The University of Akron has once again been recognized for its “outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion” by INSIGHT into Diversity magazine, and is a recipient of its 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award. UA has received the honor annually since 2012, when the HEED award was first established.
Lee Gill
UA is one of 83 institutions across the country to receive the honor, and one of seven in Ohio. All will be featured in the November 2014 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
“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,” says Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
Lee Gill, UA’s associate vice president for inclusion and equity, and chief diversity officer since 2008, says inclusive excellence is a core value at the University — as demonstrated by the wide variety of programming available to the campus and greater Akron communities.
Article profiles UA's progress
The September/October issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity includes a story about the University's efforts to bind its many inclusive excellence initiatives to strategic goals.
See "Akron Succeeds Through Involving All the Players -- On Campus and Off"
“Whether it is our many academic programs, our scholarship opportunities, cultural events, the longstanding Rethinking Race: Black, White and Beyond Series, China Week, or our annual Black Male Summit, we are committed to continually building an inclusive environment that leads to wider understanding and, of course, success for all our students,” notes Gill.
In July, the magazine honored Gill with its National Diversity Visionary Award, which is presented annually to those who have made significant past and present contributions to diversity in higher education.
For more information about the HEED award, visit INSIGHT into Diversity magazine.
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Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.
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President's Forum on Inclusive Excellence
Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, was the speaker at this year's President's Forum on Inclusive Excellence.
Every year, the forum attracts to Akron leading national voices on the topic of diversity and higher education.
The forum is one example of the University's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Highlights from Dr. Hrabowski's remarks: