SAN DIEGO — San Diego State University (SDSU) has received the 2013 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — SDSU will be featured along with 55 other recipients in the magazine’s November 2013 issue.
“We are extremely proud to be selected as a recipient of the HEED Diversity award. This award reflects the ongoing commitment of our students, faculty and staff to ensure that all of our students achieve academic excellence and experience the university as a welcoming and supportive place,” said SDSU President Elliot Hirshman.
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected SDSU for its exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives and ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ community.
At SDSU, students from all backgrounds are achieving academic excellence. Steady improvement in graduation and retention rates spans all genders and ethnicities, including students from historically underrepresented groups.
SDSU’s fall 2013 freshman class reflects the university’s extraordinary diversity with 59-percent self-identifying as students of color. In U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 compilation of America’s Best Colleges, SDSU ranked No. 20 for ethnic diversity and No. 14 among Up-and-Coming schools.
“We hope the HEED award serves as a way to honor those institutions of higher education that recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion as part of their everyday campus culture,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
SDSU is among a select group of leading universities chosen for the 2013 HEED award, including Emory University, Princeton University and Virginia Tech.
For more information on the HEED Award, go to the INSIGHT Into Diversity Web site.
