Adelphi Receives 2022 Excellence In Diversity Award

GARDEN CITY, NY — Adelphi University was one of a small number of schools across the country to receive the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest publication focused on diversity in higher education.

It is the fifth year in a row that the school has been recognized for its efforts in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging on campus. It was one of just 103 colleges across the country to receive the award.

"It is such an honor to be recognized in a prominent way for the work that the entire community is doing toward advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) on campus," said Jacqueline Jones LaMon, vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Adelphi. "Work that is being done in Adelphi's individual schools and colleges, and throughout the administrative units, has really helped make this possible."

There are many programs and initiatives that the school has undertaken in recent years that led to the award.

Adelphi just launched a new Multicultural Center on campus as a hub for diverse programming and resources-an inclusive place where all students can explore their identities, and celebrate and learn from each other.

The centralized Complaint and Investigation Office opened last fall as a single point of contact for receiving and processing complaints and reports of harassment, hate, racism, bias and inappropriate conduct. It provides an easily accessible and safe place for students to share any concerns and receive support.

The faculty-led Academic Diversity Implementation Team and student-led Equitable Adelphi Action Team were created in Fall 2020 to help identify and dismantle racism at Adelphi. Their goals include implementing diversity training, launching anti-bias workshops, decolonizing curricula and addressing microaggressions.

Adelphi made a major adjustment to its merit scholarship policy last year, no longer requiring recipients to meet a minimum GPA to retain their scholarship. This permanent policy change will allow students the ability to choose challenging courses without worrying that a lower grade might endanger their scholarship.

"The fact that we continue to receive the HEED Award means we're not just maintaining a level of commitment to diversity and inclusion, but actually exceeding where we were the year before," LaMon said. "That's most exciting for me — that this is an ongoing commitment of an ever-changing community."