Hope College receives recognition for its diversity for the second year in a row

Hope College is one of 108 institutions to be recognized by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award, an honor that Hope College has now earned two years in a row. 

According to an article on Hope College’s website, Lenore Pearlstein, who is the publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, discussed the criteria that must be met in order for a school to earn the recognition: “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. 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 reasons Hope College was selected for this honor are the school’s Steps2Success program, which aims to assist diverse incoming students succeed on campus, the Hope-Western Prison Education program, which helps educate men who are incarcerated in Muskegon Correctional Facility, and Hope College’s Multicultural Student Organizations.

 Vice president for culture and inclusive excellence at Hope College, Dr. Sonja Trent-Brown, calls it a “blessing” that Hope College was recognized for the second consecutive year. She went on to note, “We are called to love and honor one another, live in harmony together, and practice hospitality. Each day, students, staff and faculty of the Hope community actively make contributions to Hope being a place that is faithful, welcoming, and transformational and an environment in which persons from every tribe, language, people and nation can flourish. Those efforts are motivated by the hearts, heads, and hands of Hope’s people and even though they’re not seeking an award when they engage, the recognition of an honor like the HEED Award celebrates everyone’s efforts and contributions.”

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the largest publication that is focused on diversity in higher education. More information about the publication, including past issues of the magazine, can be found at its website.

For more information about Hope College, visit the school’s website.