UCLA

Diversity is one of the most widely discussed topics in society, but is neither clearly defined nor well understood. Given the number and visibility of student-athletes of color, the athletic department is rarely considered as needing to address diversity; yet, diversity goes beyond numerical representation. Indeed, diversity in organizations includes the culture and climate, and must be actively managed through both policy and practice—the congruency of which can be telling. This dissertation sought to examine the organizational context around diversity in Division I athletic departments through three individual yet inter-related studies. The first study investigated what messages athletic departments and universities express regarding diversity through mission statements; the second study examined what athletic departments are doing to address diversity through policy and programming and how these messages fit together; and with the organizational context in mind, the third study explored how athletic staff define and perceive diversity by focusing on what identities are most salient to their understanding of the concept.