Eastern is named a top college for diversity

Eastern Washington University is a recipient of the 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, a national honor recognizing colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The recognition comes from "INSIGHT Into Diversity" magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, EWU will be featured with 95 select higher education institutions in the November 2018 issue of the magazine.

"I am thrilled that Eastern is receiving recognition for our commitment to inclusive excellence," Shari Clarke, Ph.D, vice president for Diversity and Inclusion at EWU, said in a Sept. 14 news release. "The HEED award is affirmation of a broad range of accomplishments and innovative diversity initiatives at Eastern."

Clarke noted the application process was extremely thorough, and INSIGHT Into Diversity selected Eastern because it has diversity and inclusion woven into the campus fabric on a daily basis. Clarke noted the university's Pride Center, the Multicultural Center and the many workshops and events like Dialogues on Diversity as examples of how Eastern is committed to inclusion efforts year around.

"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 - continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion," Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine said. "Our standards are high, as we take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient."

This is the first year Eastern has been recognized for this achievement.