Mission and values

Create and sustain an environment of recruitment and retention for students, faculty, and staff, recognizing and building upon the strengths of a diverse workforce.

• Facilitate mentoring of students, including those at risk, by enhancing existing resources.
• Foster an environment of academic progression and continuing competencies while encouraging lifelong learning.
• Develop and evaluate new learning approaches within and across programs to support student academic achievement.
• Facilitate mentoring of faculty and staff to increase retention.

This ensures that the healthcare workforce can meet the future healthcare needs of diverse populations across multiple settings.

• Continue to revise and develop multiple pathways providing more opportunities to increase diversity among students and build capacity to prepare more graduate-level students to assume roles in advanced practice, leadership, teaching, and research.
• Evaluate existing IPE models to identify best practices and assist in curricular development and revisions.
• Develop and implement inter-professional focused assignments across all programs to ensure educational best practices and  collaboration to assist in meeting the challenges of a complex healthcare system.
• Promote health, wellness, and safe clinical outcomes for patients across the lifespan in rural and urban settings.

To nurture a climate of inquiry and research that addresses health disparities and needs of diverse individuals, communities and populations.

• Create a research task force to develop and expand areas of research expertise in the SON among tenure track and non-tenure track faculty.
• Facilitate opportunities for interdisciplinary research opportunities.
• Recruit new tenure-track and clinical track faculty with research experience and agendas.
• Identify and remove barriers for student and faculty scholarship.
• Mentor faculty in research and scholarly activities.
• Regarding increased research funding:
  • Secure support services, including grant writing and statistical support
  • Secure/assign a research mentor through RTF, CHHS, or STTI

Create an environment in which the strengths of students, faculty, and staff are acknowledged and rewarded, and in which students, faculty, and staff work collaboratively to achieve success for the school, the university, the Flagstaff community, Arizona, and the profession.

• Identify resources and current needs for the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff of unique backgrounds.
• Promote and encourage participation in global and cultural health learning opportunities across programs and curricula.
• Collaborate with community partners to ensure quality learning experiences among diverse populations.
• Practice and promote an environment of civility and mutual respect among NAU faculty, staff, students, and community partners.

To be recognized nationally for the provision of educational opportunities for Native Americans that a) incorporate strategies to meet their unique needs and learning styles and b) are designed to meet the healthcare needs of the Indigenous populations served by these graduates.

• Increase Native American admissions and graduations in the undergraduate and graduate programs.
• Identify and actively recruit Native Americans across Arizona and throughout the Southwest for student and faculty roles.
• Explore recruitment and retention strategies (including surveying alumni) for Native American students across programs.
• Identify and remove barriers to admission and retention within the resources of the SON and the university.
• Identify financial and academic resources (including university ESL) to support student successful completion and retention.
• Participate in bridge programs for recruiting Native American students, including the development of grants.
• Develop and strengthen community partnerships with nursing organizations.
• Develop relationships with Arizona community colleges to assist in outreach, identification, and recruitment of Native Americans interested in pursuing or advancing their healthcare degree.
• Develop formal mentoring and support program for Native American nursing students throughout their program.

• Develop an alumni committee or task force.
• Collaborate with University Marketing and the NAU Alumni Association to develop outreach materials and communication tools for alumni and community partners.
• Collaborate with the NAU Alumni Association to include SON alumni in alumni events.