Cal State LA has once again received national honors from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the nation’s largest and oldest publication dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education.
The magazine’s annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive campus environment. As a recipient of the 2023 award, Cal State LA will be featured in the November/December 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the fifth time that Cal State LA has received a HEED Award. Additionally, the university has received a 2023 Health Professions HEED Award.
“Cal State LA offers students a transformative education, one that helps redefine the trajectory of their lives,” said Cal State LA Interim President Leroy M. Morishita. “Our diverse and dedicated faculty and staff are central to that experience. Thank you to INSIGHT Into Diversity for honoring the important work of maintaining an inclusive campus.”
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected Cal State LA for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. The university is one of seven institutions in California to receive the honor.
“The HEED Award selection process is rigorous, assessing the recruitment and retention of students and faculty, pathway programs, community partnerships, leadership support for DEI initiatives, and a comprehensive list of other considerations,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “The winning institutions consistently demonstrate best practices and set the standards for other colleges and universities.”
Cal State LA is committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the campus community. The university is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.
A recent study by the Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Cal State LA’s faculty as one of the most diverse in the nation. The diversity index, which was published in the Chronicle’s 2023 Almanac, ranked Cal State LA second among public colleges and universities in the U.S. for having the greatest racial and ethnic diversity among faculty members. The index evaluates the probability that any two full-time instructional faculty members at an institution are from different racial or ethnic groups.
Established in the fall of 2020, the College of Ethnic Studies is one of only two colleges of ethnic studies in California. The college centers the histories, traditions, cultures, experiences, struggles, and accomplishments of diasporic communities of color, making connections between the local and transnational. It is home to the departments of Asian and Asian American Studies, Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies, and Pan African Studies.
The university has also received the Health Professions HEED Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity for its success in fostering diversity and inclusion in the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing at Cal State LA.
The Health Professions HEED Award recognizes U.S. medical, dental, pharmacy, osteopathic, nursing, veterinary, and allied health schools that exhibit excellence in DEI initiatives and strategies.
“Our Health Professions HEED Award recipients demonstrate extraordinary resolve in working to build a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse campus environment,” said Pearlstein. “They also show significant commitment to addressing the gaps in health care disparities through a wide range of community outreach initiatives and by building a culturally competent future workforce.”
Housed in the university’s Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services, the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing transforms lives and fosters healthy, thriving communities across greater Los Angeles, Southern California, and the nation by cultivating and amplifying students’ unique talents, diverse life experiences, and intellect. The nursing undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
For more information about the 2023 HEED awards, visit the INSIGHT Into Diversity webpage.
# # #
California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 26,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.
