School of Nursing receives Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for 9th consecutive year

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing received the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine for the ninth consecutive year. The school was one of only 19 nursing schools to receive the HEED Award honoring U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

In its application, the school cited expanding funding opportunities for underrepresented and diverse students as well as support for the students within the programs among its diversity and inclusion efforts. The school now has 10 scholarships that support success for underrepresented students in addition to scholarships provided to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in the doctoral programs through a Health Resources and Services Administration grant. The holistic support in the AI/AN pathway program includes mentoring from AI/AN/Indigenous faculty, peer support and mentoring and the promotion of cultural identity through traditional gatherings and celebrations.

“We are so pleased that our ongoing commitment and efforts to expand the inclusion of all people in our school is being recognized,” says Assistant Professor Camille Brown, PhD, RN, PHN, director of Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity. “The profession of nursing is founded on the principles of social justice and our faculty, staff and students work together to uphold those principles. The HEED award is a testament to the work we have started and motivation to continue building a more equitable future.”

“The Health Professions 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,” says Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

The School of Nursing will be featured along with the 70 other recipients of the 2024 HEED Award in the November/December issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.