Trinity College Wins HEED Award for the Third Consecutive Year

Ini-Oluwa Adegbayi ’28

News Editor

Trinity College has been named a recipient of the 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award by Insight Into Academia magazine, marking the institution’s third consecutive year receiving the national recognition. Trinity is among 50 undergraduate institutions to receive the 2025 HEED Award, according to Trinity’s website.The HEED Award honors colleges and universities in the United States and Canada that demonstrate sustained commitment to academic excellence and community-building through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anita Davis noted that, “The HEED Award is recognition of the work of many people at Trinity who have strived to create a more inclusive campus environment over the years. It reflects our collective commitment, effort, and progress. We should be proud of this award.” 

According to the College, applications for the HEED Award are evaluated across categories including recruitment, retention, leadership, programs, policy and institutional climate. Davis added that the College’s approach to DEI has evolved as community participation has grown: “Our work is continuous as a college, so perhaps the biggest evolution has been that each year since my arrival, this work has become increasingly embraced as a collective effort, not just the efforts of one department,” she said.  

  Recent institutional initiatives were also identified as contributing to this year’s recognition. Davis cited the 2024 formal adoption of the College’s Land Acknowledgement Statement by the Board of Trustees and the work of the Land Acknowledgement Steering Committee. She also referenced the Student Emergency and Equity Fund launched in 2019 to assist students facing unexpected financial challenges. “To date, members of the Trinity community, including trustees, alumni, faculty and staff, have contributed more than $300,000 to the Fund. This year, the College added resources to the fund’s budget which significantly has increased our ability to sustain the commitment,” Davis said.  

Trinity measures its progress in areas related to diversity and inclusivity beyond awards by using both external benchmarks and internal feedback. Davis explained that the College uses independent assessments such as the Campus Pride Index, noting, “Since Trinity began participating in the index more than 10 years ago, the College’s rating has increased from 3.5 to 5. We are one of only 30 campuses nationwide with a score of 5 this year, out of hundreds of schools. Internally, departments and organizations across campus regularly seek input from students, faculty and staff in a range of formats including discussions, short surveys and program evaluations to implement actions that are responsive to what we learn.”  

The Office of Communications and Marketing also plays a role in ensuring that DEI efforts are understood within the campus community. Vice President of Communications and Marketing Hellen Hom-Diamond stated: “Storytelling, social media and our publications are powerful tools for getting the story heard. The best way to recognize the work is by elevating individual stories through news stories that are promoted across channels.” She also discussed the collaborative work involved in preparing award applications, stating, “Davis’ office leads the efforts starting at the Executive Leadership Team level and vice presidents. There is a lot to collect (i.e., information, data, write-ups) and communications assists with editing.”  

Looking ahead, the DEI office has outlined several goals following its third consecutive HEED award. Davis said, “This fall, we initiated a series of conversations and invited every member of our campus community to discuss what we value in how we make belonging possible for all. In the spring semester, we will launch a new survey to better understand what experiences promote or diminish a sense of community for students, faculty, and staff. We will work with faculty, staff and student governance groups and campus partners in an effort to obtain as much feedback as possible to inform our ongoing efforts to strengthen our community.”