Virginia Tech received the 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

In addition to being chosen for the HEED award, Virginia Tech was named a Diversity Champion by the publication due to scoring in the top tier of all HEED Award institutions. Diversity Champions exemplify an unyielding commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout their campus communities, across academic programs, and at the highest administrative levels.

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 — Virginia Tech will be featured, along with other recipients, in the November 2021 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the sixth year Virginia Tech has been named as a Diversity Champion and HEED Award recipient.

“We are proud to be selected as a Diversity Champion for the sixth straight year,” said Menah Pratt-Clarke, vice president for diversity, inclusion, and strategic affairs. "Our focus on promoting sustainable transformation at Virginia Tech around inclusion and diversity embodies InclusiveVT, our institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. This national recognition affirms the depth and breadth of our efforts to actualize the vision of providing access and education to our country’s most vulnerable populations and creating a welcoming community for everyone at Virginia Tech."

“Our university is committed to the continued advancement of diversity and inclusion as part of our overall strategic vision for the institution,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “It is an essential part of the Virginia Tech experience for current and future generations of Hokies as they harness their passions and develop the skills they need to make this world a better place.”

“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,” 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.”

For more information about Virginia Tech’s Office for Inclusion & Diversity visit https://www.inclusive.vt.edu.

For more information about the 2021 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com.

Contact:

Tags

Share this story