Harper College has received the 2018 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 — Harper will be featured, along with 95 other recipients, in the November 2018 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
This is the second consecutive year Harper has been named a HEED Award recipient.
“We are honored to receive this prestigious award for the second year, which recognizes the dedicated work of faculty, staff and students who plan, organize and participate in our events and programs,” said Pearl Ratunil, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion at Harper College. “The efforts of these committed individuals is at the heart of Harper’s success in diversity and inclusion.”
INSIGHT Into Diversity selected Harper for recruiting junior faculty, creating a Social Justice Leadership Certificate, expanding the college’s Diversity and Inclusion Dialogue sessions, holding an annual Diversity Symposium and implementing effective programs to respond to free speech issues on campus.
The Social Justice Leadership Certificate program, for example, is a 12-month professional development program for a cohort of faculty and staff to develop their leadership capacities in diversity and inclusion.
In addition, Harper’s Global Region of Focus Initiative promotes internationalization of students, faculty, curriculum and programs through a three-year cycle of studies centered on a particular region of the world (currently Latin America). The Office of International Education conducts an international field seminar for Harper faculty including coursework and travel to the region, followed by visiting lecturers in the second year and student study abroad experiences to the region in the second and third years.
Harper's work in international education also was recognized with the 2018 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
“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 accomplished every day across their campus.”
For more information about the 2018 HEED Award and a complete list of recipients, visit insightintodiversity.com.
