Greenville Technical College (GTC) has received the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a six-time recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion — GTC is one of 103 institutions, one of only six community colleges, the only two-year college in South Carolina, and the only technical college in the country to be recognized.
“Even though we hold ourselves accountable for improvements in diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is important to be assessed by an external source,” said Dr. Keith Miller, president of Greenville Technical College. “The HEED award is a recognized, reputable, and significant award based on challenging metrics, and we are very proud to once again be named a winner.”
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected Greenville Technical College for the efforts the college is making to recruit, support, retain, and graduate historically underrepresented groups, including first-generation students. Other accomplishments leading to the award include efforts to increase the diversity of faculty and staff, draw from a diverse base of vendors, provide diversity training to all employees, and improve understanding of commonalities and differences concerning race, equity, cultural and social issues.
“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 magazine. “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.”