Niganawenimaanaanig Program for Native Nurses Featured in Insight into Diversity

BSU nursing students who are part of the inaugural Niganawenimaanaanig Program class.

Bemidji State University’s Niganawenimaanaanig Program was featured in a story by the magazine INSIGHT Into Diversity which explores how a number of schools are using Nursing Workforce Development grants from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to improve representation in the nation’s nursing workforce.

Read the Jan./Feb. 2018 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity online (Flash Player required)

The story, “An Experiment in Success: Nursing Workforce Diversity Program Allows Schools to Test Models to Improve Recruitment, Retention of Underrepresented Groups,” was published online on Dec. 15 and appears in the January/February 2018 issue of the print magazine.

Students participating in BSU’s Niganawenimaanaanig Program—named for an Ojibwe word meaning “we take care of them”— receive scholarships up to $4,000 and monthly stipends of up to $500 for meeting specific program requirements. Students are required to attend weekly meetings and goal-setting sessions with a faculty mentor, participate in scheduled activities and attend assigned tutoring or study sessions.

Students in the program met as a group for the first time on Nov. 17, where they met with Dr. Margaret Moss, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion and associate professor of nursing at the University of Buffalo.

INSIGHT Into Diversity has covered higher education for more than 40 years. The magazine connects potential employees with institutions and businesses choosing to embrace a workforce more reflective of our local and national communities. Its print magazine reaches hundreds of thousands of readers per issue, while more than 250,000 people visit its website each month.