Message to the FNU Community
Dear Frontier Community,
In addition to the pandemic, 2020 will also be remembered as a year of debate, demonstration, and calls to action regarding social justice, reform, and discrimination. It also was a year of continued research into our history at FNU, specifically in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Those findings are important to understanding our past and assist us in understanding the roots of our challenges today. We are focused on continuing our current efforts and identifying other areas of improvement to make FNU a fully diverse, integrated, and antiracist university at all levels.
To help ensure that every member of the Frontier community is informed and engaged in our DEI efforts, I wanted to share with you a snapshot of our DEI initiatives, progress, and goals. We are striving to diversify the midwifery and nurse practitioner workforce, but we know our past includes a period of time when midwives of color were denied access to formal education at the Frontier Nursing Service. It is in that spirit that we have expanded the efforts that were already underway as a part of our DEI work for over a decade and realized the need to be even more intentional in our anti-racist work. This work has been essential for FNU to ensure sustainability, growth, and equitable services for our students, faculty, and staff. Even more importantly, this is essential work in order for us to truly fulfill our mission, achieve the goal of a diverse nursing and midwifery workforce, and improve health outcomes, especially for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Although we have made notable progress, it is imperative that our DEI and anti-racism work continue to evolve and persist in order for us to successfully serve our communities.
FNU is taking a systemic approach to thread DEI and anti-racism throughout the university. This is part of the FNU strategic plan and is in concert with our mission and vision. We are actively expanding institutional capacity for DEI and anti-racism work. To accomplish this, some changes are able to be made quickly, and others will unfold over time. This work must be strategically developed, implemented, and evaluated to achieve our DEI and anti-racism goals, and most importantly to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives.
One of FNU’s key strategic goals has been to create an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and promotes the success of all community members. FNU is actively recruiting diverse preceptors, Board members, students, faculty, staff, and administrators. FNU is also highlighting DEI as a core value in the culture of the university; ensuring DEI and health equity are emphasized in our curriculum; increasing student retention; and increasing satisfaction for faculty, staff, and students, especially those of color.
While our DEI initiatives began in 2006 and included many successes along the way, a major step was taken in 2018 when we created an administrative position for a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer who sits on the President’s Cabinet. This position, along with two supporting staff positions in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, centralized our DEI and anti-racist work and has helped to hold FNU accountable for measurable, meaningful progress. Much has been accomplished as a result. The list below highlights a few of the ongoing initiatives that illustrate the institutional commitment to our DEI efforts.
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Approximately 12 years ago, the Diversity Impact Program was created. Along with other initiatives aimed at retention and support of students of color (SOC), the Diversity Impact Program included an annual conference open and free to students and faculty to explore and learn about DEI, health equity, and health outcomes. These conferences, which have been held for the past 10 years, include presentations from reputable leaders in nursing and DEI work and engage faculty and students in challenging discussions to stretch personal and professional growth. We are looking forward to the next conference which will be held virtually on June 24-27, 2021 (See registration information below).
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The Diversity Impact Program hosts quarterly speakers throughout the year on various topics aimed at increased awareness of DEI issues, health equity, and anti-racist work.
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FNU has partnered with several external entities and knowledgeable individuals over the past year for consultation and ongoing relationships to help achieve our mission across the university, including needed changes to our curriculum.
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Recruitment of faculty and students via in-person attendance at conferences (prior to COVID-19) from professional nursing organizations representing underrepresented groups, and ongoing marketing in nursing journals and diverse magazines.
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DEI faculty and staff training designed by a nursing consultant with expertise in DEI and health equity issues.
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Implicit Bias Education and Training for the President’s Cabinet and Board of Directors, provided by external consultants who are DEI experts.
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The FNU Comprehensive Mentoring Program is designed to support and retain students of color by meeting their specific professional and academic needs (e.g., program-specific guidance, professional goals, etc.).
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The Professional Organization Mentoring Program offers students of color the opportunity to be mentored by faculty members at professional nursing conferences to expand their educational and professional experiences. Mentees and mentors are expected to continue their relationship after the conference. The Office of DEI also sponsors the student’s membership for the selected professional organization.
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In the 2020/2021 Health Resources and Services Administration Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant year, a total of ten SOC have received scholarships in the amount of $7,500 each. An additional ten students will receive scholarships before the end of the current grant period. These scholarships have been instrumental in abating the social determinants of education for SOC throughout the duration of this grant.
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Tutoring and writing support for a select number of courses in the curriculum is offered to all students, but has benefited SOC and increased learning and retention.
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An emergency assistance fund for students in need of urgent financial relief. This is offered to all students, including our SOC facing financial barriers to continuing their education. SOC have applied for and received funding.
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The creation of the Mary Breckinridge Task Force, the mission of which was to delve into the history of Mary Breckinridge and FNU. The results of the work of the Mary Breckinridge Task Force is included in our strategic plan and the report will be released soon.
Due to these above DEI efforts, the number of SOC at FNU has increased from 9% in 2010 to 25.51% in 2020. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, FNU graduated a total of 841 students (208 SOC). Additionally, the current retention rate for SOC is 84%, exceeding our goal of 80%. The number of faculty of color is continuously rising, currently at 14%. Outside of the classroom, our faculty are active in their professional organizations and communities providing leadership and compassionate health care for families.
To further our mission to become an anti-racist University, in the Fall of 2020, a President’s Task Force was assembled. The task force is charged to identify, implement and evaluate initiatives that will address DEI within our community. The goal of the task force is to enhance FNU’s Culture of Caring to make equity, respect, and belonging a reality. The task force will work collaboratively with administration, faculty, staff, students, and our community at large. The task force is specifically charged with creating a comprehensive action plan and facilitating the implementation of each item on the action plan. This group has begun meeting and includes members from the administration, faculty, and staff as well as a student advisory sub-committee of the student council. We look forward to sharing more about the task force, their activities, and accomplishments as we move forward.
We want everyone to embody a sense of belonging at FNU. While we still have much work to do, we are proud of the strides that we have made towards our goal of supporting SOC and contributing to a diverse workforce that better reflects the make-up of the families and babies receiving midwifery and nurse practitioner care in the U.S. DEI achievements at FNU have positioned the university to become a three-time winner of the INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award (2018, 2019, and 2020). If any questions or concerns arise regarding the progression of DEI and anti-racism work at FNU, please contact the Office of DEI at diversity-inclusion@frontier.edu.
Please visit the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Nursing and Midwifery Page or Office of DEI Portal Page to receive updates, resources, and information on our DEI activities.
Sincerely,
Dr. Geraldine Q. Young, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CDCES, FAANP
NONPF Leadership Fellow
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Diverse Magazine Leader in Higher Education