The University of Vermont is a recipient of the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. 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 — the University of Vermont will be featured along with 82 other recipients in INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s November 2014 issue. 

"I am honored that the University of Vermont is being recognized for our more than two decades of engagement in strategic diversity work," said Wanda Heading-Grant, vice president for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. "Our success is made possible through the support of our many campus partners and institutional leadership.” 

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected the University of Vermont based on its exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives and ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on its campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community as well as all other identities.

“Promoting diversity and creating a culture of inclusion are deeply embedded in our values and practices as an institution,” said Lacretia Flash, senior adviser and chief of staff in the Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs division. These values and practices are reflected in major campus events such as the Blackboard Jungle Symposium and the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, as well as in academic programs and initiatives like the Summer Enrichment Scholars Program, the six-credit diversity course requirement for all undergraduate students and the Henderson fellowship program for emerging scholars. Diversity efforts and planning that occur across the colleges and divisions of the university also support strategic diversity goals.

“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,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.