Athletics department breaks ground nationwide
UC Davis is one of the first athletic departments in the nation to support Athletic-Director-U’s new Collegiate Coaching Diversity Pledge.
By opting-in and committing to this new initiative, Intercollegiate Athletics will include a diverse group of candidates in the finalist pool for football, as well as men’s and women’s basketball head coach vacancies.
“UC Davis is glad to be part of this nationwide effort to support diversity in college coaching,” Director of Athletics Kevin Blue said. “There remains work to be done in this area, but the Collegiate Coaching Diversity Pledge is a concrete step forward. The values of this pledge are aligned with the values of UC Davis Athletics.”
The CCDP reflects a commitment to ensure equal opportunity in the hiring of head coaches and addresses the barriers that prevent full participation by underrepresented minority groups.
Blue is one of the first 30 athletic directors to sign Athletic-Director-U’s pledge — the byproduct of the organization’s tireless work and efforts throughout the last few months.
The Collegiate Coaching Diversity Pledge will be overseen by an esteemed group of independent higher education and sports leaders who comprise the Board of Advocates and the Board of Coaches. The Board of Advocates will work directly with third-party clearinghouse designee James Moore & Co. and review of a representative sample of coaching searches to ensure CCDP compliance on an annual basis.
“The College Coaching Diversity Pledge is a significant step towards addressing the disparities and lack of representation that currently exist in collegiate coaching,” said Dwight Smith, executive director for athletics diversity, equity and inclusion. “Recruiting diverse and representative coaching talent is an important aspect of UC Davis Athletics’ diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. I am optimistic that the accountability provided by the CCDP will enable long-term and meaningful change for the collegiate coaching landscape.”
To maintain compliance, athletic directors must include at least one candidate from a traditionally underrepresented background and one non-diverse candidate in their finalist pool.
The clearinghouse will contact each AD (or the search firm) to obtain all names and contact information for each finalist. Since information is submitted confidentially, the list of candidates will not be publicized. Each of the finalists will receive additional correspondence to verify participation.
The public can view a list of participating athletic departments, and their respective compliance status by visiting CollegiateDiversityPledge.com.