the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at FNU. In this role, I can expand the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at FNU to improve the health outcomes of diverse patient populations in underserved and rural areas in the U.S. What strategies do you feel will have the most positive impact on the FNU community? The administration is tremendously supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at FNU. This support transcends the comfort level needed to productively perform in the role of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Embodying transformational leadership characteristics, implementing the teambased approach to confronting diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, and soliciting the perspectives of students, faculty, and staff will be instrumental in disseminating a powerful culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion at FNU. This approach will also ensure the direct involvement and ownership of the entire FNU community in the continuous transformation process. What are the biggest challenges that you will face in your new role? As the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, I expect the following challenges: • Upholding accountability for implicit bias in the FNU community • Increasing the integration of atypical, diverse populations and perspectives into the FNU community • Providing support for the changes • These challenges are expected to resolve as constituents become more informed and proactive within the diverse and inclusive FNU community. What is a fun fact about you? I love to travel! I have been to Washington, D.C., approximately ten times in the past three years to advance the nursing profession. I feel like D.C. is my home away from home.
FNU Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity Health Professions Higher Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for Third Consecutive Year Frontier Nursing University (FNU) received the 2020 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This is the third consecutive year that FNU has received this prestigious award. As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — FNU will be featured, along with 45 other recipients, in the December 2020 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus
diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.” “Being selected as a recipient of the prestigious HEED Award for a third consecutive year is an incredible honor for Frontier Nursing University,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. “Amidst the current social justice movement in our country, it is imperative that FNU serve as an agent for change. We know that culturally competent care improves health outcomes and begins with a more diverse healthcare system. We are proud to be taking a leadership role in this movement by educating an increasingly diverse student body, but fully recognize that we have much
Frontier Nursing University • Quarterly Bulletin 7
