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors created the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. The DEI Committee is responsible for working with the Board of Directors and the administration in eradicating systemic racism, bias of any kind, and ensuring that Frontier strives to be an antiracist university. The Committee performs this task by overseeing the University’s policies, initiatives, and strategic goals related to DEI and guides the Board of Directors’ own DEI own work.

“The Board of Directors DEI Committee is committed to making Frontier Nursing University an antiracist institution and an example for others to follow,” said Committee Chair Dr. Jean Johnson. “We are proud of the work that Frontier has done and continues to do in order to emphasize diversity, equity, and inclusion among all components of the FNU community. We have made tremendous progress, but we recognize that there is more work to be done and that the Board of Directors must take an enhanced leadership role via the vital work of this committee.”

Board of Directors Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Purpose:

The charge of the Board DEI Committee is to collaborate with the Board of Trustees and University leadership so as:

• To build capacity for antiracism and DEI work at FNU to ultimately create a climate and culture of belonging free of racism and other forms of bias and discrimination.

• To propel all community members forward in achieving educational equity.

Board of Directors Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Responsibilities:

• Oversee educational initiatives that address various forms of bias, including racism.

• Prompt self-awareness, understand intersectionality, and effectively assess policy and practice decisions through the lens of DEI and antiracism.

• Collaborate with the board to continuously assess, advocate for, and support compositional diversity that reflects the diversity of the population served to the extent possible.

• Create a system of accountability using metrics deemed necessary by the committee or board to monitor the progress toward achieving the strategic University goals for DEI.

• Advocate for resources to adequately fund the goals of the current and future strategic plan to advance antiracism and DEI, including but not limited to faculty and staff positions, scholarships, and programs.

• Report to the board at least semi-annually on progress toward fulfilling the DEI strategic plan.

• Facilitate discussion of issues related to DEI on the Board and the University.

One of the first actions of this committee was to recommend the creation of a scholarship to support African American, Black, Native American, and Alaskan Native students. The scholarship, which supports 10 students per year, was approved by FNU’s Board of Directors in April 2021. To establish this scholarship, FNU designated $2.5 million to provide $100,000 in scholarships per year. This is used to deliver ten $10,000 scholarships annually.