Statement by ACE President Molly Corbett Broad and ACE Board Chair John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University, on the NCAA Diversity and Gender Equity Pledge
September 21, 2016

"There is broad agreement throughout the American higher education community that a diverse student body produces valuable educational benefits, including the type of constructive dialogue and empathy that can bridge sometimes stubborn societal divides. The more than 4,000 colleges and universities in this country pursue different academic and cultural missions, but each seeks within those varied frameworks to foster open and inclusive learning environments across all parts of the campus community, from classrooms to dormitories to playing fields.

Intercollegiate athletics programs are a visible and important extension of institutional missions, and so it is imperative that they also contribute to this vital social and educational discourse. Intercollegiate athletics affords a critical opportunity to provide student-athletes with role models and life mentors, regardless of the level at which an individual institution competes.

We are therefore pleased to give our full support to the NCAA as it seeks commitments from college and university presidents to establish initiatives to achieve ethnic and racial diversity and gender equity and inclusion in intercollegiate athletics hiring practices. We encourage presidents and chancellors from all types of institutions to take the NCAA pledge and focus their attention on this issue."