Produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications
Newsweek on Wednesday named the University of Maryland to its 2024 list of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, recognizing employers that are committed to recruiting and advancing individuals of different ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and abilities.
The second annual list features the top large and midsize companies recognized by their employees for respecting and valuing individuals from different walks of life. UMD was one of only 18 universities recognized, and one of six to earn the highest score of five stars.
The University of Maryland’s proactive measures to ensure all employees feel welcome include the TerrapinSTRONG onboarding initiative for new students and employees, which conveys the institution’s values of inclusion and transparency. Every college and division has a diversity officer, who supports diversity-related efforts within their respective units, and an equity administrator, who ensures that hiring practices align with UMD’s Equity Search and Selection Guidelines. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion supports the entire university community through educational programming, individual and unit consultation, equity and policy analysis, trauma-informed care, and more. Popular online resources include the anti-racism toolkit, antisemitism webinar series and accessibility guidance. Programs like ADVANCE and the FAMILE Initiative support the recruitment, retention, advancement and professional growth of a diverse faculty.
“To be nominated as America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity is a shared point of pride for our community,” said President Darryll J. Pines. “Together, we aim to create a welcoming environment for our faculty, staff and students. We remain committed to advancing our diversity initiatives to attract and retain the most talented faculty and staff.”
The magazine’s scoring process led by Plant-A Insights Group was based on factors including a review of publicly available data, monitoring of media coverage, interviews with HR professionals, and an anonymous online survey conducted among a diverse group of employees at companies in the U.S. It garnered 1.5 million company reviews with insights on corporate culture, working environments and other aspects of both their own companies and others they were familiar with.
The acknowledgment comes just a few months after UMD was recognized on Newsweek’s 2023 list of America’s Greatest Workplaces, one of only eight universities recognized among 1,000 major employers. The University of Maryland was also recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best-In-State Employers 2023 for the third consecutive year.
Maryland Today is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications for the University of Maryland community on weekdays during the academic year, except for university holidays.
Faculty, staff and students receive the daily Maryland Today e-newsletter. To be added to the subscription list, sign up here:
Subscribe