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#CSCUNITE24 Convention Grant Information
2024 CSC Unite Attendance Grant Recipients and NCAA Inclusion Grant Winners Announced
From among more than 150 applicants, 22 College Sports Communicators members have been selected to receive Convention Attendance Grants and will attend the association’s annual convention June 9-12 at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
For 12 of the recipients, it will be their first CSC Unite convention. Nine are first-year CSC members and two have five or more years of experience in the profession. The class includes 11 men and 11 women.
This year’s class of recipients will be the ninth to participate. Nearly $140,000 has been distributed to 194 CSC members as reimbursement for convention-related costs over the program’s first eight years.
The program began in 2014 when 10 recipients were selected. It doubled in size for 2015 and 2016 with grants worth $800 apiece. Beginning in 2017, the Executive Board of Directors voted to add two more grants specifically designated for ethnic minorities. That brought the total number of grants given by CSC to 22. The Board also increased the stipend to $1,000.
Each grant includes a complimentary convention registration, allowing the grant funds to go toward hotel nights, transportation and per diem.
The selection committee is composed of CSC officers, staff and members of special interest groups within the association.
As part of receiving a grant, each winner will help CSC’s convention operations team with on-site duties and provide written reviews of their experience following the convention.
In addition to the CSC grants, six members from the three NCAA divisions will attend the convention as part of the NCAA Inclusion Grant program. In the sixth year of partnership between CSC and the NCAA’s Leadership Development and Media Coordination and Statistics staffs, the program’s goal is to advocate for diversity within the athletic communications profession. The program includes a visit to the NCAA national office and pairs recipients with a CSC mentor for the upcoming academic year on top of covering registration fees, lodging and transportation.
Through the Division III CSC Student Program, the NCAA Division III governance staff will host students who are interested in the athletics communications profession during Divisional Day at CSC Unite. Selected students will be exposed to the convention, association members and the athletics communication profession. Grant recipients will attend welcome and debrief meetings and be assigned a mentor. The goal of the program is to build a pipeline in an effort to ultimately diversify the Division III athletics communication landscape.
| 2024 CSC UNITE Convention Attendance Grant Recipients |
Brook Alverson
West Texas A&M University |
Clayton Barefield
Brewton-Parker College |
Chloe Burdette
Queens University of Charlotte |
Holly Cassina
Fresno State University |
Pearllan Cipriano
Bard College |
Ajani Clunie
John Jay College |
Jennifer Coleman
Florida State University |
Aubrey Duncan
University of Dubuque |
Adam Eichstedt
Madison College |
Mayra Gurrusquieta
University of Houston |
David Larkins
University of Winnipeg |
Jorie Lincoln
Chaminade University |
Robert McKinney
Willamette University |
Benjamin Miles
HCAC |
Jose Montoya
Eastern New Mexico University |
Rachel Rusnak
University of Toledo |
Patrick Rydeen
Concordia University, St. Paul |
Kalie Smith
Baylor University |
Mike Still
University of Manitoba |
Cobe Wastler
U.S. Air Force Academy |
| 2024 CSC UNITE Ethnic Minority Convention Attendance Grant Recipients |
Cerwin Haynes
East Los Angeles College |
Trinity Thomas
Faulkner University |
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| NCAA Inclusion CSC UNITE Convention Grant Recipients |
Lilliana Valdespino
University of Texas at El Paso
Division I |
Terrisa Mark
Florida Gulf Coast University
Division I |
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Anthony Clark, Jr.
Davenport University
Division II |
McKenzie Yi
University of Mount Olive
Division II |
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Bruna Niederkorn
Fontbonne University
Division III |
Matthew Hayes
Texas Lutheran University
Division III |
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