ORLANDO, Florida -- Division II's problems with gender and ethnic diversity will not be solved overnight, but those attending a February 2 leadership summit agreed that the journey to a more inclusive climate should begin immediately.

The participants listened to NCAA research that revealed limited professional opportunities for women and ethnic minorities within Division II. The numbers, which are exceedingly low when historically Black colleges and universities are removed, have shown little change over a decade.

The session included athletics administrators, executives from key NCAA affiliated organizations and -- perhaps most significantly -- five chief executive officers from Division II institutions. Although a clear consensus was hard to identify, one prominent conclusion was that the time has arrived to try something different.

Any goals that are developed will find a target-rich environment. Only 6.8 percent of the Division II head coaches identified in the most recent NCAA racial demographics study were minority. Almost two-thirds of Division II women's teams are coached by men. Of the non-HBCUs that responded to the survey, not a single one reported having a minority head football coach.

It's about process

The participants focused on how hiring processes must be improved before meaningful change can occur. In that vein, Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches Association (BCA), said that any personnel search should consider the following elements:

Who is involved with the search team?

What is the gender and ethnic diversity of the search team?

Does the search have a realistic time frame?

Is the search consistent with the institution's affirmative-action principles?

Dale Clayton, assistant director of athletics at Carson-Newman College, said that while process is important, the importance of CEO support cannot be overstated.

"Few hiring committees are a committee of one," he said. "Final approval almost always rests with the presidents. They should be more decisive in the hiring role, and also with the process."

Henderson State University President Charles Dunn agreed and said that Division II presidents might be asked to "take a pledge" to commit to hiring practices similar to those that Keith outlined. Presidents could literally sign a pledge and be prominently listed as signatories by groups such as the NCAA and the BCA.

"I think President Dunn is on to something with the 'Take the Pledge' idea," said Augusta State University Athletics Director Clint Bryant, who moderated the program. "It would be huge if we could get buy-in from presidents that there will be a greater commitment to institutional diversity."

Chadron State College President Thomas Krepel also suggested that Division II and the NCAA should consider fellowships in which minority administrators would be welcomed to campuses such as Chadron State, located in rural Nebraska where the ethnic minority population is low.

Krepel also said that Division II needs to establish a number of achievable goals with regard to diversity. "We have lots of data, but the data don't tell us what the target should be," he said.

However, Krepel said Division II should be careful about setting national standards for diversity hiring since compliance could be difficult for institutions in remote locations, such as Chadron State.

The program included presentations from assorted affiliated member organizations that have worked to diversify hiring and participation within intercollegiate athletics. Groups making presentations included the American Football Coaches Association, the BCA, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the National Federation of State High School Associations, and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and the Committee on Women's Athletics also made presentations.

The presentations helped raise awareness of programs that could help with the solution. In that regard, the presidents and other participants spoke of the need to compile and communicate a set of best practices to Division II members.

After hearing the presentations, Bryant said, "How do we get information to our members and coaches about the resources that are available? Maybe the job is not inventing anything new but better utilizing what we have."

While all of the participants wanted to see movement sooner rather than later, St. Cloud State University President Roy Saigo said he sees little additional need to talk about the problem. He wants less money spent on meetings and more on resources, such as scholarships, directed at making an immediate impact.

Bryant, who was among those who conceived Division II's Strategic Alliance Matching Grant Program, said that any improvement would be welcome in light of the division's diversity flat line over the past decade.

Dunn acknowledged Bryant's frustrations but said that women and minorities should demand more of the system. "The comments I hear are rarely about how we are going to expand our opportunities further," he said. "We need to rattle that cage. I come here and I feel the urgency a little. But I don't see it out in the field."

Perhaps that is about to change.

Success factors

Black Coaches Association Executive Director Floyd Keith cited four factors that must be addressed before progress can be made with diversity hiring in Division II:

Knowledge and awareness. All parties involved in the hiring process must know where to turn to find viable candidates who can diversity the candidate pool.

Accountability. Keith said that Title IX would not have been as successful as it has been if not for being backed by the force of federal law. An individual on campus must be responsible for making certain that searches are fair.

Political and financial influences. Keith said that Division II shouldn't be misled because there is less money than at the Division I level. In fact, the financial pressures are relative, he said.

Development. Organizations that are in a position to make a difference must take the responsibility for developing and maintaining candidate lists.