Northwestern receives Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

Northwestern University has been awarded the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused 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. This is the first year Northwestern has received this honor.

The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (OIDI) applied for the HEED Award on behalf of Northwestern. The HEED Award process consisted of a comprehensive application with data-driven questions about recruiting and retaining historically underrepresented students and faculty, the commitment of leadership to diversity and inclusion and resources and support in the campus community.

Robin R. Means Coleman, vice president and associate provost of diversity and inclusion, said that completing the 2021 HEED Award application enabled OIDI to further reflect on opportunities for growth, recognize best practices and work toward establishing an institution-wide diversity strategic plan.

“We are extremely proud that Northwestern has earned this honor for the first time,” Coleman said. “The HEED Award represents an acknowledgment of the institution’s ongoing progress on issues of diversity and inclusion, but more importantly it serves as a call for us to keep building on this work and remain accountable to our commitments. With this award, Northwestern is held to an even higher standard of responsibility. We take this responsibility seriously and commit to working in strategic and measurable ways in the months and years to come.”

Northwestern received the 2021 award along with 100 other institutions in higher education.