INDIANAPOLIS, IN (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced that New Jersey City University is a winner of the 2008-09 Overall Diversity in Athletics award. NJCU will be honored for this distinction at the Division III business session during the NCAA Convention on January 16, 2010 in Atlanta.
The award, a collaborative program of the NCAA and the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M, honored a total of 38 athletics departments nationally in Division I, II and III, including nine overall winners, highlighted by NJCU.
In addition to NJCU, other winners—all in Division III—include Carleton College (Minnesota), Chatham University (Pennsylvania), Haverford College (Pennsylvania), John Jay College (New York), Mary Baldwin College (Virginia), Occidental College (California), University of Massachusetts-Boston and University of Wisconsin-Stout.
NJCU also will receive categorical distinction in the areas of Racial Diversity and Value and Attitudinal Diversity.
Alice De Fazio, NJCU Director of Athletics, noted how the Gothic Knight athletics department has been a melting pot that enhances the student-athlete experience.
“We're very reflective, in my mind, of the real world,” said De Fazio. “We have so many countries represented, even in our athletics department. It's a great teaching tool.”
De Fazio said diversity is a point of emphasis and an important part of the culture at New Jersey City, in the athletics department and in the day-to-day life of the student body.
“Encourage interaction and encourage recruitment of different races, different ethnicities, different socioeconomic backgrounds,” she said. “The bottom line is, don't fear diversity. Embrace it and run with it.”
Established in 2005, the Diversity in Athletics award annually highlights athletics departments that excel in diversity. Recipients are recognized in six categories – diversity strategy, gender diversity of employees, racial diversity of employees, value and attitudinal diversity, gender equity (Title IX proportionality), and overall excellence in diversity. This is the first year that Division III schools have been recognized.
Dan Dutcher, NCAA vice president for Division III, said enhancing diversity is an important goal for the division.
“This award is significant because it demonstrates that diversity is more than a theoretical concept,” he said. “These institutions have demonstrated that diversity can be achieved on a very practical and personal level, further enhancing the educational experience of our student-athletes. These institutions can serve as a model and guide for the rest of our membership.”
Winners in each category were determined by responses to a questionnaire that was sent to the top athletics administrators at every Division III institution and other archival data sources. A total of 199 athletics departments responded to the survey. Schools were ranked in each category and points were awarded based on those rankings.
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