The University Athletic Association was named the NCAA Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative winner for March. The initiative recognizes and promotes outstanding diversity related projects, programming and initiatives that are occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices.
During Black History Month, the UAA honored more than 100 of its current and former student-athletes, coaches and administrators with social media posts consisting of multiple photos with a small biography of the individual.
Also during the month, Brandeis hosted a Black student-athlete get-together Feb. 24, the night before the 2023 UAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Black student-athletes from all seven competing institutions attended the event, which featured conversations, games, and food catered from a Black-owned restaurant. The event was the third consecutive such event at UAA track and field championships with Case Western Reserve (indoor) and Washington University in St. Louis (outdoor) hosting similar events in 2022.
As a core value, the NCAA believes in and is committed to diversity, inclusion and gender equity among its student-athletes, coaches and administrators. We seek to establish and maintain an inclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for student-athletes and career opportunities for coaches and administrators from diverse backgrounds. Diversity and inclusion improve the learning environment for all student-athletes and enhance excellence.
In January 2016, the NCAA Board of Governors unanimously approved a resolution to further the Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The resolution calls upon university chancellors and presidents to promote cultural diversity and provide the necessary resources to address it on their campuses. The board also announced the creation of a new ad hoc diversity and equity committee to monitor and report on the Association’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. The ad hoc committee encourages all presidents and chancellors at NCAA member colleges and universities to sign the NCAA Presidential Pledge that commits their schools to achieving ethnic and racial diversity and gender equity in college sports hiring practices. The pledge was developed out of a membership concern for the low representation of racial and ethnic minorities and women in coaching and athletics administration at all levels.
Division III, in partnership with the NCAA’s Office of Inclusion, provides educational resources, initiatives and programming, which enhances the foundations of a diverse and inclusive culture. Inclusion continues to be an important aspect of intercollegiate athletics, and the Division III governance structure collaborates with its 450 member institutions and 42 conference offices to support their diversity and inclusion goals.
At the 2015 NCAA Convention, the Division III delegates endorsed the creation of a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. The working group’s charge is to assess the current diversity and inclusion landscape within Division III, evaluate current initiatives, and propose next steps (e.g., resources, new initiatives, policies, etc.) to the membership.