RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) – INSIGHT into Diversity magazine has named UC Riverside one of its 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity, or HEED, Award recipients.

The 2018 award recognizes 96 U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. UCR and the other honorees will be acknowledged in the November 2018 issue of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine.

“National recognition from an organization known for its commitment to diversity work gives our campus members the acknowledgement and excitement to continue the momentum and the work itself for the long haul,” said UCR Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion Mariam B. Lam, who submitted the first-time application to Insight into Diversity.

The application process was an intensive one, requiring documentation of efforts including recruitment and retention of underrepresented and first-generation students and faculty; the role of campus leadership in fostering diversity; and the presence of a strategic diversity plan.

Among other factors, the magazine considered six-year graduation rates for full-time undergraduate students. Its most recent numbers show UCR graduates its white students at 72 percent; black students at 74.5 percent; Hispanic/Latino students at 72.7 percent; and Asian American students at 79.2 percent.

UCR was the lone UC campus to receive the 2018 award. Six California State campuses were among those acknowledged.

“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,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT into Diversity.

INSIGHT into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity publication in higher education. Its HEED award is the only award recognizing colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts.