WSU Vancouver receives Excellence in Diversity award for the second time

VANCOUVER, Wash. – INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, has awarded one of its 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Awards to WSU Vancouver. The award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

This is the second time the university has been named as a HEED Award recipient. WSU Vancouver received its first award in 2019.

“I am very proud of the work our campus is doing to make WSU Vancouver a welcoming community that is committed to equity and inclusion. The HEED Award is evidence that we are moving in the right direction,” said WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer.

The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees, leadership support for diversity, campus culture and climate, supplier diversity and many other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “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.”

“Thank you to our staff, faculty, students and external partners for their continued presence, collaboration and commitment to building a community of equity, belonging and love,” said Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Obie Ford III. “We’re moving forward together.”

WSU Vancouver will be featured along with 108 other recipients in the November/December 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Other recipients include:

Adelphi University

Agnes Scott College

Arizona State University

Arkansas State University

Augustana College (IL)

Ball State University

Bentley University

Berklee

Binghamton University

Cal State LA

California State University San Marcos

California State University, Fresno

Carnegie Mellon University

Case Western Reserve University

Clemson University

Colorado College

Columbia University in the City of New York

Cornell University

Cuyahoga Community College

Drexel University

East Carolina University

Emory University

Farmingdale State College

Florida Atlantic University

Florida International University

Florida State University

Franklin and Marshall College

Georgia Southern University

Germanna Community College

Greenville Technical College

Hope College

Hudson County Community College

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

Kansas State University

Kent State University

Lasell University

Lehigh University

Metro State University

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Miami University

Millersville University

Mississippi State University

Moraine Valley Community College

Mount Holyoke College

Northern Illinois University

Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Northwestern University

Ohio University

Oklahoma State University

Portland State University

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rockland Community College

Rowan University

San Diego State University

Santa Clara University

Smith College

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Stetson University

Stony Brook University

Suffolk University

SUNY Old Westbury

SUNY Oneonta

Swarthmore College

Temple University

Texas Christian University

Texas Tech University

The College of New Jersey

The University of Alabama

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Dallas

The University of Tulsa

Towson University

Trinity College

Tulane University

UC Berkeley

UNC Charlotte

University at Albany

University of California, Merced

University of Central Florida

University of Cincinnati

University of Dayton

University of Florida

University of Georgia

University of Houston

University of Houston Law Center

University of Kentucky

University of Louisville

University of Massachusetts Boston

University of Massachusetts Lowell

University of Missouri-St. Louis

University of North Florida

University of Oklahoma

University of Oregon

University of Pittsburgh

University of West Florida

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

William & Mary

William Rainey Harper College

Worcester State University

For more information about the 2019 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com.

About INSIGHT Into Diversity

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the leader in advancing best practices in DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in higher education. In print and online, the magazine publishes expert advice, resources, in-depth profiles of top DEI programs at colleges and universities, headline news and more to empower readers to advance DEI initiatives at their institutions.

About WSU Vancouver

As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations. 

WSU Vancouver is located on the homelands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Peoples of the Lower Columbia Valley. We acknowledge their presence here. WSU Vancouver expresses its respect towards these original and current caretakers of the region. We pledge that these relationships will be built on mutual trust and respect.

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MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu