Pitt earned an 8th consecutive Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

The University of Pittsburgh received a 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest publication dedicated to advancing best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion in U.S. higher education.

It’s the eighth year in a row Pitt has earned the national honor, which recognizes outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“The University has made a significant commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer. “It’s a commitment from our leadership to the community. We’re pleased to be acknowledged — I know we’re in excellent company. I also want to thank our entire University community for making this happen.” 

Centering diversity, equity and inclusion at Pitt has led to measurable improvements in academic standing and retention of students, faculty and staff, according to Pickett. He also said the University looks to other winners of the HEED award as benchmarks for comparison.

“Of course, we want to celebrate our wins, but we also want to identify areas where we can improve,” he said. “When you center diversity, equity, and inclusion in your work, and you have the appropriate metrics to track your progress in terms of student success, retention of faculty, and recruitment, you can see both where you’re excelling and where there are opportunities to make improvements.”

Pitt is among 90 universities and colleges across the U.S. honored this year. The HEED awards are granted based on a comprehensive application that assesses student recruitment and retention, hiring practices and leadership support of programs and outreach.

As part of the Plan for Pitt, the University is advancing its goals for a welcoming and engaged campus through initiatives that will expand supplier diversity and faculty affinity groups. Pitt is also developing a strategic plan to recruit students and staff representative of the community, with a goal to reduce the gap relative to the Pennsylvania census by 2028.

In September, the University was honored as a Leading Disability Employer by the National Organization on Disability. Pitt has also been recognized for programs like the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute; the schools of medicine and social work recently earned a $5 million NIH grant to test the anti-racism program’s efficacy.

Photography by Aimee Obidzinski; Students, staff and faculty can participate in the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute at no cost.