September 10, 2026

WCU Recognized with Insight Into Academia 2026 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award

The Honorable Lillian DeBaptiste ’74, mayor of the Borough of West Chester, delivered the 2025 Annual Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste Frederick Douglass Institute Lecture.For the sixth time, WCU has earned the 2026 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the oldest and largest publication focused on best practices in higher education. The HEED Award is a prestigious honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging, and community-building across all levels of campus life.

“The HEED Award demonstrates engagement in a wide array of best practices, in addition to innovation and a collective commitment to excellence. This award is all about what we do, not just what we say,” said Dr. Tracey Robinson, WCU vice president for the Division for Access, Compliance, and Engagement. “We are so proud to receive this national recognition for the sixth time. This award recognizes how well the University serves all students.”

West Chester was recognized for these diversity and inclusion efforts, among others:

  • The University’s Frederick Douglass Institute hosted the annual DeBaptiste Douglass Lecture recognizing America250 with a keynote lecture, “The Struggle for Democracy and Justice In America: What Would Frederick Douglass Do?”
  • The University’s Parenting Pathways Program sponsored the annual Parenting Student Graduation Celebration in which students’ children are provided with a special cord to bestow upon their parents in advance of the University’s formal commencement ceremonies. The Parenting Pathways initiative includes mini-grants, supportive resources, and community events throughout the year. 

“We use a detailed scoring process as well as a holistic approach to reviewing each application to determine who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,” said Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of Insight into Academia magazine.

WCU will be featured along with 60 other recipients in the October 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine. For more information about the 2026 HEED Award, visit insightintoacademia.com.

Group shot during the annual Parenting Student Graduation CelebrationDuring the annual Parenting Student Graduation Celebration, students’ children can opt to present their parents with a special cord prior to the University’s commencement ceremonies.