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Franklin & Â鶹´«Ã½É«ÇéƬ received the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — F&M will be featured, along with 102 other recipients, in the November 2022 issue of Insight Into Diversity.

"We are truly honored to receive this prestigious award, especially as an undergraduate liberal arts institution," said Franklin & Â鶹´«Ã½É«ÇéƬ President Barbara K. Altmann. "In the last few years, we have worked hard to make meaningful progress in a short amount of time, both in the sense of belonging on campus, and also with our dedicated Board of Trustees. Of course, there is always more good work to do. This award provides feedback on how we can keep making big strides, and some recognition and encouragement for the many members of our campus community who are helping us become a more inclusive, diverse, accessible and equitable campus."

Insight Into Diversity selected F&M based on a variety of initiatives undertaken in the last three years, including: completing a Campus Climate Survey and implementing many new initiatives, programs, and policy changes based on the survey's results; establishing an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and hiring the College's inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), inaugural Director of DEI Services, and inaugural Director of Faculty DEI Initiatives; forming a DEI team of professional staff for the campus; and placing DEI at the forefront of F&M's recently launched Strategic Plan.

"The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — leadership support for diversity, campus culture and climate, supplier diversity, and many other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion," said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of Insight Into Diversity. "We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus."