NCAA members and external constituents will gather in La Jolla, Calif., this week to discuss diversity and inclusion issues that will impact student-athletes, athletics administrators and the overall landscape of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Inclusion Forum, April 24-26. Additionally, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA), Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC), and the Gender Equity Task Force will also meet prior to the forum to discuss key issues.
Inclusion forum agenda sessions include Title IX education and gender equity; LGBTQ and inclusion in athletics; the experiences of international student-athletes; inclusive support measures for student-athletes with disabilities; issues pertaining to race; and how to bridge gaps among diverse audiences.
The sessions provide the attendees with updates and best practices they can utilize in their athletics departments and on campus and networking opportunities.
Keynote speakers at the forum will include Simon Bailey, a nationally and internationally known author, executive advisor and motivational speaker, and Billy Bean, a former Loyola Marymount University baseball player and Major League outfielder who is a motivational speaker and ambassador for inclusion for the league. Also speaking is Patti Phillips, chief executive officer, of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, and representatives from the NCAA membership.
In addition to CWA and MOIC, the Gender Equity Task Force will also meet to discuss a variety of topics impacting women in intercollegiate athletics. The task force, which is reconvening for the first time since 1992, will monitor the Association's gender equity performance and develop recommendations for improvements. The task force will also work to engage NCAA member schools, student-athletes, NCAA committees and others to identify gender equity strategies that will improve the landscape and environment in intercollegiate athletics for women.
NCAA Inclusion Web Page: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/inclusion
