Cornell has won the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity, the largest and oldest diversity publication in higher education, for demonstrating outstanding “efforts and success in the area of diversity and inclusion” throughout campus.

The award recognizes colleges and universities that show measurable achievements in broadening diversity and inclusion on campus in three categories: initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention and degree completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.

“INSIGHT Into Diversity recognizes how deeply committed we are to promoting all aspects of diversity and inclusion throughout the university as well as with those organizations and businesses that partner with us,” said Mary Opperman, vice president for human resources and safety services.

“The university’s strategic diversity initiative, Toward New Destinations, gives our colleges and units a consistent framework to identify, quantify and report the initiatives they have undertaken to foster diversity, engagement and inclusion,” said Lynette Chappell-Williams, associate vice president for inclusion and diversity. “Our data reflect the complexity of our commitment to supporting and graduating our diverse students and to across-the-board excellence and achievement, embracing the full participation and inclusion of all members of our university community.”

In determining an institution’s commitment to and achievements in the areas of diversity and inclusion, INSIGHT Into Diversity took into account employee satisfaction surveys; accessibility accommodations; offices that deal with concerns or issues of underrepresented minorities; efforts to contract with diverse employers in the area; and the existence of affinity or employee resource groups for faculty and staff, including veterans.

INSIGHT Into Diversity also factored each institution’s written diversity plan, diversity recruitment policies and initiatives; leadership involvement in diversity efforts; organizational structures or peer mentoring programs that support those efforts; diversity training offered to supervisors, faculty, staff, students and employee/student search committee members; awards offered to individuals for their diversity efforts; and graduation rates at the undergraduate and graduate levels.