For the fifth time, the University of Houston College of Nursing has received the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — the UH College of Nursing will be featured, along with 50 other recipients (of which only 12 are nursing schools) in the December 2021 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Previously the UH College of Nursing received the award in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
"Diversity isn't just who we are as a college and a university. It is an essential component to the success and excellence of our profession of nursing," said Kathryn Tart, UH College of Nursing founding dean and Humana Endowed Dean's Chair in Nursing. "We are proud of our commitment and thankful for this recognition."
All colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada are eligible for the HEED Award. It measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention and completion; as well as faculty hiring practices.
As one of the nation’s most diverse public research universities, located in a city that consistently is ranked among the most diverse in the country, UH has focused on retaining the diversity of its student body while raising academic standards. It is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution by the U. S. Department of Education.
“The Health Professions HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”
Learn more about the recipients of the 2021 Health Professions HEED Award here.