Executive Summary:
Rutgers University, founded in 1766, has become one of the leading research universities in the nation, with $929.3 million in research grants and sponsored programs and credited with 1,267 active patents. Not surprisingly, Rutgers University is listed among the top 100 most innovative universities in the world! Although proud of its 258-year history, today’s Rutgers University is fully engaged with 21st century issues, challenges, and solutions. The Rutgers University Diversity Strategic Plan, published in 2022, identifies five strategic pillars:
- Recruit, retain, and develop a diverse community
- Promote inclusive scholarship and teaching
- Define sustainable and substantive community engagement
- Build the capacity of leaders to create inclusive climates
- Develop an institutional infrastructure to drive change.
Consistent with these University goals, the Rutgers School of Nursing created its own Diversity Strategic Plan with measurable outcomes and timeframes (https://nursing.rutgers.edu/dei-plan-and-progress/), gaining national recognition for the planning, implementation, and achievements pertaining to inclusivity. Proudly, the Rutgers School of Nursing has been the recipient, two years in a row, of the highly competitive and prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.
In addition to its commitment to inclusivity, Rutgers University currently is focused on three value propositions:
- The relentless pursuit of academic excellence
- The need to develop strategic institutional clarity
- The achievement of a beloved community.
Rutgers University is comprised of four chancellor-led units including Rutgers University–Camden, Rutgers University– Newark, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and Rutgers Health (RBHS). Rutgers Health is spread over multiple locations, including Newark, New Brunswick, and other communities located across New Jersey.
Rutgers University School of Nursing is one of eight schools within Rutgers Health. The Rutgers Health Strategic Plan is comprised of five unifying themes and three Mission-Based Themes:
Unifying Themes:
- U1 People and Workforce
- U2 Inclusive, Respectful, and Accountable Culture
- U3 Team-Based Approaches
- U4 Enabling Systems and Structures
- U5 Connections and Identity
Mission-Based Themes
- M1 Clinical Care
- M2 Education and Training
- M3 Research and Innovation
- M4 Community Engagement
For more information on the Rutgers Health / RBHS Strategic Plan go to: https://rutgershealth.org/strategic-plan
On February 27, 2023, the Rutgers University School of Nursing, Rutgers Health, held a day-long, off site, strategic planning meeting that was attended by our faculty, staff, and invited practice partners. The meeting was facilitated by Ralph Gigliotti, PhD, Assistant Vice President, Rutgers Office for Organizational Leadership, and Christine Goldthwaite, PhD, Associate Director, Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership. The outcome of this meeting was a written set of strategic objectives that faculty, staff, and partners identified and rated as priorities.
It was this document that became the core of the Rutgers School of Nursing Strategic Plan 2023-2028.
Consistent with the Rutgers Health Strategic Plan, priority activities and outcomes were then categorized under the headings and subheadings associated with Unifying Themes and Mission-Based Themes for Rutgers Health.
In overview, the thematic headings and subheadings of the Rutgers School of Nursing Strategic Plan 2023- 2028 include:
- M1 Clinical Care
- Build clinical partnerships providing a variety of experiences
- Collaborate to create APRN Fellowship Opportunities
- Joint appointments with clinical partner facilities.
- New ways of preparing students for clinical practice
- M2 Education and Training
- Update lab equipment, space, and simulators
- Secure more space
- Improved space management
- Early identification and support for students at risk
- Assess and remove barriers to student progression
- Enhance faculty focus on needs of latest generation of students
- Reframe DNP Projects to gain experience, knowledge, and skills to set them apart in the marketplace
- Prepare graduates to manage the complexities of healthcare systems with a deep understanding of population health
- Explore opportunities for hybrid learning models within graduate programs
- Review school structures and policies to create environments where all students have the opportunity, resources, and support they need to learn and grow
- M3 Research and Innovation
- Develop and launch the Center for Health Equity & Systems Research
- Develop collaborative research agendas with clinical partners
- M4 Community Engagement
- Facilitate school leadership and participation in health issues unique to the NJ Population
- Engage in public schools and community organizations to promote nursing as a career choice.
- Engage with community organizations regarding health education and community needs.
- U1 People and Workforce
- Enhance communication with and among faculty and staff
- Create more opportunities for faculty-staff interactions and social forums
- Develop and implement Clinical Faculty Fellowship Programs
- U2 Inclusive, respectful culture
- Facilitate an engaged, respectful organizational climate where all feel welcome, valued, and safe.
- Build an inclusive, diverse faculty that mirrors the student body and NJ population
- Create an environment where suggestions are invited and actively considered
- U4 Enabling Systems and Structures
- Evaluate and redesign as needed – human resource practices e.g., search committees
- Evaluate technology resources and practices e.g., smart classrooms
- Enhance internal communications
- Evaluate Student Portal needs and implement innovations as needed
- Evaluate processes and technologies for undergraduate clinical placements and redesign as needed