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By Kyle Hobstetter on October 21, 2020

Since Leah Cox arrived on campus in 2017, she has made it her mission to help Towson University become a national model of equity and inclusion.

Cox, TU鈥檚 first vice president of inclusion & institutional equity, and her staff in the Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity (OIIE) have worked to foster a university climate that is grounded in respect, civility and inclusion. 

This work is now being recognized by Insight into Diversity magazine, which awarded Towson University its first . TU is the only higher education institution in the state of Maryland to receive the honor and one of 90 across the nation.

For Cox, receiving this honor underlines what TU is doing to promote diversity and inclusion on campus. 

鈥淭his award is one that 麻豆传媒 across the nation are excited to receive,鈥� Cox says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an award given by individuals who are also working on diversity issues in higher education. They understand the hard work that diversity specialists do on our campuses.鈥�

The HEED Award is open to all colleges and 麻豆传媒 across the U.S. and Canada and measures an institution鈥檚 level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff. 

Applications are comprehensive, covering all aspects of campus diversity and inclusion. One of the goals of the process is to help institutions assess their diversity efforts to build on their success and improve where necessary.

Brian Jara, coordinator of diversity training & initiatives in OIIE, says being presented with this award shows that TU is continuing its momentum in diversity and inclusion.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 do this work for accolades, but occasionally it鈥檚 nice to be validated,鈥� Jara says. 鈥淭his award shows that we are moving in the right direction. And we're going to continue to push ourselves to help guide the university.鈥�

When filling out the application, the OIIE team highlighted three initiatives: 

• BTU 鈥� Partnerships for Greater Baltimore.
  

BTU and the Towson University Partnerships Office are committed to equity as a central lens for what they do. BTU elevates the work already being done with TU鈥檚 partners throughout greater Baltimore to better address the needs of the region. 

• Dialogue at TU

Dialogue@TU provides opportunities for the entire campus to learn the theory and practice of dialogue as a useful skill in navigating frank discussions about our identities and social justice. Formerly known as the Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) Program, Dialogue@TU continues to embed a dialogue component in select courses while also expanding the reach of dialogue training to all staff, faculty and, more recently, undergraduate and graduate student leaders. 

• TU Student Success Programs

Towson University鈥檚 Student Success Programs help students from diverse backgrounds succeed while at TU. One of the premier programs is Students Achieve Goals through Education (SAGE). 

SAGE fosters academic achievement, personal development and campus-wide involvement among new students from diverse backgrounds. The SAGE Learning Community offers first-generation, first-year college student mentees peer-to-peer mentorship living arrangements through Housing & Residence Life. 

By highlighting these three initiatives, OIIE showcased that inclusion and diversity isn鈥檛 siloed. It is a truly campus-wide effort. 

鈥淭his shows why we have such great momentum, because it's no longer the case that only one person in one position or one office is responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion,鈥� Jara says. 鈥淲hen I started here four years ago, President [Kim] Schatzel regularly said diversity was everybody鈥檚 job. So, it makes sense that we鈥檙e seeing initiatives worthy of national recognition coming out of different departments.鈥�

OIIE wants to remind students that they can still get involved with helping TU become a more diverse and inclusive community. This includes being a part of student organizations and sharing their voice. 

鈥淲e are consistently providing education, training, programs and support to create a place of belonging,鈥� Cox says. 鈥淲e encourage all members of the community鈥攕tudents, faculty and staff鈥攖o reach out, participate, learn more and engage in all of the cultural experiences that we have to offer.鈥�

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel鈥檚 priorities for Towson University: Diverse and Inclusive Campus.