The State University of New York at Old Westbury received the 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia magazine.
This national honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging, and community-building across all levels of campus life. The 2025 award marks the eighth consecutive year the campus has been honored.
“This recognition is a powerful affirmation of who we are and what we stand for as a campus community,” said President Timothy E. Sams. “It reflects the daily dedication of our students, faculty, and staff to not only pursue academic excellence, but to create a culture where every individual feels seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.”
As an awardee, SUNY Old Westbury is featured, along with 61 other recipients, in the October 2025 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine.
“We take a detailed and somewhat holistic approach to reviewing each application in determining who will be named a HEED Award recipient. 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”, says Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of Insight into Academia magazine.
Insight Into Academia is the leader in advancing best practices in higher education excellence and belonging. Through thought-provoking print and online articles, Insight shares expert advice, valuable resources, in-depth profiles of top programs at colleges and universities, headline news, and much more to help keep readers informed and empower them to advance initiatives at their institutions.