VCU news

By Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success Staff

Virginia Commonwealth University has earned the 2022 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 — VCU will be featured, along with 102 other recipients, in the November 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the fifth time VCU has been named as a HEED Award recipient, and the fourth straight year it has come with special distinction as a Diversity Champion, meaning the university scored in the very top tier of all 2022 HEED Award institutions.

“Earning the HEED Award for four consecutive years with a special distinction as a Diversity Champion is evidence of just how uncommon VCU is when compared to our peer institutions across the nation,” said Aashir Nasim, Ph.D., the vice president and vice provost for institutional equity, effectiveness and success and VCU’s chief diversity officer. “And when you see how VCU’s new strategic plan, Quest 2028, weaves our foundational values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into our key priorities, including student success, knowledge creation and community engagement, you begin to realize the unlimited potential of diversity driving excellence across our academic and medical enterprises.”

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected VCU because of successful innovations such as the diversity index fueled by the VCU Climate Report to improve inclusivity across campuses; the iCubed Scholars Program that creates an inclusive environment for diverse faculty members while bringing them together across disciplines to find solutions to challenges identified by the community; and a collection of efforts aimed at improving health equity throughout the city of Richmond and surrounding counties.

“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.”