College Athletic Powerhouses Earn a Grade of D in Achieving Gender Equity in Leadership Posts

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida recently released its annual report on equity in leadership at the 130 colleges and universities that make up the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division 1 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. These educational institutions are generally the powerhouses of college athletics.

One of the 10 athletic conferences in the Football Bowl subdivision is a woman. Judy MacLeod, was named commissioner of Conference USA in October 2015. (See WIAReport post.) She is the only woman to have ever served as a conference commissioner in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The report found that of the 130 colleges and universities, in the fall of 2018 women served as president at 16.9 percent of the institutions. There were two fewer women serving as presidents at these colleges and universities than was the case a year ago.

There were 12 women who served as athletics director at these 130 colleges and universities. Thus, women made up 9.2 percent of the athletics directors at these schools.

Women did better in the role of faculty athletics representatives. Women made up 31.6 percent of the faculty athletic representatives at these 130 colleges and universities.

Overall, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport gave these 130 colleges and universities a grade of D in their efforts to achieve gender diversity in leadership positions.

The full report, The 2018 Racial and Gender Report Card: D1 FBS Leadership, may be downloaded by clicking here.