LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10 — Today, Cal State LA received two 2026 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Awards from Insight Into Academia magazine, the oldest and largest publication focused on best practices in higher education.
The HEED Award is a prestigious honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging, and community-building across all levels of campus life.
As a recipient of the 2026 HEED Award, Cal State LA will be featured along with other recipients in the October 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine. This marks the eighth time Cal State LA has received a HEED Award.
Cal State LA also received the 2026 Health Professions HEED Award, marking the 10th time the university has earned the honor since 2016. The award recognizes Cal State LA’s efforts to foster academic excellence, belonging, and community-building in the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing. Cal State LA is one of only 19 institutions nationwide to receive this 2026 honor.
“Cal State LA takes pride in fostering an inclusive environment where everyone is heard and valued,” said Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes. “We are honored to be recognized by Insight Into Academia for our consistent efforts in celebrating each student, faculty, and staff for the distinct contributions they bring to our engaged and welcoming community.”
The Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing in the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services at Cal State LA 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. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Cal State LA’s nursing graduate program among the top five programs in California. The nursing undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Cal State LA’s commitment to belonging and community engagement extends across the university and the communities it serves. This year, Cal State LA celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of Black History Month’s formal recognition in the United States. Cal State LA also hosted the CSU Juneteenth Symposium, which brought together leaders from across Los Angeles and the California State University system for discussions centered on legacy, learning, and leadership. The symposium was livestreamed to all 22 CSU campuses and was followed by a campus celebration for students, faculty, staff, and community partners.
Cal State LA advances student success through a range of programs and services that support students throughout their academic journey. Academic advising, mentoring, tutoring, basic-needs services, and other initiatives help students navigate barriers, make progress toward degree completion, and achieve their academic goals.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging further supports this work by fostering a campus culture where students, faculty, and staff can thrive and where community is honored and cultivated.
“We use a detailed scoring process as well as a holistic approach to reviewing each application to determine who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,” said Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of Insight Into Academia magazine.
Cal State LA is a national leader in expanding access to higher education and promoting equity, inclusion, and belonging. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, the university is deeply committed to serving historically underrepresented communities.
Established in 2019, the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA was the first such college founded in the U.S. since 1969. The college houses the departments of Asian and Asian American Studies, Chicana(o)/Latina(o) Studies, and Pan-African Studies, and is currently developing a new program in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. This October, Cal State LA will also host the Association for Ethnic Studies 53rd Annual Conference, themed “For the People: A Loving Defense for Ethnic Studies.”
In July, Cal State LA was the site of The People’s Home: Intertribal Indigenous Powwow, presented by United American Indian Involvement, Inc. The first powwow held on the Cal State LA campus drew nearly 3,000 students, families, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members to University Stadium for a celebration of Indigenous community, culture, and connection.
Cal State LA acknowledges the Tongva people as the traditional caretakers of Tovaangar—known today as the Los Angeles region. As an institution located on unceded Tongva land, Cal State LA pays its respects to the ancestors, elders, and relatives past, present, and future.
For more information about the 2026 HEED Award, visit insightintoacademia.com.
About Insight Into Academia
Insight Into Academia magazine is the leader in advancing best practices in higher education excellence. Through thought-provoking print and online articles, the magazine shares expert advice, valuable resources, in-depth profiles of top programs at colleges and universities, headline news, and much more to help keep its readers informed and empower them to advance initiatives at their institutions. Current, archived, and digital issues of Insight Into Academia magazine are available online at insightintoacademia.com.
