INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has awarded UNF its fourth Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award. UNF also has been awarded the title as a Diversity Champion for the third time.

The HEED award pays tribute to a school’s “level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.” UNF makes deliberate attempts to be inclusive, with many diverse clubs and many programs, such as the Department of Diversity Initiatives, which includes the Women’s Center, the Interfaith Center, and the Intercultural Center for Peace.

Only a few colleges nationwide are selected for the honor of being Diversity Champions. INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine displays the recipients as “institutions that set the standard for thousands of other campus communities striving for diversity and inclusion.” These schools create effective strategies and programs, which can serve as models for other colleges. Diversity Champion schools “exceed everyday expectations, often eclipsing their own goals.” With UNF’s largest and most diverse class to date, our dedication to making an inclusive environment has been recognized. 

However, student perception differs. Freshman Aravind Senthilkumar thinks “UNF is not diverse at all; I don’t see a lot a people from where I’m from (India).” They went on to say that “UNF may be more diverse than before, but there are still few minorities when you look at the campus as a whole.”

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