Nazareth receives 2024 Higher Education Excellence In Diversity Award

Nazareth University received the 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine  — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Nazareth will be featured, along with 113 other recipients, in the November/December 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

“The HEED Award is an invaluable guidepost in terms of how an institution assesses its commitment and capacity for cultivating an inclusively excellent environment for student thriving,” said Wayne Hilson, Nazareth’s vice president of culture, community, and belonging. “For 100 years, Nazareth has been committed to diversity throughout students' academic journeys. It's an honor to be acknowledged by a prestigious, independent organization like Insight Into Diversity magazine. One of the core tenets of our founders is responding to the needs of the time, and receiving this award is evidence that Nazareth continues to embody this philosophy as we embark on a second century of inclusive excellence.”

Insight Into Diversity magazine selected Nazareth based on several institution-supported initiatives to address graduation gaps. 

• Nazareth is undergoing a student-centered redesign process bolstered by the foundational work of the Revitalizing Educational Equity at Nazareth (REENU) initiative, funded by a multi-year U.S. Department of Education Title III grant, to help address gaps in retention and graduation rates for historically underserved and underrepresented student populations. Nazareth’s two primary educational access programs, Higher Education Opportunity Program and Young Scholars, offer academic, financial, and psycho-social support to traditionally underserved, underrepresented students, particularly those who are the first in their families to go to college or are from low-income backgrounds. Nazareth’s Young Scholars 2020 cohort boasted an average GPA of 3.6/4.0 and a 100% 4-year graduation rate, demonstrating the value of dedicated staffing and institutional support for Nazareth’s more diverse student populations.

• LifePrep@Naz is an innovative program designed to provide students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities with a college experience, strengthening their life skills, vocational skills, self-sufficiency, and independence. It has been a success for more than a decade on the Nazareth campus through a collaborative relationship among Nazareth, Victor Central School District, and The Arc of Monroe. LifePrep students audit Nazareth classes, have a Nazareth undergraduate student mentor, and are true members of the university community. Graduates of LifePrep@Naz now have the opportunity to continue auditing Nazareth classes after graduation.

• Nazareth’s Well-Being Collective plays a significant role in improving student retention and graduation rates by fostering a supportive and health-conscious campus environment. Established through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant, the Well-Being Collective aims to advance alcohol, drug, and suicide prevention initiatives.

The HEED Award’s comprehensive and rigorous application process reviews the recruitment and retention of students and employees, leadership support for diversity, and campus culture and climate, said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of Insight Into Diversity. “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.”

For more information about the 2024 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2024 October
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• Diversity & Inclusion