Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Our Commitment

The Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing is committed to a culture of integrity, respect, equity, diversity, and inclusion for all. We acknowledge the universality of implicit biases about various personal characteristics (race, ethnicity, gender/sexuality, socioeconomic status, religion, ability) and are committed to preventing their influence on our school culture.

We encourage collective reflection, self-awareness, and openness to change that advances inclusive excellence, and we support open and honest dialogue about our learning and working environments. As a School, we focus our efforts on producing members of the nursing profession who are knowledgeable, culturally sensitive, prepared to engage high-quality nursing practice and scholarship sensitive to diverse populations; and who will provide safe, effective, and nonjudgmental care to all.

MEPN students and faculty in the audience at the Cal Optima Nurse-OC Check Presentation event.

Our Values

We acknowledge that we live and work on appropriated, unceded lands of the Kizh and Tongva people.
We are committed to a workplace culture of excellence in integrity and respect.
We promote diversity, inclusivity, and equity in all that we do, and we do not accept the superiority of anyone based on any inherent characteristic.
We commit to sustained investment in aligning our policies and practices with our values.
We promote equitable conditions and safeguard diversity regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, income, ability, or any other characteristic.
We hold ourselves and our colleagues to the highest standards of character and ethical conduct.

We encourage the comprehensive exchange of ideas and critiques as are warranted in an academic environment.
We respect and encourage honest dialogue among our affiliates and support the creation of brave spaces in which we actively work to prevent acts of censorship, silencing, and retaliation.
We support an environment where constructive feedback is expected, appreciated, and both delivered and received respectfully.
We hold all members of our School accountable for their contributions to, and influences on, our professional/academic environment and expect honesty and transparency from each other and our organization.
We respect individuals’ identities and personal beliefs, and do not judge any contribution to our profession’s work by anything other than its scientific significance to the field.