ACE President, Board Chair Urge Leaders to Sign Pledge
The
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) today asked presidents
and chancellors at NCAA member institutions to affirm their commitment
to ethnic, racial and gender diversity when conducting searches for
athletics administrators.
All presidents and chancellors—as well as athletics conference
commissioners—in Divisions I, II and III are encouraged to sign a pledge
approved Aug. 3 by the NCAA Board of Governors. It also is endorsed by
the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.
In a statement,
ACE President Molly Corbett Broad and Board Chair John J. DeGioia,
president of Georgetown University (DC), gave their full support to the
NCAA’s effort and urged campus leaders to support the pledge, calling
intercollegiate athletics programs “a visible and important extension of
institutional missions” that should be a part of the dialogue on campus
diversity.
The NCAA said in a news release
that while many colleges and universities have become more proactive on
diversity initiatives, progress has been slow. An NCAA survey from
2014-15 found that fewer than 10 percent of athletics directors are
African-American; minorities hold only 13 percent of leadership
positions in athletics administration; and only 40 percent of head
coaching positions in women’s sports are held by women.
Colleges, universities and athletics conferences that commit to the pledge will be recognized in a public listing on the NCAA’s website.
Full text of the pledge
“Consistent with our mission and values, [NAME OF NCAA MEMBER HERE], a
member institution of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA), pledges to specifically commit to establishing initiatives for
achieving ethnic and racial diversity, gender equity and inclusion with a
focus and emphasis on hiring practices in intercollegiate athletics to
reflect the diversity of our membership and our nation.
“We recognize and value the experiences individuals from diverse
backgrounds bring to intercollegiate athletics. To that end, we will
strive to identify, recruit and interview individuals from diverse
backgrounds in an effort to increase their representation and retention
as commissioners, athletics directors, coaches and other athletics
leadership positions. As part of this commitment we will also engage in a
regular diversity, inclusion and equity review to inform campus policy
and diversity initiatives
“We understand this to be a collective responsibility we owe to
student-athletes, staff, our athletics programs and the entire campus
community.”