We’re highlighting a major national recognition for New Jersey higher education this morning. Rutgers School of Nursing has received the 2025 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence and Distinction Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, marking the fourth consecutive year the school has earned this honor.

The HEED Award is the only national recognition that honors U.S. health profession schools for their achievements in advancing academic excellence alongside inclusion and belonging. Institutions are selected through an in-depth national review of admissions, student and faculty support, leadership engagement and community partnerships.

Joining us now is Dean Angela Starkweather at Rutgers School of Nursing. Under her leadership, the school has expanded programs that support first-generation students, strengthened faculty recruitment and mentorship, relaunched the Multicultural Nurse Leadership Institute, and opened the new Center for Health Equity and Systems Research.