HEED Award

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

FNU’s Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

“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.

to learn and areas in which to improve. The HEED Award confirms that we are continuing to move in the right direction and to make meaningful progress.” FNU’s commitment to emphasizing and valuing diversity and inclusion was formally instituted with the creation of the Diversity Impact Program in 2010. The following year, FNU held its first annual Diversity Impact Conference. Held each summer, the Diversity Impact Conference opens the door for nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students plus faculty and staff to foster collaborative discussions, address health disparities, and find proactive solutions to improve health among underrepresented and marginalized groups. In 2017, FNU established the position of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO), which sits on the President’s Cabinet. Today, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has grown to include Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Geraldine Young, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Chris Turley, and Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion Devon Peterika. FNU’s diversity initiatives span all facets of the university, but one of the most telling data points is the percentage of students of color enrolled at FNU. In 2009, that number was 9 percent. In 2020, it has grown to 24 percent. In conjunction with the increased diversity of enrolled students, FNU also carefully monitors and analyzes its retention data. For the cohort of students who entered FNU in 2014 the rate of difference between the retention of SOC as compared to white students was nearly 8%. This gap between the retention rate of SOC as compared to the white population has continued to decrease with each subsequent year. The overall rate of retention for students who entered FNU in 2018 (approximately 2130 months in the program) is 80.82% for

SOC and 83.96% for white students.

FNU’s commitment to emphasizing and valuing diversity and inclusion was formally instituted with the creation of the Diversity Impact Program in 2010.

The success of student retention rates is the result of diligent student support and progress monitoring. In 2019, 196 students utilized FNU’s free tutoring program, attending a total of 1,436 tutoring sessions. Additionally, in 2017, FNU adopted Dropout Detective, which is software that alerts faculty if students are not signing in to their online classes or if there is any pattern of poor performance. In the last three years, 2,551 students have been identified for assistance via this early warning system. Via the FNU Professional Organization Mentoring Program (POMP), FNU’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) also provides mentoring services for underrepresented students at professional conferences. Through POMP, FNU faculty mentors and attends professional conferences with students from historically marginalized populations.

FNU has also implemented extensive DEI training for students, faculty, and staff. All new faculty and staff complete an Everfi training called “Diversity: Inclusion in the Modern Workplace”. The EverFi diversity course titled, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Students” became part of the student pre-entry orientation program in 2020. Further, as part of the Nursing Workforce Diversity grant program, FNU has engaged diversity consultant, Dr. Mona Wicks, from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Together, we have developed diversity and inclusion faculty/staff course modules titled, “Building Bridges in a Diverse World and The Link between Mental Health, Culture, Bias, and Stigma.” These modules are required for all faculty and staff and confirmation of completion is submitted to supervisors. The module is also made available to FNU’s Board of Directors.