A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is more than a mission statement at Indiana University; it’s a legacy.

IU Bloomington and IUPUI, IU’s core campuses, have earned the 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest, oldest and most respected national diversity and inclusion magazine in higher education.

Criteria for the national award include demonstrating a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion through innovative programs and outreach; hiring practices for faculty and staff; and student recruitment, retention and completion.

This is the 10th year IUPUI has been honored with the HEED award and the seventh time for IU Bloomington. In addition, IU Bloomington received the Champion of Diversity honor given only to the top universities in the country.

“We are again delighted and honored that Indiana University has been recognized with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award,” said James C. Wimbush, vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs, dean of The University Graduate School, and Johnson Chair for Diversity and Leadership. “This award is a testament to our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“We know there is much more work to be done. But we take pride in the accomplishments made thus far and the hard work put forth by faculty, staff and others to make IU a place that truly stands for access, success, equity, inclusiveness and community for all.”

IU Bloomington

Continuously recognized for standing out and setting the bar, IU Bloomington serves as a model of excellence to other institutions. Several programs responsible for helping the campus achieve this honor include:

• IU Diversity Career and Internship Fair, which includes recruiters from some of the country’s top employers.
• Hudson and Holland Scholars Program for high-achieving underrepresented minorities. The program provides scholarship funding and a variety of opportunities to enrich and support the holistic needs of students. 
• Overseas Studies and Scholarship Program, which offers funded study abroad opportunities for underrepresented, first-generation and low-income students. 
• Efforts to promote faculty diversity, including anti-bias hiring workshops for faculty who serve on hiring committees and better use of existing strategic hiring funds to bring in underrepresented tenure-track faculty.

“Supporting a diverse and inclusive campus community is a fundamental value of Indiana University,” said John Applegate, interim provost and executive vice president for IU Bloomington. “While we always challenge ourselves to be better, I want to acknowledge the efforts of the hundreds and hundreds of faculty, staff and students who contribute to our campus’s efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented students and faculty.

Applegate added that this fall, the campus enrolled 10,770 students of color, a record 27 percent of the student body. Twenty-two percent of new tenure track faculty and 31 percent of total faculty hires were underrepresented minorities.

IUPUI

With its strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, IUPUI is one of only a handful of universities nationwide to be recognized with the HEED Award every year since the award’s creation in 2012.

“IUPUI remains deeply committed to ensuring the equity and inclusion that lead to a more diverse and welcoming campus for everyone, regardless of their background,” IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar said. “We are proud of this national recognition and will use it as inspiration for our continuing and expanding anti-racist efforts.”

Efforts comprising IUPUI’s diversity-related work include:

• A new pathway to promotion and tenure that recognizes effort and achievements in areas that enhance equity and inclusion.
• Informatics Diversity-Enhanced Workforce Initiative.

• The IUPUI Action Committee, formed in the wake of the acts of racist violence that spurred nationwide protests in the summer of 2020 to develop initiatives to enhance anti-racism programs such as the White Racial Literacy Program, the Racial Healing Project, Implicit Bias Workshops and more.
• Creation of the Center for Africana Studies and Culture through the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.
• Through Their Eyes Scholarship Program that honors the descendants of those displaced ancestors who once lived in the Ransom Place and Indiana Avenue neighborhoods where IUPUI now stands.