University News

UNIVERSITY NEWS

WCU Earns Fifth HEED Award
for Excellence in Advancing DEI

For the fifth consecutive year, West Chester University has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This national honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“The HEED Award demonstrates engagement in a wide array of best practices, in addition to innovation and a collective commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This award is all about what we do, not just what we say,” said Dr. Tracey Robinson, WCU vice president for the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “We are so proud to receive this national recognition for the fifth time. Diversity is broadly defined and this award recognizes how the University serves all students.”

West Chester was recognized for these diversity and inclusion efforts:

The COMPASS (Commitment to the Objective of Mentoring Perseverance, Achievement, Sustainability, and Success) Program, which had an 87% student retention rate.
The 50th Anniversary of the Gordon Natural Area, which featured new signage that was translated into the Lenape language followed by the English language. In part, this was a partnership with the Delaware Tribe of Indians.
The expansion of services and outreach to pregnant and parenting students.
The Moon Shot for Equity mission to close equity gaps through strategic efforts to eliminate barriers such as hold reform, proactive advising with technology, transfer pathways, and more.

“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. “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.”

As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, West Chester will be featured, along with 113 other recipients, in the November/December 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.

Since its inception in 2012, the HEED Award has been the only national honor to recognize institutions of higher education for their outstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The HEED Award demonstrates engagement in a wide array of best practices, in addition to innovation and a collective commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

LSAMP GRANT/SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM

The University welcomed the first Keystone scholars just before the beginning of the fall semester for a two-week summer bridge program. These first-year students are science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors recruited through the National Science Foundation (NSF)-Keystone Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. The scholars received a stipend plus funds for housing, transportation, and supplies to participate in the bridge program, where they engaged in a boot camp designed to build a cohort, increase their confidence in math skills, and give them hands-on experience with hardware and software. WCU is one of four PASSHE institutions funded through the NSFKeystone LSAMP program for $3.5 million, with the sub-award to WCU for $804,108.

Pictured (L-R) are Keystone scholars Samuel Smalls, Jesus Alejandro Agelvis, Candace Brewer, Mah-Binto Traore, Sofie Voldstad, Charlize Crosby, Marian Kosh Quisiah, and Comfort Johnson.

For the Third Year, WCU Recognized as One of the 50 Most Community-minded Employers in the Philadelphia Region

During the first summer 2024 session, 28 students participated in the University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI), working on projects they had proposed in fields as varied as music studio technology, forensic toxicology, athletic training, stream ecology, and physics. For the first time, SURI also included a study abroad experience overseen by two College of Education and Social Work faculty members. Nearly three-quarters of this year’s cohort plan to attend graduate school or go into a field that focuses on research. Approximately one-third of the applicants identify as under-represented minorities, an increase from just over one-quarter in 2023. Undergraduates worked one-on-one with their faculty mentors, met weekly as a group, and presented preliminary reports at a closing event. Students receive a stipend to support their work.

For the third consecutive year, West Chester University has been recognized with the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia Award.

The awards are presented by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia (the Chamber), in partnership with globally recognized nonprofit Points of Light, lead partner the Philadelphia Foundation, and other local partners. Modeled after Points of Light’s national program, Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia provides a standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how employers use their time, skills, and resources to drive social impact in their communities and companies.

The Civic 50 honorees are both private and public companies and other employers in the Philadelphia region. They have been selected based on four dimensions of their community engagement programs:

Investment of resources
Integration across business functions
Institutionalization through policies and system
Impact measurement

“We are thrilled to be a Civic 50 honoree for the third year in a row,” said Rita Patel-Eng, senior director of the University’s Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact. “This impactful work is only possible through a community of educators dedicated to bringing the WCU mission to life: to develop graduates to succeed personally, professionally, and contribute to the common good. This honor is earned by our students, faculty, and staff who believe in making a difference in our community.”

WCU engages communities on the global, national, state, and local levels. Service learning is an integral component of many courses at West Chester and the keystone of the Honors College. As a public state institution, WCU’s primary community-engagement efforts focus on addressing community-identified needs throughout the Southeastern Pennsylvania region, encompassing Philadelphia and Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester counties.

“The Chamber is proud to recognize West Chester University as a 2024 honoree of the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia,” said Chellie Cameron, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber. “Each of this year’s honorees is a valued member of Greater Philadelphia’s business community, exemplifying what it means to be a positive corporate citizen and demonstrating the power of service.”

Pictured at the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia Award announcement are (L-R)
Helen Hammerschmidt, associate vice president for communication, operations, and strategy, WCU Provost Office, and Rita Patel-Eng, senior director, WCU Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact.