This marks the second year that the NCAA and Texas A&M have partnered on the Diversity In Athletics awards.   Awards are presented for excellence in overall department diversity efforts in athletics, as well as diversity strategy, gender diversity, gender equity (Title IX proportionality), racial diversity and value and attitudinal diversity.   The NCAA and Texas A&M partnership seeks to generate in-depth diversity and inclusion research and identify NCAA institutions that embrace diversity and inclusion with their business practices in athletics.

This year, research was gathered on diversity efforts in Division III.   Research was gathered on Division I and II schools for their diversity efforts in athletics last year.   In 2010, research will be gathered on college and university athletics departments in all three NCAA divisions with the diversity awards being announced concurrently.  

“I’m pleased to see the number of schools in Division III that we will honor for their practices and continued commitment to diversity within their athletics department,” said Charlotte Westerhaus, NCAA vice president of diversity and inclusion.   “To say you are committed to diversity is a first step, but to be able to look at tangible numbers and see diversity in your student-athlete body and departmental staffing speaks more than words.  One of the goals in partnering with George Cunningham and his staff at Texas A&M was to be able to track the numbers and ideas to get a better sense of how our colleges and universities are doing when it comes to diversity and inclusion within athletics.    I’m proud to see athletics departments and Division III presidents embracing diversity and excellence, which is also a proud reflection on their college and university values overall.”

“This award is significant because it demonstrates that diversity is more than a theoretical concept,” said Dan Dutcher, NCAA vice president for Division III. “These institutions have demonstrated that diversity can be achieved on a very practical and personal level, further enhancing the educational experience of our student-athletes. These institutions can serve as a model and guide for the rest of our membership.”

“The number of Division III schools that scored well across all the categories was striking,” said George Cunningham, director, Texas A&M University Laboratory for Diversity in Sport and chair of the Division of Sport Management in the Department of Health and Kinesiology.  “The institutions located in areas of the country that are not traditionally known as being diverse demonstrated exceptional dedication to diversity.  That just shows, I think, the overall commitment that they have to diversity and it’s not just in the one area or another, it’s across the board.  I think it points to the leadership of those schools, of the athletics department and the coaches and administrators in that department, that they really have a commitment to diversity.”

NCAA Division III colleges and universities honored for overall excellence in diversity in their athletics departments are:

Overall Excellence in Diversity

(Recognizes colleges and universities that have achieved overall excellence in diversity based on scores in each of the five categories.)

Carleton College,  Chatham University, Haverford College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Mary Baldwin College, New Jersey City University, Occidental College, University of Massachusetts, Boston, University of Wisconsin, Stout

In addition to the overall excellence in diversity category, colleges and universities are also recognized in five specific categories for their diversity efforts in athletics:  diversity strategy, gender diversity, gender equity (Title IX Proportionality), racial diversity and value and attitudinal diversity.  The categories were selected by the researchers at the Texas A&M Laboratory for Diversity in Sport.

NCAA Division III colleges and universities who earned specific Diversity in Athletics awards in five categories are:

Diversity Strategy

(Recognizes colleges and universities that excel in strategic areas centered on compliance with employment legislation, employment problems, recruitment and proactive measures involving individual differences.)

Augustana College (Illinois), Beloit College, Carleton College, Hood College, Lebanon Valley College, Martin Luther College, Mills College, Occidental College, Presentation College, University of Massachusetts, Boston, University of Rochester

Gender Diversity

(Recognizes colleges and universities that excel in gender diversity of department employees.)

College of Staten Island,  Endicott College, Haverford College, Salem College, Swarthmore College, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Washington College (Maryland), York College (Pennsylvania)

Gender Equity (Title IX Proportionality)

(Recognizes colleges and universities that adhere to Title IX guidelines centered on the proportion of female athletes relative to the proportion of female undergraduates.  Taken from U.S. Department of Education data.)

University of Texas at Dallas, New England College, Babson College, Connecticut College, State University of New York at Farmingdale, Thomas College, University of Wisconsin, Platteville