A decade of honors: K-State receives 10th consecutive HEED Award
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023
MANHATTAN — Insight Into Diversity magazine has recognized Kansas State University for the 10th consecutive year with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity, or HEED, Award for its commitment to a welcoming environment.
The award is presented to U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. K-State will be featured in the November issue of the Insight Into Diversity magazine.
As a next-generation land-grant university, K-State is committed to educational access for all and is dedicated to creating an environment of belonging and well-being. K-State offers resources, activities and services that help support students, close equity gaps and provide financial support. These services and programs also improve student retention and persistence to graduation.
"K-State continues to make steady progress with our programs to create a sense of community and address student equity gaps, which leads to more students completing degree programs and entering the workforce," said Rana Johnson, vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. "All students benefit from the services and programs we offer, and research shows it is vitally important for historically underrepresented students to experience a sense of belonging to achieve their greatest academic potential."
Student organizations play a pivotal role in building community at K-State. Students can choose from more than 400 clubs and organizations matching their interests and backgrounds. K-State also offers summer and transition programs to incoming first-year students to adjust to student life, including Multicultural Academic Program Success, K-State First and KOMPASS, a free, three-day extended summer orientation and freshman-year retention program.
To reduce financial barriers, K-State continues to increase need-based scholarships and aid. In 2023, the university introduced the K-State Land Grant Promise grant that assures full-time, Pell-eligible undergraduates with a total household income of $70,000 or less will receive a total grant and scholarship aid package up to the equivalent costs of 15 credit hours of in-state tuition.
K-State is one of 109 higher education institutions to be nationally recognized by the magazine and the only Kansas institution to be recognized. Insight Into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
