WASHINGTON, D.C.

Promoting an inclusive environment that produces a diverse crop of collegiate sports administrators to address the needs of an increasingly diverse population of student-athletes is a priority for the NCAA, Charlotte Westerhaus, vice president of diversity and inclusion, said Wednesday during a seminar at the association’s national conference.

As part of its four-day convention that began Jan. 14, NCAA athletic directors, conference commissioners, athletic department administrators and college presidents discussed best practices for recruiting and retaining women and racial minorities into senior athletic administration positions, an area where both groups are underrepresented.

According to the “2006 Ethnicity and Gender Demographics” report produced by the NCAA, African-Americans composed 9.5 percent of all athletic administrators at Division I institutions, Hispanics made up 1.9 percent and Asians made up 1.2 percent of the NCAA administrative staff.

For colleges and universities eager to diversify their athletic department, particularly at the senior level, Dr. George Cunningham, associate professor of sports management and director of laboratory for diversity in sports at Texas A&M University, recommended that the existing college leadership first make diversity a priority by fostering a working culture or "ethos" that embraces differences in race, gender and sexuality.

“Employees must value diversity. Employees should have a value for learning from people who are different from them,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham also advised administrators to engage their staff in mandatory diversity training, including top-level administrators such as athletic directors and assistant athletic directors.

In taking steps toward hiring new employees of color, Cunningham recommended that top-level administrators engage in proactive hiring practices and work collaboratively with institutions like the Black Coaches and Administrators association to connect with prospective minority applicants.