Berklee Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity 2022 HEED Award

Berklee 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 recipient of the HEED Award, a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, Berklee will be featured, along with 102 other recipients, in the magazine's November issue.

“We've been through an intense period of self-examination leading to steady change, with our community pushing us to transform our intentions of becoming a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable college into concrete actions and tangible results," said Lacretia Johnson Flash, Berklee's vice president of diversity and inclusion. "We are on a long journey, and though much work remains ahead of us, this award shows us that our sustained multi-pronged approach to DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] work is the right path."

To build on the momentum of the HEED Award, Berklee will be forming a Campus Climate Council. Made up of students, faculty, and staff, the council will support the greater coordination of the strategy, transparency, and accountability of DEI efforts across the institution.

Other recent Berklee DEI milestones and initiatives include the following:

Key Hires

In alignment with Berlee’s plan to address systemic racism, several critical leadership hires have been made in the past year. In August 2021, Dr. Emmett Price III was named the inaugural dean of Berklee's Africana Studies Division. In October 2021, Natara Gray joined Berklee as the inaugural assistant dean of admissions for diversity and inclusion recruitment.

DEI Training and Programs

Based on strong calls from students and many others, Berklee will be launching a new DEI training platform this fall. Meanwhile, new programs such as the Community Space for Conversation series will gather members of the Berklee community together in a dialogue about the intersections of current events, the arts, and identity.

Departmental DEI Groups

Multiple departments across the institution formed DEI committees, focusing on efforts to expand representation in the curriculum, integrate inclusive and antiracist practice and pedagogy, promote opportunities for antiracism discussion and learning among faculty, and targeted networking. 

Learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Berklee. For more information about the 2022 HEED Award, visit insightintodiversity.com.