Mar. 7, 2018
Yakima City Council Honors Central Washington University's Diversity Efforts
Yakima Mayor Kathy Coffey, acting on behalf of the Yakima City Council, has proclaimed 2018 as the official "Central Washington University Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Year."
The proclamation was approved at the council's March 6 meeting.
The recognition honors CWU for receiving the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity or HEED award for the third time in the past four years. The award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine honors universities that demonstrate clear leadership and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
"Central Washington University has become a nationally-recognized leader in promoting and ensuring diversity and inclusion on campus through a wide variety of programs, initiatives, hiring practices, and much more," said Yakima Mayor Kathy Coffey.
"The Yakima City Council is proud to celebrate Central's tremendous achievement in earning its third Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award. It is truly a great accomplishment," Coffey added.
According to the proclamation, CWU is being recognized because it "has made it a priority to create a strong tradition as a diverse, student-centered university rich in ideas, in experiences, and in speech, and that prides itself in building the lives, careers, learning, and positive future of all students."
It also applauds Central's administration, employees, and students for working together to broaden diversity and inclusion on campus. About one-third of CWU students are people of color and enrollment of Hispanic students stands at more than 15 percent.
"It is such an honor to be recognized with this proclamation from the Yakima City Council because this has truly been a campus-wide effort," said CWU President James L. Gaudino. "Our commitment to diversity and inclusivity is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of our students, faculty, and staff, who all believe that our differences are what makes us stronger as an institution."
Media contact: Richard Moreno, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-2714, Richard.Moreno@cwu.edu.