Augustana again wins INSIGHT into Diversity Award

Augustana College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion continues to earn recognition. For the third time Augustana earned the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine.

Augustana is among 103 institutions recognized by INSIGHT for the HEED Award in 2022. The award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. The college previously earned the HEED Award in 2019 and 2020.

Augustana and other HEED Award recipients will be featured in the November 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine. Augustana also was featured in INSIGHT’s September issue as one of 79 institutions recognized for inspiring programs in STEM, earning recognition for the college’s mentoring program that partners junior and senior STEM majors with younger classmates from underrepresented groups. 

Dr. Monica M. Smith leads Augustana’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, ensuring the college collaborates across campus to develop programs that are inclusive of the diversity that exists within the college’s student body and employees. Dr. Smith said receiving this third recognition from INSIGHT for the college’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is “magnificent.”

“Augustana continues to be one of the small/mid-sized schools in Illinois to receive this award,” Dr. Smith said. “We have been infusing diversity into the core of institutional functioning, and there are internal indicators that the college is progressing in these areas. To be acknowledged by an external organization is an additional point of pride.”

Augustana has earned several distinctions in addition to the INSIGHT award. In 2021, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education recognized Augustana for its campus-wide diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Augustana was one of only seven schools in the country qualifying for the publication’s DOIT certification program in the area of institutional climate.

Augustana College strives to create inclusive, holistic, challenging and integrated student experiences that lead to transformational opportunities for all students. Augustana’s campus of 2,500 students includes 26% domestic students of color and 13% of students from other countries.