NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University received the 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The annual HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Northwestern State will be featured, along with 108 other recipients, in the November/December 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the first year NSU has been named as a HEED Award recipient.
“It is an honor to be selected as a recipient of such an important award. I say it is important because it exemplifies and acknowledges our efforts to create a culture where everyone is appreciated and feels they belong.” said Brittany Blackwell Broussard, Director of Culture and Climate.
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected Northwestern State for efforts including the Demon Mentor Network which began in 2021 to address retention and graduation rate decreases/increases. According to Broussard, out of an entering class of 1,300 students, 1,000 students were mentored through this program with a focus on those students with a GPA below 3.0, first generation college students, low socio-economic status and areas where certain demographics may have been struggling with graduation rates. The program had a fall to spring retention rate of 92 percent. NSU implemented a tuition-exemption for all Native American students that are from federally recognized tribes in the nation. The university began the Northwestern Inclusive Coaching Seminar Series which is peer- facilitated interactive workshops that increase participants knowledge in areas of cultural competence.
“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.”
For more information about the 2023 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com.
