51������

has recognized 51������ with the 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for its efforts to significantly advance the core values of inclusive excellence.

As a recipient of the , Elon will be featured along with 113 other recipients in the November/December 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. Elon was previously honored with the HEED Award in 2014.

“This acknowledgment by Insight Into Diversity of the achievements of Elon’s staff, faculty and students who support inclusive excellence is inspiring,” said President Connie Book. “We know to be successful as a university; it is the shared responsibility of each and every community member at Elon to ensure the conditions exist for everyone to be successful and work to meet people where they are and provide pathways to success.”

Insight Into Diversity selected Elon for its work to embrace diversity in its broadest sense and to instill into members of its community a sense of shared responsibility to work toward equitable outcomes. Boldly Elon, the university’s 10-year strategic plan, lays out a pathway toward building a healthier, more diverse and inclusive community where all students, faculty and staff experience belonging and well-being.

“The 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 — leadership support for diversity, campus culture and climate, supplier diversity and many 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 HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

Among the priorities of the Boldly Elon plan designed to promote inclusive excellence are:

• Strengthen support networks and increase staffing dedicated to the success of historically marginalized groups.
• Establish and achieve specific benchmarks regarding increased representation and retention of students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups.
• Double international student enrollment.
• Create structures and learning opportunities that engage all students, faculty and staff in advancing their intercultural and multifaith learning and competencies.
• Advance inclusive classrooms and pedagogies through research and faculty development.

“Earning this award reflects Elon’s cross-campus effort toward an academic setting where all members flourish and demonstrate equity-centered practices,” said Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Randy Williams. “At Elon, inclusive excellence is a shared responsibility where the Elon community learns and works with one another. This recognition by industry colleagues serves as more motivation in achieving our vision.”

Among the work and achievements of the past several years at Elon include the creation of the Black Lumen Project to enhance the Black experience at Elon, the adoption of a new Multifaith Strategic Plan, action on the recommendations of the Asian Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern North African task force, the adoption of an Advancing Equity Requirement as part of Elon’s Core Curriculum and the work of the Elon Community Accessibility Network, known as ECAN, to improve the local environment for differently-abled people.

Williams noted that there is always room to strengthen inclusive excellence on campus.

“Building on our student and employee diversity and organizing expertise, experiences and resources in alignment with inclusive and equitable practices offer several opportunities to engage the entire community,” he said. “This award is an indicator of progress that should motivate us to continue striving together toward inclusive excellence,” Williams said.

Learn more about the ongoing inclusive excellence work at Elon on the Division of Inclusive Excellence website.