Editor's Note - June 5, 2025

ARTHUR ASHE’S ENDURING LEGACY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
 

Dear Diverse Readers: 

In this special June edition of Diverse we pay tribute to an athlete whose impact transcended sports and continues to shape our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in profound ways. Arthur Ashe wasn’t merely a tennis champion; he was a revolutionary scholar-athlete who understood that true victory meant using his platform to challenge systemic inequities. 

Ashe’s commitment to justice wasn’t confined to carefully worded statements or symbolic gestures. He confronted apartheid in South Africa, advocated for educational opportunity, and consistently demonstrated that athletic excellence and intellectual rigor need not be mutually exclusive. Even in the face of personal tragedy—battling HIV/AIDS contracted from a blood transfusion, he maintained his dignity and transformed his experience into advocacy, establishing the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. 

When we celebrate our Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars like Jayo Adegboyo from University of Maryland Baltimore County and Jaida Ross from the University of Oregon, we’re not merely acknowledging their athletic prowess. We’re recognizing young people who embody Ashe’s understanding that student-athletes have a responsibility that extends beyond the fi eld of play. These scholars carry forward his legacy through their academic excellence, community engagement, and willingness to stand for something greater than individual achievement.

The profiles featured in this issue reveal a generation of student-athletes who recognize, as Ashe did, that their platforms come with responsibilities. They’re not just breaking records; they’re breaking barriers. They’re not just collecting trophies; they’re building communities. In a landscape where collegiate athletics increasingly resembles a commercial enterprise, these scholar-athletes remind us of sport’s potential to drive social transformation. 

This edition also highlights several visionary higher education leaders who are concluding distinguished careers marked by transformative leadership. These profi les off er valuable insights into the type of leadership required to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. 

But if we’re honest, higher education’s commitment to inclusion remains woefully incomplete, particularly regarding LGBTQ+ students and staff . As we enter Pride Month, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: our institutions are failing those who most need protection.

The brutal reality is that despite rainbow-adorned social media profiles and diversity statements, many colleges and universities remain hostile environments for LGBTQ+ individuals. We witness state legislatures passing discriminatory legislation directly targeting LGBTQ+ students while too many institutional leaders respond with tepid statements of “concern” rather than robust action. 

This is unacceptable. Full stop. 

When LGBTQ+ students experience harassment, when transgender students cannot access appropriate housing, when faculty members face retaliation for their identities, these aren’t unfortunate incidents—they’re institutional failures that demand accountability. 

Dr. John J. “Ski” Sygielski’s powerful commentary in this issue— as one of the few openly gay community college presidents— provides a vital perspective on institutional leadership and the courage required to create truly inclusive environments. Our feature on LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education further underscores what’s possible when institutions genuinely commit to inclusive leadership. Similarly, Laura Westengard’s work as interim coordinator of LGBTQ Studies at CUNY Graduate Center demonstrates the critical importance of creating academic spaces where queer identities are affi rmed rather than merely tolerated. 

Higher education cannot claim to value diversity while allowing homophobia and transphobia to persist unchallenged. We cannot celebrate Pride Month symbolically while practically failing to create safe environments for LGBTQ+ students and staff . The disconnect between institutional rhetoric and reality isn’t just hypocritical, it’s harmful. 

Arthur Ashe understood that true champions don’t shrink from difficult conversations. They confront injustice directly, even when doing so comes at personal cost. As we honor his legacy and celebrate Pride Month, let’s demand that our institutions do more than perform inclusion—let’s insist they practice it, protect it, and prioritize it. 

The future of higher education depends on it.
 

Yours in Progress, 

Jamal Watson, Ph.D.
Executive Editor
 

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