National Collegiate Athletic Association

Latest News

« back to 2011 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index

NCAA Inclusion Summit to be streamed live

The NCAA will stream live its first Inclusion Summit on Monday.

The event, titled “Challenges, Champions and Collaborative Strategies: Moving Toward a More Inclusive Culture,” will identify measurable, action-oriented outcomes and strategies for creating more inclusive athletics departments and campuses.

Users can watch the presentations and ask questions during the event.

“The Inclusion Summit provides the opportunity to discuss the important issues surrounding campus inclusion,” said Bernard Franklin, NCAA executive vice president of membership and student-athlete affairs and the national office’s chief inclusion officer. “Our hope is that this first-ever event will lay the groundwork for future NCAA policies and practices.”

Franklin said he hopes the online audience will take advantage of the live blog to add ideas to the event. This is one of many opportunities the NCAA is providing that can allow all interested parties to have their voices heard, he said. 

In addition to Franklin, NCAA President Mark Emmert will provide the opening comments.

The summit will begin with a focus on identifying and discussing challenges surrounding inclusion for various campus communities, including those with disabilities; minorities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) student-athletes.  

College and university presidents will lead the second section, which will be geared toward successful best practices for championing diversity and inclusion on their campuses.

The third section will focus on attendees contributing to the development of a strategic plan that would seek to strengthen diversity and inclusion by building presidential engagement, enhancing the student-athlete experience, and identifying the role of the national office in program identification and delivery.  

Other speakers include Eli Wolff, program director, Sport and Development Project at Brown; Ken Shropshire, director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at Pennsylvania; Donna Lopiano, president and founder of Sports Management Resources; and Pat Griffin, professor emeritus for the Social Justice Education Program at Massachusetts. Institutional presidents in attendance will include Kutztown’s Javier Cevallos, Cal State Monterey Bay’s Dianne Harrison, Grinnell’s Raynard Kington, Eastern Michigan’s Susan Martin, Northern Illinois’ John Peters and Saint Augustine’s Dianne Boardley Suber.