Look around collegiate athletics and you will see a mirror of our increasingly diverse society. Unfortunately, there is one notable and glaring exception -- administrative athletics executives. The lack of minority athletics directors and conference commissioners remains an embarrassment, and yet little if any progress is being made.

In recent days we have seen task forces, summits and statements addressing a number of issues in intercollegiate athletics (all of which have been important) and none have addressed the continuation of the obvious imbalance that exists.

The perception is that it's OK to have students of color help garner hundreds of millions of dollars for institutions and programs, but that is where the opportunities stop. One doesn't need to go very far to find verification of this dismal failing. A quick glance at the demographic information provided by the NCAA over the years shows that our member institutions have an abysmal hiring record in this area. A look at conference commissioner positions shows the same or worse. Fortunately, the NCAA national office has taken a different approach and has done more than "talk the talk."

Even more distressing is the exodus of qualified minorities from the profession who are frustrated by being in the pool for positions only to have individuals with fewer credentials or administrative experience being hired. We all know the "game" of posting the position, knowing full-well that the search process is merely an exercise when the former star quarterback or a booster or bank president is hired. In reality, we know in these days of financial strains, someone needs to be in the position to connect with the alumni with deep pockets.

I have served as a conference executive director for more than nine years, and with only one brief exception, I have represented the "1" in the demographics of conference commissioners in positions other than those of historically black conferences. I am not so naive or egotistical to believe that I am, or have been, the only qualified minority to serve as a conference executive. I have never been one to use words ending with "ism" either in race or gender, but one cannot help wonder why the situation has not been seriously addressed at any level with the exception of the national office.

We see the obligatory statement with every athletics administrative position opening (women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply) and if you view this statement from this side of the ledger, it is hollow and only used as a premise to placate the affirmative action office on campus and demonstrate that at least we had "some" in the pool. In a recent search process that I am familiar with, candidates from several under-represented groups were in the pool and made the on-campus interviews, which was initially encouraging and perhaps gave the appearance that the institution was serious about hiring a minority as its athletics director. There were two minority sitting ADs along with the institution's football coach with no administrative experience. You can guess who got the job. What are we left to believe? What perception are we left with when this scenario is played out time after time with similar results?

With several minority assistant and associate ADs at our member institutions, are we to believe they are only there as recruiting tools and for the sake of appearance? Knowing these individuals, I know they are competent, quality professionals deserving of opportunities to lead and direct athletics programs. If our student-athletes of color aspiring to enter the profession are to understand that the institutional doors are not closed to them after their eligibility is exhausted, we need a dramatic alteration in hiring practices.

I realize that in our profession, we don't like discussing this topic in the open, but unless we begin to seriously address the issue and do so openly, history will continue to be repeated. I am not here to demand reverse discrimination -- I am here to bring this topic out in the open instead of confined to the hallways and corners of our meetings. It is time, past time, that we seriously address this issue.

Carlyle Carter is the executive director of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.