Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Commitment to Inclusive Excellence
As a College, we strive to exemplify excellence in research, teaching, and community service. Inclusive Excellence achieves merit in these areas by embracing and demonstrating diversity, equity, and inclusiveness as embedded values of our institution. Inclusive Excellence infuses diversity, equity, and inclusiveness into academic excellence to create a singular purpose that all members of the College community are responsible for upholding.
Inclusive Excellence seeks to create an equitable learning and working environment for all, including (but not limited to) differences in disability, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion or religious beliefs, disability, race/ethnicity, nationality, veteran status, family structures, geographic locations, immigrant and refugee status, language, socioeconomic status, and other identities/affiliations that are part of our College community.
Additionally, Inclusive Excellence advances areas of the organization that comprise (but are not limited to) demographics; financial resources; marketing and recruitment; enrollment, admissions, and retention; student learning and diverse student learning outcomes; student advising; curricula, teaching, and pedagogy; policies; leadership; training; technology; campus climate; administration; hiring, promotion, and tenure; and institutional evaluation.
To learn more, see the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion pillar of the College of Nursing Strategic Plan.
Diversity: encompass a broad range of individual, population, and social characteristics, including but not limited to age; sex; race; ethnicity; sexual orientation; gender identity; family structures; geographic locations; national origin; immigrants and refugees; language; physical, functional, and learning abilities; religious beliefs; and socioeconomic status” (AACN Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, 2017).
Equity: “the ability to recognize the differences in the resources, or knowledge needed, to allow individuals to fully participate in society, including access to higher education, with the goal of overcoming obstacles to ensure fairness (Kranich, 2001). In order to have equitable systems, all people need to be treated fairly, and be unhampered by artificial systemic barriers, stereotypes, and associated prejudices” (Cooper, 2016). Equity is often used interchangeably with the concept of equality, but these concepts are quite different.
Equality: “treating everyone the same and giving everyone access to the same opportunities” (Papastravrou et al., 2019, p. 2).
Inclusion: a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness as well as leverages diversity so that all individuals are able to can participate and contribute to their full potential (AACN, 2021).
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Nursing Committee includes faculty, staff, and student representatives. This committee aims to promote and develop a culture of collaboration and inclusion in the college and university. The committee interprets diversity as embracing and respecting all races, nationalities, colors, creeds, religions, age, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preference.
Vision
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Nursing Committee (EDI-NC) will advise the Administrative Council and Dean on how the University of Arizona College of Nursing (UACON) can actively foster equity, diversity, and inclusion both within and outside the college to create a positive working and learning environment that promotes Inclusive Excellence.
To learn more, see the EDI-NC Bylaws.
Open to All
The ED&I Nursing Committee meetings are open to anyone and everyone in the College of Nursing, regardless of identity or experience working in ED&I. You do not need to be a member, to attend any regular meeting.
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Nursing Student Advisory Committee EDI-SNAC is a collaborative nursing student group dedicated to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the UA College of Nursing through gathering education and student input. This is a collection of voices to take and hold space and create valuable changes to support students now and those that will come after.
Open to All
EDI-SNAC is a collaborative nursing student group dedicated to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the UA College of Nursing through gathering education and student input. This is a collection of voices to take and hold space and create valuable changes to support students now and those that will come after.
To learn more, see the EDI-SNAC Bylaws.
EDI-SNAC Links
This Lunch & Learn is a monthly series of free workshops and conversations focused on topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion that deeply impact our work and our practice.
2021-2022 Series
- Reflect, Celebrate, and Look Ahead – 12/10/2021
The state of learning in the world has significantly changed. This session will be a time and space to reflect on the year, celebrate, and set goals for how we can personally and collectively continue to center ED&I. - Words Matter: Making Sense of Health Equity – 1/14/2022
This session will help us understand health equity and the importance that langue plays a part in it. - Cultivating Your Understanding of Privilege, Oppression, and Difference – 2/11/2022
We will focus on understanding, respecting, and valuing all members of the Wildcat nursing family. - Allyship + Stress Management – 3/11/2022
Allyship is one way that we can succeed together and support each other during times of stress. We can do that by creating safer spaces for asking questions and contributing to conversations and coming from a culturally informed perspective. This session will provide some basic tools and examples to assist in this process. - To Be Here is to Belong! Using data to inform STEM advising – 4/8/2022
- Culturally Competent & Responsive Discussion – 5/13/2022
In bringing our authentic selves to work, and especially as a virtual workforce, a portal is now open to the cultural nuances of one’s life that may have been covered in the face-to-face work environment. In this module, we will visit how leaderships can strengthen their cultural competence in coaching a culturally diverse workforce. We will cover having difficult conversations and understanding non-verbal communication styles as well as tone. - Unconscious Bias Discussion – 6/10/2022
Everyone has an unconscious bias. It is a protective mechanism that is developed because of the lived experiences we have. However, some of those biases can manifest in ways that have a negative impact and may not match our intent. These biases can create barriers and negative repercussions in workforce management in the form of microaggressions. In this segment, we will visit the impact versus intent component and how leaders can heighten awareness by being aware of their blind spots.
- EDI and the Future of Midwifery: Promoting Equity and Access
Presenter: Erin McMahon , EdD, CNM, FACNM
Date: April 19, 2023 - Equity Now: Leveraging Influence for Change
Presenter: Walidah Karim-Rhoades, DNP, CNM
Date: October 28, 2022
Description: Dr. Karim-Rhoades shares her journey into nursing and leadership as well as how she leverages influence and lived experience as a BIPOC woman to create systemic change within a healthcare system. Thus, imparting to attendees the importance of DEI and sharing implemented strategies as an example of how representation can transform the health of communities. - Realizing Purposeful Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Nursing
Presenter: Sheldon D. Fields, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC, AACRN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN
Date: November 6, 2021
Description: Dr. Fields discusses where nursing has been, the current state, and the future of ED&I in nursing. - Navigating the Crossroads and Thriving Outside the Margins in Nursing
Presenter: Sheldon D. Fields, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC, AACRN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN
Date: November 5, 2021
Description: Dr. Fields will share his personal story of success, resilience, and how he didn’t allow marginalization to define him.
This section contains multiple ongoing learning topics and workshop opportunities to help you incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion principles that will encourage learning and understanding about our communities and help create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment.
LinkedIn Learning: College of Nursing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion collection.
Discover ways to lead equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts effectively in your department, classrooms, and teams. With LinkedIn Learning, you can learn how to create an inclusive workplace, communicate honestly and effectively, recognize your own biases, and accept the differences of others.
LinkedIn Learning is an e-learning platform with thousands of courses and tutorials taught by creative and business skills experts. It supplements face-to-face and live virtual learning and provides an opportunity for UArizona employees to deepen their knowledge on many topics of interest by accessing online video courses in their own time and at their own pace.
LinkedIn Learning is free to the UArizona faculty and staff, providing thousands of courses to discover, complete and track. The below courses offer a valuable overview of EDI-related topics.
- To access LinkedIn Learning, you must log in via Edge Learning and then browse and select “LinkedIn Learning.”
- Select “Continue” to launch your course.
- Select the LinkedIn Learning logo in the top left corner.
- You will be asked to complete your account setup.
- Once the account is completed, you will need to click on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion College of Nursing collection.
