IUPUI again wins national award for its diversity and inclusion initiatives

  • Oct. 17, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the second year running, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of this national award that honors an institution’s exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, IUPUI will be prominently featured in the magazine’s November 2013 issue.

“IUPUI’s collaborative spirit -- campus and community members partnering to make the university a place where all voices and experiences are welcome -- led to our receipt of this prestigious award. This is an exciting time to be a part of IUPUI,”  Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Karen Dace said.

INSIGHT Into Diversity also recognized IUPUI for its ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on campus including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community. IUPUI was commended for making strides in the enrollment and graduation of minority students and for putting in place some distinctive diversity and inclusion programs to recruit and retain faculty, staff and students from underrepresented groups. Highlights of the recognition include:

  • Multicultural Success Center: Leads the campus in creating an inclusive environment of excellence that embraces diversity and social justice, and provides opportunities for personal and professional growth and community development. The current organizations within the Multicultural Success Center are Advocates for Sexual Equality; Asian Students United; Black Student Union; Latino Student Association; Native American Student Alliance; and Underrepresented Professional and Graduate Students Organization.
  • Student African American Sisterhood and Student African American Brotherhood: Provide mentoring, retention, graduation and connectedness for African American students through social and academic interventions.
  • Affinity Faculty and Staff Councils: Facilitate interaction, address issues, and motivate, encourage and promote the professional development of IUPUI faculty and staff. The faculty and staff councils include Asian American and Pacific Islander; Black; Latino; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender; and Native American.
  • Faculty and Staff Diversity Awards: Recognize faculty and staff who promote a campus climate where diversity is valued, energize the appreciation of world cultures or champion for social justice.
  • Chief Diversity Officers: Help broaden faculty searches, attract and retain talented students among the professional schools and infuse greater diversity into the curriculum and campus life.

IUPUI was also recently named among the 30 best non-Historically Black Colleges and Universities for minorities in the United States by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education -- a critical source of news, information and commentary on the full range of issues concerning diversity in American higher education. Additionally, the 2013 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges edition ranked IUPUI the No. 5 “Up-and-Coming” school, and also recognized the campus for its learning communities, service learning opportunities and first-year programming.

“We hope the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity 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.

 

Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

Print Quality Photo

Margie Smith-Simmons