Brown earns national recognition for commitment to diversity, inclusion

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Brown University has earned a 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award for its campus-wide commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion.

The award, announced on Thursday, Oct. 3, recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels of the institution, from strong leadership and supplier diversity, to sustained efforts to support a diverse community of students, faculty and staff. Recipients are chosen annually by Insight Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

Sylvia Carey-Butler, vice president for institutional equity and diversity at Brown, said the selection committee recognized Brown for its sustained, strategic commitment to strengthening diversity and inclusion on campus. This includes ongoing advancements underpinned by Brown's Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, an action plan to advance diversity, address barriers to inclusion and create a more equitable academic community.

"In the midst of a national climate in which diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are being threatened and dismantled, this award is a testament to Brown's unwavering commitment to supporting an inclusive community and serving as a national leader for diversity and inclusion," Carey-Butler said. "It recognizes the University's focus on the importance of diversity and inclusion in achieving the highest standards of academic excellence and research."

Recent advancements for which Brown was recognized with the award include a range of programming to broaden access and support for first-generation and low-income students, such as new pre-orientation programming, expanded academic support, and the Fall 2023 launch of the Kessler Scholars Program, which provides coordinated academic, financial and personal support for first-generation and low-income students through all four years of their undergraduate education.

Also during the last year, the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity led the University's 2023 Campus Climate Survey to identify areas to strengthen inclusion and belonging at Brown, spearheaded the commemoration of the 60^th anniversary of the pioneering Brown-Tougaloo Partnership, and broadened engagement with historically Black colleges and universities.

Carey-Butler also pointed to Brown's comprehensive supplier diversity plan and staff affinity groups among a range of examples that illustrate the University's commitment to prioritizing institutional equity in the broadest sense, a commitment rooted in Brown's mission to advance knowledge and understanding.

"Brown continues to be innovative in its work to transform the lived experiences of historically underrepresented faculty, staff and students, and that commitment has enriched the experiences of all members of the University community," Carey-Butler said.