Miami University received a 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, a higher education publication dedicated to achieving a more inclusive culture in academic and corporate environments. 

The award was announced Tuesday, Sept. 21. This is the second year that the university is receiving this award. The magazine recognized Miami’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) model, their transparency about DEI and their DEI resources. The university was also recognized for work with students through the President’s Task Force for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which was established in response to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man killed last year by white police officers in Minneapolis. 

“It is especially significant for Miami to receive this award this year, and for the second time, because it recognizes that with all the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, we did not lose sight of our core diversity, equity, and inclusion institutional commitments,” said Cristina Alcalde, Miami Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, in a press release. 

Alcalde said this includes drawing on Miami expertise and national best practices to re-examine the faculty and staff search and hiring process. The goal is to ensure all processes are inclusive and best reflect institutional commitments. She said Miami aims to better serve students of all backgrounds, alumni and the community through increasingly inclusive practices and educational resources.

Miami is one of seven Ohio schools that has received this award.