Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced today that the University at Buffalo has won the MAC Diversity & Inclusion Institution Award for the third consecutive year. Once again, UB continues to offer a broad-based program to be inclusive of all the issues that face its student-athletes, athletics staff, campus and the greater Western New York community.
“We are so honored to again be recognized with this meaningful award from the Mid-American Conference,” said University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi. “This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to uphold principles of diversity, inclusion and social justice, and to actively foster a welcoming environment where all of our student-athletes, and our entire university community, can thrive.”
UB athletics is committed to the advancement of diversity and inclusion. Each year the administration measures, evaluates and responds to the specific needs of their diverse student-athlete population via a wellness survey to evaluate student-athletes experience with multiculturalism.
A newly-formed group known as Student-Athlete Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Ambassadors was developed. The group will spearhead initiatives for the greater student-athlete community and overall department based on UB’s six core values in the following areas: LGBTQ+ (September), Culture, Race, Ethnicity (October), Masculinity (November), Mental and Physical Disabilities (February), Gender Equity and Women Empowerment (March) and First Generation/International Students (April).
In light of social justice issues across the nation, UB announced the formation of the Stronger Together Task Force. The task force is devoted to creating synergies amongst the department in a collaborative effort with UB student-athletes and staff. Every sport is represented on the task force and staff includes members from a wide variety of subsets that make up the department. The group is charged with identifying areas of priority and helping to perpetuate positive change for the UB athletics department, University campus and the Western New York community.
As part of the 2019-20 Distinguished Series, Central Park Five member Yusef Salaam, Pulitzer Prize winner Maggie Haberman and businessman and “Shark Tank” investor Daymond John were among just a few of the featured speakers.
The President’s Advisory Council on Race was formed to explore, understand and respond to racism and systematic inequality. The work of the council, comprised of faculty, staff, students and alumni will discuss and inform how UB can harness its tripartite mission of education, research and engagement to battle racism and dismantle structural barriers to equality.
For a program called “Let’s Talk About Race”, UB hosted a series of university-wide lectures, town halls and other events to support and provide education in response to current events, racism and social injustices.
“It is my honor to name the University at Buffalo as the winner of the Diversity & Inclusion Institutional Award for the third consecutive year,” said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher. “President Satish K. Tripathi, Director of Athletics Mark Alnutt and Senior Woman Administrator D’ann Keller have provided Buffalo with tremendous leadership in establishing a culture that fosters diversity and inclusion.”
“To continue to be recognized by the Mid-American Conference for our department’s efforts in diversity and inclusion is truly an honor,” UB Director of Athletics Mark Alnutt said. “I am proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for understanding the importance of these issues and wanting to be leaders in this very important initiative. With the formation of the Stronger Together Task Force, we will take a proactive role in discussions and implementing action and continue to be leaders in this area in our industry.”
In November of 2016, the MAC announced one of the most comprehensive Diversity & Inclusion Programs in Division I intercollegiate athletics to begin during the 2017-18 academic year.
The MAC Diversity & Inclusion Program has positioned the MAC as a leader within collegiate athletics. Through this program, the MAC is working to expand opportunities for minority candidates in coaching and administration with six specific and coordinated program initiatives.
These six initiatives include: establishing a Conference Diversity & Inclusion Statement, the commitment of 25 new annual internships across membership, a collaborative mentoring program, a bi-annual summit, the first of which was hosted by the MAC on Feb. 8, 2018, the creation of a resource webpage and the annual awards platform to recognize one institutional athletic department, individual administrator and student-athlete.
The MAC Diversity & Inclusion program provides career educational opportunities for a diverse pool of candidates, career entry and advancement opportunities, consistent support and career mentoring programs for all levels of professionals, and opportunities for collaboration on best hiring practices and cultural enhancements for member institutions.
In the Fall of 2015, MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher instituted a 15-member working group comprised of university administrators, senior athletic administrators and faculty athletic representatives to present to MAC membership recommendations for a comprehensive diversity & inclusion program. Steinbrecher charged the working group with: “Taking a solution-oriented leadership role in accelerating and growing the pool of minority candidates for collegiate job opportunities in coaching and administration.”
