Fresno State received the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from “INSIGHT Into Diversity” magazine, one of the nation’s largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, Fresno State will be featured along with 82 other recipients in the magazine’s November 2014 issue.

According to the magazine, Fresno State was selected for demonstrating exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as for embracing a broad definition of diversity on campus.

“At Fresno State we firmly believe that diversity is essential to our academic excellence,” said Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, vice president for Administration. “This is a campus where we celebrate differences and a diversity of thought and opinion is valued as a means of enriching knowledge.”

Teniente-Matson chairs the President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, a commission created to support diversity, equity and inclusion. Last year the commission launched A Strategic Plan for Inclusion, Respect and Equity (ASPIRE), a comprehensive plan to promote an atmosphere of acceptance and fairness on campus.

In the past year the commission has sponsored several initiatives, lectures and events including the establishment of gender neutral restrooms on campus, hosting forums on race relations and sponsoring a screening of “The Fresno Language Project.”

“We hope the HEED award serves as a way to honor those institutions of higher education that recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion as part of their everyday campus culture,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of “INSIGHT Into Diversity” magazine.

Below is a listing of current and past members of the President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity (PCHRE). In addition to the PCHRE, there are number of groups on campus who are helping to advance diversity issues across Fresno State.

Current PCHRE Members
Ronald Avedisian
Janice Brown
Michael Caldwell
Judy Clement
Lizabeth De La Cruz
Susan Elrod
Alex Espinoza
Brittany Grice
Susana Hernandez
Andrew Jones
Frank Lamas
Moses Menchaca
Lisa Misipeka
Dennis Nef
Francine Oputa
Jan Parten
Christina Roybal
Angel Sanchez
Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Chair
Brian Tsukimura
May Yang
 

Past Members
Juanita Aguilar
Ambar Alvarez-Soto
Sharon Brown-Welty
Gwen Burks
Juan Carlos Gonzalez
Selena Farnesi
Juanita Florence-Muniz
Xuanning Fu
Teresa Huerta
Ellen Junn
Susan Kotkin-Jaszi
Tina Leimer
Dawn Lewis
Arthur Montejano
Vongsavanh Mouanoutoua
Natalie Nakic
Ram Nunna
Liliana Oceguera
Paul Oliaro
Ivan Pagan
Carlos Perez
Jenelle Pitt
Elizabeth Potter
Ted Wendt
Paul Yunouye

 

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