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.
Media contact: Lesley Henton, lshenton@tamu.edu