Frontier Nursing University Announces New Mission Statement

Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine for each of the past five years. Later this year, FNU will hold its 13th annual Diversity Impact Conference on June 8-9. This year’s virtual event theme is “Better Together: Advancing a Culture of Identity and Belonging in Healthcare.” The conference is open to the public and features distinguished national leaders presenting on a wide range of DEI topics.

be to facilitate endeavors that support the education of midwives and the practice of midwifery.”

Throughout FNU’s growth and innovation, Dr. Stone has kept the university focused on its mission of educating advanced practice nurses and midwives to serve in rural and underserved areas. Her leadership at FNU has resulted in the tremendous growth of the university, from 200 students in 2001 to an enrollment of 2,500 today. Today, more than 8,700 FNU graduates practice in every state in the U.S. as well as several foreign countries.

Those wishing to pay tribute to Dr. Stone’s commitment to FNU and nursing are encouraged to donate in her honor to the Stone Family Scholarship or the Susan Stone Chair at frontier.edu/give.

At the January 2023 Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors meeting, the Board approved a new mission statement for the university: “Our mission is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education that integrates the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We transform healthcare by preparing ethical, compassionate, innovative, and entrepreneurial leaders to work with all people with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities.”

The new statement directly reflects the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and improving healthcare by preparing nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives to effectively serve their communities. FNU’s commitment to DEI and subsequent actions have resulted in the enrollment of students of color rising from 9% in 2010 to over 27% percent. The university has received the prestigious Health Professions Higher

“We know that data clearly demonstrates that culturally concordant care improves healthcare outcomes,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “We also know that there is a healthcare provider shortage in our country and that there are healthcare deserts where there is a pervasive lack of access to care. Not only do we need more nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives, but we also need them to represent the communities and people for whom they care. The new mission statement adopted by our Board of Directors is reflective of the scope and direction of our recent work and of our ongoing commitment to these goals.”

“The new mission statement sends a strong message that Frontier Nursing University is not only committed to building upon its long history of excellence in education but also to leading by example as an institution fully invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the university,” said FNU Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN.