by Summer Allen
September 14th 2022
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Portland State University has received the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“I chose acting on equity and racial justice to be the top strategic priority of my presidency at Portland State. Receiving the HEED award is a testament to the steps we have taken as a university to advance this endeavor,” says PSU President Stephen Percy. “When we work to eliminate persistent and structural racism, we ensure success for all students, more equitable working conditions for all employees and create an environment where people feel safe and can prosper.”
“This award is for all of the wonderful members of our community who are working tirelessly, many for a very long time, to ensure our aspirations in the areas of equity and justice are real and felt by our campus community. I thank you for your work, I honor all that you do and I am really grateful and proud to work with you,” says Ame Lambert, Vice President for Global Diversity and Inclusion. “There is much to do and we will keep at it, but this is a moment to recognize what is happening and what is working.”
Highlights of PSU’s accomplishments recognized by this award include:
- Time to Act, an ambitious three-year racial justice and equity action plan that was developed with the work of more than 500 students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.
- Five federally funded TRIO programs that support the retention and success of low-income, first-generation and disabled students (TRIO Student Support Services, TRIO STEM, TRIO Upward Bound, TRIO Educational Talent Search and TRIO McNair).
- Successful high-touch programs such as ATMOS, BUILD EXITO and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program.
- Intersectional affinity resource centers, including ACCESS, EMPOWER, NATIONS and GANAS.
- A cohort of new scholars who joined the School of Gender, Race and Nations in 2021 as part of a cluster hire centered around the theme of critical thought and activism.
- A new leadership academy that supports the professional development of employees from minoritized backgrounds.
“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.”
As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, Portland State University will be featured, along with 102 other recipients, in the November 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
For more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Portland State, visit https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/