WASHINGTON – The Atlantic 10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is holding its first in-person meeting, Feb. 7-8 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. The meetings will include facilitated sessions with Dr. Jen Fry and will host over thirty professional Commission members from all fifteen A-10 member institutions.
The A-10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion was formed in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest that followed. The Commission has taken action on voting rights, sponsored several educational webinars, and amplified on-campus initiatives surrounding social justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Black History Month, Girls and Women in Sports Day and focused attention on unconcise bias / inclusion efforts.
The Commission is currently co-chaired by Davidson President Dr. Douglas A. Hicks and Duquesne Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Sherene Brantley. Hicks and Brantley are in their first year, taking over for inaugural co-chairs Duquesne President Kenneth Gormley, J.D., and former La Salle Athletic Director Brian Baptiste, who is currently the Senior Deputy Director at Miami. President Gormley and Baptiste will be honored and recognized for their leadership during the Davidson versus Duquesne men’s basketball game on Wednesday night.
“The work of this Commission is critically important and of great value to the members, coaches and student-athletes,” stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “I would also thank our Presidential and Athletic Director leadership in guiding the Commissions’ work.”
The Commission seminar on Wednesday and Thursday will be led by Jen Fry, a nationally-recognized leader in DEI education. She will conclude this workshop on day two with a program that develops strategies and skills to assist A-10 institutions in developing an antiracist culture.
Sr. Margaret Carney, former President at St. Bonaventure and current board of trustee member at Duquesne, will close out the meetings by addressing the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion withing higher education.
“It was a great honor to serve as an inaugural co-chair of the Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, along with AD Brian Baptiste. When Commissioner Bernadette McGlade asked us to head up this effort in the summer of 2020, our goal was to leverage the collective knowledge of all fifteen of our A-10 university campuses, and the rich expertise on those campuses, to advance the cause of diversity, equity and inclusion – not just in the A-10 but more broadly. We wanted to become a model for all conferences across the United States, and I believe that we’ve been accomplishing that goal,” said President Gormley.
“This has not been a committee that just checks the boxes. It’s a hard-working group that has been singularly focused on innovation and getting results. We’ve launched initiatives that have gained widespread participation from all 15 campuses and left a positive mark on all of them – a rarity for any athletic conference. We’ve shared best practices and drawn from the experiences and energy of our student-athletes and former student-athletes whose perspectives have been invaluable. My fellow presidents from the other A-10 schools have been extraordinarily supportive at the highest level. I’m proud to have played even a small role in launching this distinctive Commission. The most exciting part is knowing that it’s just the start of even bigger things, as this extraordinary group of committed leaders sets the gold standard for every other athletic conference in the country,” Gormley added.
The Commission was deliberately built with representatives from athletics departments including current and former student-athletes, but also campus personnel, from subject matter experts to faculty members, while also ensuring involvement from the A-10 President’s Council. This is one of the important differences between the A-10 Commission and other groups that formed in 2020.
“The formation of the Commission was a powerful statement by the members of the Atlantic 10 about the importance of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion on our campuses and within our community. We were thoughtful on the composition of the Commission membership from a cross section of our communities which fostered meaningful conversations, educational sessions, and social impact initiatives. I’m looking forward to seeing the continued growth and the positive outcomes from the Commission in the future,” Baptiste said.