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CoSIDA Introduces Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship Program in Partnership with the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (2/7/2022)
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Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Sixteen CoSIDA members will be selected to participate in the program in partnership with the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Applications are open now through Sept. 2, 2022 for interested participants in CoSIDA’s second Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship.
Click here to apply for the 2022-23 Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship Program (Deadline: Sept. 2, 2022)
Introduced in early 2022, the Fellowship is a year-long educational series for select members of CoSIDA designed to provide insights into diversity and inclusion issues, values and opportunities for communication professionals in college sports. The program is a partnership between CoSIDA and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and encourages a greater understanding of how those in athletic communications offices at all levels become effective champions for diversity and inclusion in college athletics.
Sixteen CoSIDA members will be chosen for the program with programming scheduled to begin in early September. Selection is based on ethnicity, gender, age/experience, divisional representation, HBCU representation and senior-level administrative representation. There is no cost to participate in the program, but those selected must be CoSIDA members for the 2022-23 academic year.
2021-22 Fellows in attendance at the #CoSIDA22 Convention included (l to r): Shalyn Moore, Ryan Davis, Bridgette Robles, Mark Cohen, Kelvin Queliz, Sarah Kirkpatrick, Nicole Sasu-Twum, Ashleigh Jones, Stayson Isobe and Michael Hawkins.
"The CoSIDA Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship class in conjunction with the Knight Commission is one of the very best pieces of programming our organization has done,” CoSIDA President Jessica Poole said. “As an organization we have been focused on enhancing our profession from a diversity, equity and inclusion standpoint while also cultivating allies and this program has helped us make great strides on that front. I encourage everyone to take a look at this outstanding professional development and personal growth opportunity."
The Fellowship requires a commitment to the program schedule that includes presentations, assigned readings and convention programming with additional assignments as necessary. Fellows must make every effort to attend all sessions as well as the 2023 CoSIDA Convention June 11-14 in Orlando. Graduates of the Fellowship program will be recognized at the convention and will receive a certification for completing the program.
“Our strong relationship with the Knight Commission has enabled CoSIDA to offer impactful programming for our members, allowing them to critically consider how diversity, equity and inclusion relates to their work on behalf of student-athletes, their hiring practices within the department and the future of the profession,” CoSIDA Executive Director Erik Christianson said. “It’s our intention to keep this initiative going strong so as many of our members as possible can benefit from being part of the fellowship.”
Formal and informal sessions will focus on leadership, mentorship, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and insights into how athletics communicators can be change agents to bring attention to diversity issues. The program faculty will include highly regarded thought leaders from within college athletics and outside the industry. In addition, the fellows will work together to plan and execute diversity programming at the 2023 CoSIDA Convention. The program is administered by members of CoSIDA’s Racial and Social Justice Initiative.
“We are pleased to sponsor this important CoSIDA initiative," said Amy Privette Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. “CoSIDA’s Fellowship program will help achieve the goals the Knight Commission advanced in its “
Achieving Racial Equity in College Sports” report. In addition to diversifying the CoSIDA membership, it is important to remember that CoSIDA members play an important role in telling the story of college athletics. The Fellowship will equip future leaders with the ability to ensure the story is reflective of the diversity within college athletics. We appreciate this synergy and commend CoSIDA for their leadership.”
The inaugural 2021-22 class of CoSIDA Fellows:
- Mark Cohen, TCU
- Ryan Davis, Missouri Valley Conference
- Emily Dorko, Adelphi
- Sarah Finney, Seattle
- Michael Hawkins, Francis Marion
- Shelby Hild, Texas A&M
- Stayson Isobe, Northern Arizona
- Ashleigh Jones, DePauw
- Sarah Kirkpatrick, Holy Cross
- Zach Lawson, Oregon
- Shalyn Moore, Hampton
- Kelvin Queliz, Brown
- Andrew Roberts, Southwestern Athletic Conference
- Bridgette Robles, Richmond
- Nicole Sasu-Twum, Delaware
- Justin Wilson, UCF