GovState receives 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award
For outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, Governors State University (GovState) has been awarded the 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine. The award, a national honor, recognizes GovState’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.
“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.” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine, in the press release.
Since taking the reins as president of GovState in 2020, during a global pandemic and a time of racial unrest in the U.S., Dr. Cheryl Green made issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, great priorities for the university, including naming a Chief Diversity Officer, founding the Social Justice Initiative, and establishing a Latinx Center. These giant steps forward are clearly part of a lasting legacy for Green and the university.
Dr. Joi Patterson, GovState’s Harvard University trained Chief Diversity Officer with more than 30 years as both an educator and an administrator, has been a tireless champion for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the university.
“Receiving this award is a profound affirmation of our intentional hard work and dedication to creating an environment where both students and employees can thrive,” said Dr. Patterson. “It symbolizes our collective efforts and the process we continue to make in building an inclusive atmosphere that celebrates diversity and empowers every member of our community.”
GovState will be featured in the November/December 2024 issue of Insight into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.