The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) used its January 24-25 meeting in Indianapolis to develop potential strategies for increasing the number of ethnic minorities hired in intercollegiate athletics.

The group believes more attention should be given to the hiring process and educating key stakeholders about the importance of diversity and inclusion. MOIC members discussed a number of strategies, such as conducting a summit, creating a task force on diversity, and developing a guide on how to identify minority candidates or conduct an inclusive search.

"At the heart of the discussion is whether the committee should be working to increase the number of ethnic minority candidates for athletics director and head coaching positions or focusing on increasing the number of ethnic minorities being hired," said Robert C. Vowels Jr., commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and chair of the MOIC. "The committee can't control how our member institutions and conferences hire, but we can prepare competitive talent for future opportunities and offer guidance in formulating effective strategies for selecting the best candidate for the job."

Vowels said in that regard, the MOIC is anticipating the selection of a new vice-presidential position at the national office that will oversee issues of diversity and inclusion. "We are looking forward to working together with this new office to effectively address these critical issues. It is our hope that whoever is hired would be experienced in the implementation of various approaches."

In a related matter, the MOIC reviewed plans to make an online employment registry for coaches and administrators available by this summer. The registry will allow individuals to create online resumes, and NCAA institutions will be able to search the registry by gender, ethnicity, level and years of experience. The site will include a disclaimer cautioning users that the NCAA will not be responsible for verifying resume information. Ultimately, the committee hopes to create an online portal through which individuals can access the registry, as well as a chat room and other diversity-related and employment resources.

"The need is great for resources to assist NCAA institutions in identifying qualified individuals, and specifically qualified ethnic minority candidates," Vowels said. "Though the process still requires due diligence, the committee is excited about providing this tool to the membership."

Other diversity issues

In other items, the MOIC reviewed an institutional self-evaluation developed at the request of the NCAA Executive Committee by NCAA staff and sent to schools that use American Indian mascots. As part of the voluntary self-evaluation, schools were asked to clarify their position on the continued use of American Indian mascots based on NCAA constitutional amendments that establish the Association's commitment to the values of diversity, respect and nondiscrimination. In-
stitutions also were asked to provide information on their educational and outreach initiatives related to American Indians. Completed self-evaluations are due at the national office by May 1.

According to Vowels, the committee will develop a response to those findings during the MOIC's June meeting.

The group also heard updates on a number of initiatives, including the NCAA internship program and the NCAA Coaches Academy. Members noted that 282 applications were submitted for the 2005-06 class of national office interns, an increase of more than 40 from the previous year and more than 100 from the 2003-04 academic year. The committee continues to encourage greater numbers of ethnic minority males to apply to the program.

The committee discussed broadening the stated mission of the NCAA Coaches Academy to encompass more sports. Currently, the program's mission is to increase the number of ethnic minority head football coaches in Division I-A through training and professional development. However, from the beginning, the committee intended the Coaches Academy to address multisport needs, and given the significant disparities in football, it was chosen as the committee's initial point of emphasis. But the group feels that the mission presently in place may be too narrow and may divert attention from the lack of ethnic minority coaches in Divisions I-AA, I-AAA, II and III as well as in sports other than football. The committee believes deleting the reference to a specific division and sport more accurately portrays the ongoing goals of the program.

The MOIC also met jointly with the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA). The groups worked with the search firm assisting with the selection of a vice-president for diversity and inclusiveness for the national office. In addition, the committees formed an ad hoc committee of two representatives each from MOIC and CWA to determine the possibility of rearranging the oversight of the NCAA Coaches Academy and the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy under one umbrella, which would be called NCAA Coaches Academies.

The two committees reviewed results of the 2003-04 Race and Gender Demographics of Member Institutions' Athletics Personnel report and were dismayed by the continued lack of progress in the hiring of minorities and women into the campus leadership positions of director of athletics, associate athletics director or assistant athletics director between 1995 and 2003.

"Virtually no progress has been made despite the extensive efforts to provide talented individuals with professional development and exposure to the membership. The CWA and MOIC will work closely with the new vice-president for the office of diversity and inclusion to reassert leadership diversity as a key Association-wide imperative," Vowels said.