SDSU’s Center for Inclusive Excellence receives national leadership award

San Diego State University’s Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE), the campus hub for information and professional learning on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, has been awarded the 2024 AASCU Excellence & Innovation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award.

Charles L. Welch, president and CEO of American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), said the selection was based on “outstanding results and potential to influence and serve as a model for other institutions.”

SDSU is among eight universities being recognized this year, a list that includes three other California State University campuses: San José State University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State LA.

“These members created outstanding programs and initiatives that have yielded results other institutions can aspire to achieve, while centering equity and student success in diverse communities. AASCU celebrates the ingenuity, hard work, and dedication of these exceptional state colleges and universities,” said Welch.

SDSU’s CIE uniquely focuses on building capacity for equity-minded work, serving as a comprehensive hub to establish common vocabulary and consistent messaging across all professional development programs. The CIE team works to ensure that equity-minded practices are embedded in various campuswide training, such as managerial workshops and new employee onboarding.

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“Since President Adela de la Torre arrived, San Diego State has established itself as a leader in the DEI space, particularly around building infrastructure that can support the work in an on-going and lasting way,” said Imazeki. “This award is a wonderful recognition of that innovative work.” 

At the program level, the CIE has been working to deepen understanding of identity, bias, privilege and institutional oppression, alongside advancing inclusive communication and equitable practices. Specific learning outcomes — such as distinguishing between equality, equity, and social justice — are assessed through pre- and post-assessments and participant surveys.

“CIE programming follows the scholarship that sustained and community-focused professional development is more likely to result in real change, far more than one-off required trainings,” said Imazeki. “What we strive to do in the CIE is help people understand that creating an equitable and inclusive environment isn’t some separate set of skills, it is an integral part of being successful at SDSU, no matter what your background or your role on campus.”  

Campuswide, CIE's efforts contribute to creating an inclusive environment, evidenced by a more diverse faculty, improved representation among tenure-track hires and “a stronger sense of belonging among historically marginalized groups,” said Imazeki.

Since CIE’s launch in 2019, SDSU's faculty has grown more diverse. The number of African-American faculty has nearly doubled, and the share of incoming tenure-track faculty that identify with underrepresented groups has increased from 13% to over 50%.

“The CIE is a great example of the institutional investment that defines SDSU’s approach to ensuring ‘equity and inclusion in everything we do,’” said Imazeki. “In order to make continual progress, we have to build the capacity of all members of the community to do the work effectively. At many institutions, this work is spread in pieces across different offices, or is being dismantled entirely. By having a dedicated space for this kind of professional development, we are emphasizing that equity-minded practices are ‘best practices.’”

SDSU and the other seven award recipients will be recognized during AASCU’s Annual Conference scheduled for Nov. 16-19 in Puerto Rico. E&I Awardees will receive an engraved sculpture or a monetary contribution to a chosen campus initiative, such as an on-campus food pantry or scholarship fund, the AASCU said.

2024 AASCU Excellence & Innovation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award recipients:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award:
San Diego State University – Center for Inclusive Excellence

Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award:
San José State University – Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline

International Education Award:
Prairie View A&M University (TX) – Comprehensive Campus Internationalization: Broadening Global Opportunities and Building Academic Leaders (B-Global) at Prairie View A&M University

Leadership Development and Diversity Award:
Western Carolina University (NC) – Senior Leadership Fellows Program

Stewards of Place Award:
University of Wisconsin-Stout – UW-Stout’s Cooperative Education & Internship Program

Student Success and College Completion Award:
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – Cal Poly Scholars

Sustainability and Sustainable Development Award:
Central Washington University – Central Washington University – Climate Change Action Plan

We the People Award: Excellence in Civic Learning and Community Engagement:
Cal State University, Los Angeles – Prison Graduation Initiative