Rutgers School of Nursing Receives Excellence in Diversity Award

The Rutgers School of Nursing is one of 10 colleges and schools of nursing in the nation to be recognized for its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

The school, along with FDU Health at Fairleigh Dickinson University, were the only two New Jersey academic institutions to receive the 2023 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. It is the second year in a row the Rutgers School of Nursing has been honored.

“We are pleased to once again be selected for this prestigious honor recognizing the strides Rutgers School of Nursing continues to make in embracing and advancing diversity in nursing education and nursing practice,” said Linda Flynn, dean and professor. “Thank you to our faculty, students and staff for their leadership and support of our school’s DEI-related mission.”

The school – part of Rutgers Health, the university’s academic health sciences division – boasts a diverse student body in terms of race and ethnicity. Close to 60 percent of students are students of color. Proud of its higher-than-average proportion of male students (17 percent) in a majority white female profession, the school has been recognized five years in a row with the Best Schools for Men in Nursing Award from the American Association for Men in Nursing.

“Our School of Nursing is doing the work to ensure that we offer a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive environment where all members of our community feel a sense of belonging,” Flynn said. “Our ultimate goal is to educate a diverse nursing workforce well-prepared to advance health among diverse populations.”

With campus locations in New Brunswick, Newark and Blackwood, the Rutgers School of Nursing offers one of the highest-ranked, most comprehensive nursing programs in the nation. Its doctor of nursing practice program is ranked No. 6 by U.S. News & World Report. Its bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program is ranked No. 31, placing it in the nation’s top 5 percent of BSN programs.

DEI initiatives at the Rutgers School of Nursing include the Dean’s Committee on Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias – a permanent committee charged with making actionable recommendations to the dean, a robust five-year DEI action plan, and ongoing impact dialogue circles for faculty, staff and students.

Faculty scholars are conducting research aimed at identifying and reducing racism in the nursing workforce and reducing health disparities among diverse populations. In addition, the Rutgers School of Nursing is home to the Multicultural Nurse Leadership Institute for early-career nurses aspiring to greater leadership expertise and opportunities.

“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,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “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.”