Loyola Nursing receives third HEED Award

The Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing has received a prestigious national award for its commitment to inclusive excellence for the third year in a row. 

The school earned the 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award for Health Professions Schools from Insight Into Academia magazine. The award recognizes American health colleges and universities that demonstrate outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging, and community building across all levels of campus life. 

Moonju Lee, associate dean for inclusive excellence at Loyola Nursing, called the HEED Award “a powerful affirmation” of the school’s efforts.  

"This recognition reflects the collective dedication of our students, staff, and faculty in fostering an environment where every voice is valued and every learner can thrive,” she said. “We are deeply honored to receive this award and will continue working together to ensure that inclusive excellence remains at the heart of all we do." 

Loyola Nursing has received several awards for inclusive excellence in recent years, with many citing programs like the CARE (Collaboration, Access, Resources, and Equity) Pathway to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Other initiatives, like the student-led Inclusive Excellence Nursing Student Council, have expanded the school’s commitment to health equity and preparing nurses to respond to social determinants of health.  

Among the school’s awards:  

• Loyola’s READI Community Award in recognition of Loyola Nursing’s annual service immersion to the Pine Ridge Reservation in rural South Dakota. Nursing students engage directly with Indigenous communities during the 10-day immersion; the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (OIDEI), which presents the award, called the trip “deeply impactful.”  

The school previously received OIDEI’s Catalyst Award for the CARE Pathway and, with Alumni Relations, the Co-Conspirator Award for expanding the LoyolaLinked CARE Pathway Mentorship program.  

• The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) 2024 Inclusive Excellence, Belonging, and Sustainability in Nursing Education Award. Loyola Nursing was the only school nationwide to receive the honor; AACN called Loyola Nursing a “model” for other nursing schools thanks to its efforts to develop a sustain a culture of belonging. 

Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of Insight Into Academia, said the magazine takes a detailed and holistic approach in determining HEED Award recipients.  

 “Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,” she added.  

Loyola Nursing will be featured with 27 other award recipients in this magazine this month.