The State University of New York at Old Westbury has been named one of only 96 institutions of higher education across the nation to receive the 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity publication in higher education.
The HEED Award is the only national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion across their campus.
“As it has since its founding, SUNY Old Westbury seeks to serve a diverse and dynamic student body that reflects the world we live in,” said College President Calvin O. Butts, III. “Through our academic programs and co-curricular activities, our campus seeks to cultivate critical thinking, empathy, creativity and intercultural understanding as we endeavor to stimulate in students a passion for learning and a commitment to building a more just and sustainable world.”
Open to all colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada, the HEED award measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.
SUNY Old Westbury is one of five institutions in SUNY to be honored with the HEED Award in 2018. Other recipients include: the SUNY System Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the University at Albany, Buffalo State College, and Stony Brook University.
"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, co-publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
For more information, visit the INSIGHT into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award website.
