The State University of New York at Old Westbury today received the 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
This marks the sixth consecutive year the campus has earned the honor, which is presented to those institutions of higher education that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion
SUNY Old Westbury is among 108 colleges and universities nationwide to have won a HEED Award. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, the University will be featured in the November/December 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
“We are extremely excited and proud that SUNY Old Westbury has earned this honor once again,” said President Timothy E. Sams. “This award reflects the hard work that takes place in all corners of our campus as we continually strive to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and justice and continue to work toward building a better, stronger and more inclusive community around us.”
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected SUNY Old Westbury for its ongoing, historic commitment to access and social justice while citing particularly new efforts the campus made in 2022.
Those new initiatives of the campus included it becoming a partner with TheDream.US organization to promote and collaborate on the admission of undocumented immigrants to the University and the creation of an Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in the Workplace microcredential, a 10-credit program designed to enhance workers’ and professionals’ social consciousness and emotional intelligence so that they better understand living and working in an increasingly diverse society.
“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.”