For the third time, it's received the HEED award or Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award from INSIGHT into Diversity magazine.
Dr. Monica Smith is the Vice President of the diversity office at Augustana.
“And it really looks at how institutions are intentional around diversity, equity, and inclusion across the campus in terms of initiative, policy, practices, as well as outcomes.”
Smith says 103 institutions received this national award.
And one of the main reasons Augustana was recognized was its minority graduation rates.
“Black men have a 46 to 48 percent retention rate in college. Augustana, our latest data says we are retaining our black men though graduation at about 80 percent.”
The award is also based on a college's programs, outreach, recruitment, and hiring practices.
Previously, Augustana won the HEED award in 2019 and 2020.