(GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – Sept. 1, 2020) — Today, Davenport University received the 2020 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 — Davenport University will be featured, along with 89 other recipients, in the November 2020 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the eighth year Davenport University has been named as a HEED Award recipient.

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected Davenport as a HEED Award recipient for the eighth time since 2012 in recognition of the university’s robust initiatives, services and programs geared toward helping all of its students, faculty and staff succeed. Over the past eight years, the university has developed and implemented a training series on diversity, equity and inclusion for current employees and future hires. Davenport’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council has also introduced resources to help increase the cultural competencies of students as they enter the workforce, among its many other initiatives.

“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 done every day across their campus.”

In addition to the HEED award, Davenport’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have earned national recognition with its Top 10 placement in the Employee Resource Group (ERG) and Council Honors Awards for the past several years. ERG and Council Honors Award recipients are a diverse group of Fortune 500 companies and organizations representing all industries, geographies and sizes. Davenport is the only university to place in the Top 10 and was also included in the Leader’s Circle for three consecutive years.

For more information about the 2020 HEED Award or to view all recipients, visit insightintodiversity.com.

For more information about Davenport University, visit davenport.edu.