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FRAMINGHAM — ���ϲ����� has been recognized with the 2024 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—���ϲ����� will be featured, along with 113 other recipients, in the November/December 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine. This marks the 7th time ���ϲ����� has been a HEED award recipient.

“We are proud to once again receive this recognition from Insight Into Diversity Magazine,” says Dr. Jeffrey Coleman, ���ϲ�����’s Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement. “One of ���ϲ�����’s strategic goals is to embed diversity, inclusion, equity and cultural competency into every facet of the University. While there is a lot more work to be done, this recognition demonstrates that we are heading in a positive direction.”

In presenting a HEED award to ���ϲ�����, Insight Into Diversity magazine specifically highlighted:

• ���ϲ�����’s focus on retention, persistence and graduation rates for underrepresented students, as well as programs such as Gen-One Next Level, which provides support to students who are the first in their family to attend college.
• The University’s development of recruitment programs and partnerships to reach and interact with potential students from underrepresented groups, particularly following the elimination of Affirmative Action.
• The University’s AGEP Alliance model, which is an NSF-funded initiative to promote and advance BIPOC faculty who are early in their careers.  
• ���ϲ�����’s Inclusive Excellence Faculty Fellows program coordinated through the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement.
• A hiring process that requires applicants to include an equity and inclusion statement in their materials.
• Continued diversity training for students, faculty and employees.

 “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 — leadership support for diversity, campus culture and climate, supplier diversity, and many other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. 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.”