Building on the budget initiatives developed during its winter meeting, the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee folded those initiatives and others into a five-year budget plan called for by the NCAA Executive Committee's Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity.

The committee met July 12-14 in New York City.

The plan, developed in conjunction with the Committee on Women's Athletics, targets initiatives designed to enhance entry-level and upward-advancement opportunities for ethnic minorities in intercollegiate athletics.

Among programmatic initiatives the committee is requesting is the development of a Leadership Institute, a week-long training opportunity that would develop and enhance leadership skills for ethnic minority athletics administrators. The program, still in the developmental stage, would establish skills neccesary to be successful in decision-making positions within intercollegiate athletics, then train participants to achieve those skills.

For example, candidates seeking athletics director positions might receive specific training in financial aspects of intercollegiate athletics, management skills and personnel issues, among others. A prospective football coach might be trained in rules compliance and student-athlete welfare issues.

"The idea is to figure out what makes a good athletics administrator and provide candidates with the tools to fit those models," said Charles Whitcomb, chair of the committee and faculty athletics representative at San Jose State University.

The NCAA currently is working with a group to establish "core competencies" that are essential in achieving success in athletics administration. Once those are determined, Whitcomb said the Leadership Institute would be able to provide an unprecedented training ground both for entry-level candidates as well as minorities currently in athletics administration who are looking to advance into leadership positions.

The committee is asking that about $1 million be allocated to the program over the next five years. The budget would include stipends or financial assistance for candidates whose schools may be unable to pay the cost of attending the institute.

The committee also cited existing programs for expansion in the five-year budget plan, including the Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Scholarship and Internship programs, and the NCAA Fellows Leadership Development Program.

"The five-year plan incorporates new initiatives along with already established programs that are known to be effective," Whitcomb said.

The committee had asked for increases in the fellows and enhancement programs for the 2000-01 budget cycle, but that request was not supported by the Executive Committee.

Part of the plan also addresses the Association's diversity training workshops, currently set up as a two-pronged approach to diversity awareness. The first workshop for participants is an introduction to diversity, followed by a train-the-trainer segment that provides participants with the skills to carry the diversity message back to their campuses. The committee has asked to develop a third component, which would involve workshops on more specific aspects of diversity such as gender-specific issues, race, homophobia and majority male issues.

"Those can be sensitive areas that go beyond the scope of an introductory diversity workshop," Whitcomb said. "But the more we can recruit skilled individuals to be trained in carrying the diversity messages forward, the more we might be able to desensitize those issues. Workshops focusing on just those issues will help participants get on the same page that much quicker."

Public relations push

Other strategies in the plan involve partnering opportunities with other organizations such as NACDA, NACWAA and the BCA in order to enhance employment opportunities for ethnic minorities.

Part of that effort is a public relations initiative to form a larger base from which to develop solutions to diversity challenges.

Whitcomb said the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee has taken it upon itself to become more of a liaison with those groups in order to keep them apprised of NCAA diversity issues.

"There needs to be greater contact between this committee and groups in charge of various projects," he said. "We need to get groups like NACDA, NACWAA and conference commissioners on board with the issues that are generic to all of us, and collectively we can be much stronger if people buy into the philosophy of what we're trying to do."

Among ways to broaden the scope of the committee's outreach would be to establish diversity workshops during the NACDA and NACWAA conventions in addition to those already conducted at the NCAA Convention, and partner with organizations to develop a database of current ethnic minority athletics administrators as well as potential candidates for entry-level and leadership positions in athletics. The latter also is part of the committee's budget plan.

Another aspect of the committee's public relations efforts is the development of a educational video that focuses on opportunities for ethnic minorities in intercollegiate athletics. The video, which is near completion, will be sent to member schools to inform potential candidates about ways to increase their chances of placement in athletics administration (through enhancement program scholarships, internships, fellows program, etc.) Various public service announcements also will be made from the video, which will be aired during future NCAA championships broadcasts as well as other broadcast opportunities.

In another action, the committee discussed its plan to increase the accountability of the Division I conference grant dollars devoted to diversity programming. The committee is developing a proposal that would set aside for diversity initiatives a percentage of any new money allocated to the grant program once the new television rights contract with CBS becomes effective in 2002. Conferences would apply for those set-aside dollars and submit a plan for how they would be used to promote diversity programs.

"We haven't determined what the percentage should be yet," Whitcomb said, "but we are interested in how conferences use dollars earmarked for diversity programming. That type of allocation needs an accountability tag attached to it, and the committee believes that a request-for-proposal system along with an annual evaluation would hold conferences accountable for spending the money in a way that truly would enhance oppoprtunities for ethnic minorities."

Other highlights

Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee
July 12-14/New York City

Discussed the possibility of developing a Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee Web site or a committee link on institutions' Web sites to educate, promote and enhance opportunities for ethnic minorities in intercollegiate athletics.

Requested that the composition of the newly established Basketball Issues Committee be representative of college basketball participants.

Supported the diversity efforts of the Division II Strategic Alliance Matching Grant Enhancement Program and the Division III Initiatives Task Force.

Continued its work on a survey to ascertain the number of ethnic minorities in officiating and how those officials are assigned within each conference.

Reviewed plans for the second annual Summit on Athletics Opportunities for Minority Women, which will be conducted in January 2001.

Appointed a representative to serve on the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The committee also suggested that a representative from a historically black college or university serve on the selection committee as well.