Ļć½¶Ö±²„receives 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.āMississippi State is again among a select group of universities nationally recognized for outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
A 2021 recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, Mississippi State is the only Magnolia State college or universityāand one of only three in the Southeastern Conferenceāgarnering the achievement given by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Ļć½¶Ö±²„also received the HEED award in 2019.
Regina Hyatt, Ļć½¶Ö±²„vice president for student affairs, said itās an honor being one of only 101 universities across the nation recognized for campus-wide efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
āMississippi State continues to invest in making this a place where all students can succeed and where we have employees who value and embrace the diverse experiences of our students and each other,ā she said. āThrough our newly formed Division of Access, Diversity and Inclusion, we have significantly grown our human and programmatic resources to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse community and to help build capacity of the university community to ensure a welcoming and supportive environment for us all.ā
Among the universityās success stories in diverse programming are the Summer Bridge initiative with a commitment to grow the number of minority graduates from MSUās Bagley College of Engineering by increasing enrollment of women and African American students. First-year students are provided on-campus housing, class instructors, peer counselors, meal stipends, textbooks and materials during the five-week summer program at no cost.
Bullyās Closet and Pantry assists hundreds of Ļć½¶Ö±²„students experiencing food insecurity, a national problem that affects about 30% of college students. Nutritious food, toiletries and other basic necessities are available free of charge. Also, the university hosts an annual International Fiesta, a day of cultural exchange bringing student communities together and fostering ethnical pride through food, music, dance, games and more.
āOur growing diverse community enhances Mississippi State, an environment where students, faculty and staff are creating and nurturing spaces of belonging, developing interdisciplinary opportunities for increasing knowledge, and developing culturally enhanced programming,ā said Ļć½¶Ö±²„Vice President for Access, Diversity and Inclusion RaāSheda Forbes. āThe HEED award highlights that weāre committed to inclusive excellence at MSU.ā
In the fall of 2020, Ļć½¶Ö±²„created a senior-level administrative position to further advance the 143-year-old land grantās work of inclusive excellence on campus. Forbes was named the universityās vice president for access, diversity and inclusion. In this role, she oversees such initiatives as the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center; Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion; TRiO first-generation student program; Promise Program for economically challenged students; and Ļć½¶Ö±²„Thrive for those in the foster care system. This fall, Ļć½¶Ö±²„added another management position, assistant vice president for access, diversity and inclusion to further broaden these and other initiatives.
Ā This yearās HEED honorees will be featured in the November issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, which is available online at insightintodiversity.com.
For more on MSUās diversity and inclusion efforts, visit the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, ; the Division of Student Affairs, ; and the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, .
Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiās leading university, available online at .