Trinity College Receives 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction Award
Trinity College was named recently as a recipient of the 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award by Insight into Academia magazine, a leader in advancing best practices in higher education excellence. Trinity has received this recognition for three consecutive years.
The HEED Award honors colleges and universities across the United States and Canada that demonstrate a strong, sustained commitment to academic excellence and community-building across all levels of campus life. Trinity is among 50 undergraduate institutions to receive the 2025 HEED Award.
Anita A. Davis, vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Trinity, said that this continued recognition demonstrates a collective commitment to making Trinity a place where every member of the community feels a sense of belonging. “We take very seriously our responsibility to remove barriers that would interfere with community members’ ability to thrive,” Davis said. “One significant example of this is the Student Emergency and Equity Fund, which supports students in a range of areas including study away experiences, medical expenses, emergency travel, and food insecurity. Last year, the fund supported more than 300 students.”
While the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plays a significant role in leading Trinity’s inclusive excellence endeavors, Davis said that partners across campus and in the broader Hartford community make this work possible and more impactful. “During the 2024-2025 academic year, my office engaged in more than 120 events with more than 80 collaborating partners and more than 5,200 participants,” Davis added. “As we pause to acknowledge this great honor, we also recognize that there is still work to be done and it will require all of us. I am incredibly excited about the campuswide values conversations that will soon be underway and the opportunity they will provide students, faculty, and staff to help shape our ongoing institutional efforts.”
The prestigious HEED Award celebrates institutions that have implemented comprehensive strategies to support excellence in student success, employee recruitment and retention, and welcoming environments where everyone can achieve success. Applications are evaluated across recruitment, retention, policy, programs, leadership, and more. Earning the HEED Award places an institution among a nationally recognized cohort of changemakers.
Trinity College President Dan Lugo said, “Receiving the HEED Award for excellence in higher education for a third consecutive year is a tremendous testament to our community-wide commitment to ensuring that every member of the Trinity community feels a genuine sense of belonging. I am excited to continue our commitment to this important work and build upon our nationally recognized strengths.”
Trinity and the other HEED Award honorees will be celebrated in the October 2025 issue of Insight into Academia magazine.
For more information about the 2025 HEED Award, click here.
