Seminole State wins national award for advancing diversity

Seminole State College of Florida has been honored with the American Association of Community College’s 2020 Award of Excellence for Advancing Diversity. This national award recognizes that the College has contributed significantly, and over a sustained period, to advancing diversity in community college leadership, the community and within education as a whole.

“This recognition reflects Seminole State’s culture of student achievement,” said Seminole State President Dr. Georgia Lorenz, who accepted the award on the College’s behalf during a virtual awards ceremony Sept. 17. “Today it is more important than ever that Seminole State commits to reaching equity in educational outcomes for all students…Advancing diversity is a part of Seminole State’s daily work.”

Seminole State’s commitment to advancing diversity has been highlighted in various efforts, which include:

• Developing and implementing an action plan with a focus on improving achievement rates for African American males.
• Developing strategies that involve parents and families through events designed to prepare students for college
• Broadening community partnerships by reaching out to new populations for faculty and staff when recruiting for new positions.
• Participating in the 10-week Black Minds Matter program through San Diego State University, which aims to increase awareness of and involvement in equity-minded practices
• Providing implicit bias reduction training, which engaged more than 60 participants in the adjunct faculty academy and now is required for every employee
• Supporting the United Negro College Fund and Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations in the community
• Co-sponsoring the national Black, Brown and College Bound Summit in 2019 and 2020
• Implementing and supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives such as Women Moving Forward, LGBT+ Safe Space training and enhanced community engagement with underserved populations.

Seminole State will continue its efforts toward advancing equity and diversity with its 2025 Strategic Plan, which will launch this fall. “Seminole State has set a goal to achieve equity for all racial and ethnic groups in student completion and graduation rates,” Lorenz said. “While this is ambitious, we believe it is the ultimate metric related to diversity and inclusion. Equitable student success is our shared vision.”