CSUSM Wins National Diversity Award for 10th Straight Year

CSUSM has won a top national diversity award for the 10th year in a row. Photo by Ali Hoffman

Cal State San Marcos has received the 2023 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 HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — CSUSM will be featured along with 108 other recipients in the November/December 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

This marks the 10^th consecutive year that CSUSM has been named a HEED Award recipient. The university is one of only 21 schools that have won the award, which was instituted in 2012, at least 10 years in a row.

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected CSUSM based on the institution’s exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, and ability to support a broad definition of diversity on campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as all others.

“I am so proud that CSUSM has been recognized for the 10th consecutive year,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “This recognition truly speaks to the real understanding that each of us plays in making this university the best that it can be. I am so grateful to our students, faculty and staff who are so dedicated to creating a university of true belonging, and we will continue to work each day to maintain our focus on diversity, educational equity and social justice.”

CSUSM is one of just four CSU schools to win the HEED Award this year. The others are Cal State Los Angeles, Fresno State and San Diego State.

"A decade of dedication acknowledged at the national level is an accomplishment we can all be proud of," said Aswad Allen, CSUSM's chief diversity officer. "The many initiatives to create a healthy learning and working environment are a testament to our faculty and staff across campus."

For more information about the 2023 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com. For more information about diversity and inclusion at CSUSM, visit the Office of Inclusive Excellence at www.csusm.edu/equity or email diversity@csusm.edu.