Equity and Belonging

Empower Belonging, Elevate Care

Rutgers School of Nursing is committed to creating and cultivating an environment that is not only inclusive and equitable, but one that actively works against racism and bias in our institutional practices, classrooms, curriculum, and daily interactions. In other words, we want equity and belonging to be valued principles that manifest themselves from the inside out – from the top down. In this pursuit, we don’t just want to look excellent; we want to be excellent—through putting intent to action.

Featured

Rutgers School of Nursing undergraduate nursing student interns from the Senior Vice Dean’s Office, Leo Gabriel Ramos and Noah Carrero, sit down with Dean Angela Starkweather.

Starkweather said a strong sense of belonging is essential to student success and professional growth. “What we know from the student-success story is that the more people feel that they belong, the better they’re going to do,” she said. “It’s one thing to say that we’re looking at those areas, but it’s another thing to actually have that impact that every student feels that they belong.”

She described belonging as understanding students as whole people—with families, jobs, and responsibilities—while preparing them for the realities of nursing. “Our opportunity as a school is to understand you as a person and also give you skills for your well-being—preparing you for what it takes to be a nurse and all of the things, the stresses and challenges that come along with it.”

That vision depends on creating “a community here that you can depend on and that you can navigate easily.”

Starkweather also linked patient-centered care to belonging. “We’ve got to be inclusive of all different cultures and being able to understand what that means to people, because that meaning from the culture that they’re in has implications for how they see their health and what preferences they might have.”

Looking ahead, she said she remains optimistic about the profession’s direction. “I remain hopeful about just where we’re going as a profession… our voice across the nation is very powerful.” Her advice to students: “Don’t be afraid. Be courageous and take that step forward… You only have one chance, and so I would say go for it and don’t be afraid.”

Rutgers School of Nursing featuring undergraduate nursing student interns from the Senior Vice Dean’s Office and Board Members from the Rutgers Men in Nursing Chapter, Mark Kaldes and Leo Ramos, sit down with Dr. Ernest Grant, a distinguished nurse leader and the immediate past president of the American Nurses Association, for an insightful conversation on the importance of equity and belonging in nursing. Dr. Grant shares how equity and belonging fosters compassionate, patient-centered care and strengthens the profession by ensuring all voices are heard and valued. 

As we recognize Black History Month, this discussion highlights the ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system—one where diversity enriches learning, practice, and patient outcomes. Rutgers School of Nursing remains committed to fostering this environment and is proud to have received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from Insight into Diversity magazine for three consecutive three years and named one of the Best Nursing Schools for Men for seven consecutive years. 

Programs and Activities

Equity & Belonging Programming for Students	Impact Dialogue Circles (IDCs)	SON Equity & Belonging Workshops
POD Meetings	Train the Trainer	University-wide Equity & Belonging Workshops
Community Advisory Board Meetings	School Leadership Development	Themed Observances

Get Involved

Racism and Bias Reporting

Email: DEIattheSON@sn.rutgers.edu

---