Texas A&M Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity 2020 Higher Education Excellence In Diversity Award, Named ‘Diversity Champion’

Texas A&M University has received the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. Additionally, the university has been named a 2020 Diversity Champion.

The annual HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Texas A&M will be featured, along with 89 other recipients, in the November 2020 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

This is the second year that Texas A&M has been named a HEED Award recipient; the university earned a HEED and was named a Diversity Champion in 2019.

“We’re very honored to receive this national recognition for the second consecutive year,” said Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young. “It is our goal to ensure that every person who steps onto our campus feels welcomed, respected and included. Although we still have much work to do, the HEED Award is important acknowledgement of the efforts of so many people who are helping us move in the direction of those aspirations.”

Robin Means Coleman, vice president and associate provost for diversity, said the award is important because it represents the university’s outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“Receiving a 2020 HEED Award holds Texas A&M to a still higher standard of accountability to our campus communities and provides the institution with an opportunity to further reflect on challenges, identify new goals and celebrate the institution’s ongoing progress toward diversity and inclusion,” Coleman said. “Fulfilling Texas A&M’s land-grant mission requires the campus community to identify opportunities to improve access to higher education to groups that have historically been excluded, such as people of color and women.”

Among the efforts recognized by the magazine are The President’s Council on Climate and Diversity (PCCD); The Diversity Matters Seed Grant Program; The Accountability, Climate, Equity and Scholarship (ACES) Fellows Programs; annual Diversity Accountability Reports from the university’s colleges and units and more.

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

Other recipients of the 2020 HEED Award are:

Adelphi University

Arkansas State University

Augustana College (IL)

Ball State University

Brown University

California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fullerton

California State University, Northridge

California State University San Marcos

Case Western Reserve University

Central Washington University

Clemson University

Columbia University in the City of New York

Cuyahoga Community College

Davenport University

East Carolina University

El Paso County Community College District

Florida State University

Framingham State University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia State University

Grand Valley State University

Greenville Technical College

Hillsborough Community College

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Kansas State University

Kent State University

Lawrence University

Lehigh University

Louisiana State University

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Miami University

Millersville University

Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver

Ohio University

Oklahoma State University

Oregon State University

Pikes Peak Community College

Regis College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Santa Rosa Junior College

Seminole State College of Florida

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Stetson University College of Law

SUNY Buffalo State College

SUNY Old Westbury

Swarthmore College

Texas Christian University

Texas Tech University

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

The University of Missouri-Saint Louis

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Tulsa

Towson University

Union College, NY

University at Albany, State University of New York

University of Central Florida

University of Cincinnati

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Dayton

University of Georgia

University of Houston

University of Houston Law Center

University of Houston-Downtown

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Kentucky

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

University of Louisville

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

University of North Florida

University of North Texas

University of Oregon

University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education

University of Rochester

University of South Florida

University of West Florida

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Virginia University

Western Michigan University

Whitworth University

William & Mary

William Marsh Rice University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Xavier University

For more information about the 2020 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com.

 About INSIGHT Into Diversity

 INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the oldest and largest diversity publication in higher education today and is well-known for its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only award recognizing colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts across their campuses. In addition to its online job board, INSIGHT Into Diversity presents timely, thought-provoking news and feature stories on matters of diversity and inclusion across higher education and beyond. Articles include interviews with innovators and experts, as well as profiles of best practices and exemplary programs. Readers will also discover career opportunities that connect job seekers with institutions and businesses that embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce. Current, archived, and digital issues of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine are available online at insightintodiversity.com.