Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Houston Honored for Commitment to Diversity

  • 10/16/17

HOUSTON, TX – The University of Houston (UH) and two of its divisions have been honored with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for the second year in a row.

The HEED awards, presented by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, are the only national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion across their campus.

In addition to the university-wide award, the UH Law Center and UH College of Nursing were honored. Both colleges and the university received the awards in 2016, as well.

"I am elated that the University of Houston has distinguished itself on the forefront of diversity for a second year" says Paula Myrick Short, UH senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. "Last year, UH made history as the first institution to win three HEED awards in a single year, and it is gratifying to know that we are continuing to move the needle on diversity at our university."

The university is one of the most ethnically diverse in the country. For the 2016-17 academic year, 29.2 percent of students were Hispanic, 26.8 percent were white, 20.6 were Asian-American and 9.7 percent were African-American. Almost 10 percent were international students. Three percent identified as multiracial. UH also has focused on improving faculty diversity, aided in part by a $3.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty in science, engineering and other technical fields.

Although the numbers remain small, the number of underrepresented minorities hired for STEM and social and behavioral sciences faculty jobs at UH doubled between 2015-16 and 2016-17. University-wide, the increase in underrepresented minority faculty in tenured and tenure-track positions has increased by 23 percent over a three-year period.

Law Center Dean Leonard Baynes says the HEED award highlights not just the numbers, but the impact of the numbers.

"It is a humbling experience for the Law Center to be recognized two years in a row. It shows that the Law Center's considerable efforts at diversity and inclusion are garnering notice," he says. "But most importantly, it is satisfying that our programs are having an impact in everyday people's lives."

Kathryn Tart, founding dean of the College of Nursing, said increasing the diversity of the college's student body is essential for the health care workforce of the future.

"This builds a critical connection between culturally diverse health-care providers and culturally competent patient care," she says.

Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, said HEED award winners are chosen based on recruitment and retention of students and employees, along with leadership support for diversity and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion.

"We take a holistic approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient," she says. "Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across their campus."

UH is recognized as the second-most diverse public research university in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. It is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian-American Native-American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) by the U. S. Department of Education.

For more information about the 2017 HEED Award, visit www.insightintodiversity.com.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.