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Sep 17, 2014

DePaul University earns Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award

CHICAGO — DePaul University has received the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

The honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to inclusive excellence. DePaul was selected based on its exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, and ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ community.

“Social justice and diversity have long been a hallmark of DePaul University. We have a legacy of serving underrepresented students and this award acknowledges our long-standing commitment to diversity,” said José Perales, interim assistant vice president for the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.

“At DePaul, we aim to achieve a truly diverse environment that reflects our collective values. Our Vincentian, Catholic and urban mission is grounded within the context of valuing diversity and respecting the human dignity of each individual,” Perales noted.

Among DePaul’s efforts to build a vibrant community, the university worked with the Student Government Association and Student Affairs in 2009 to establish diversity forums that are designed to promote universitywide dialogue. In 2014, the President’s Diversity Council established a similar concept for faculty and staff.

Additionally, there are five employee resource groups that provide a sense of community and belonging for diverse faculty and staff. These include a black leadership coalition, women’s network, Asian and Asian-American professional community, Latinos empowered affinity group, and an LGBTQ network.

DePaul is one of 83 recipients of this year’s HEED award. Other notable recipients include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Also, Virginia Tech, Kent State University, Florida State University, Cornell University, Penn State and Case Western Reserve University.

In addition to the 2014 HEED award, DePaul has been recognized for other achievements in diversity, including:

Additional information about the 2014 HEED award is online at www.insightintodiversity.com.

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DePaul University is a recipient of the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Among DePaul’s Vision 2018 goals is to foster diversity and inclusion by strengthening campuswide diversity and building a vibrant university community. Helping in that commitment are college diversity and inclusion advocates for the President's Diversity Council. They include Front row, left to right; Francine Soliunas, College of Law (front row, left to right); Anthony Chung, College of Computing and Digital Media; Ronald Chennault, College of Education; Miriam Ben-Yoseph, School for New Learning; and Shailja Sharma, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Also, Teresa Mastin, College of Communication (back row, left to right); Judy Bundra, School of Music; Dexter Zollicoffer, The Theatre School; and Margaret Silliker, College of Science and Health. (Photo by Jamie Moncrief)