SAINT MICHAEL’S EARNS 2007-08 DIVERSITY IN ATHLETICS AWARD

College one of seven NCAA Division II institutions nationally
cited for gender equity compliance

Tuesday, May 13, 2008


Information Provided By Saint Michael's Sports Information



COLCHESTER, Vt. – Saint Michael’s College and its athletics department has been recognized with a 2007-08 Diversity in Athletics Award, honoring those National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions that excel in the area of diversity, it was announced earlier this month.

Saint Michael’s is one of seven Division II institutions nationally to be recognized in the category of gender equity compliance (substantial proportionality). The award is presented annually by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University, in collaboration with the NCAA.

“Gender equity compliance has been a top priority at Saint Michael’s for many years, and our proportionality numbers are a testimony to that effort,” said Geri Knortz, Saint Michael’s Director of Athletics. “We are very proud of our gender diversity accomplishments.”
“Our compliance figures were good when Geri Knortz arrived at Saint Michael’s 11 years ago, and she has worked hard to fine-tune our effort and make it truly outstanding,” said Jack Neuhauser, 16th President of Saint Michael’s College. “This is something that we can all be proud of.”

Saint Michael’s earned the gender equity compliance award – one of eight possible categories - based on the proportion of female student-athletes at the College relative to the proportion of female undergraduates. Data was gathered on every Division II institution from the U.S. Department of Education website (http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/index.asp). Those institutions within one percent of equality received the highest gender equity compliance scores.

Saint Michael’s is the only institution in the Northeast-10 Conference – and one of just two in the Northeast Region – to be cited for gender equity compliance. The other institutions to earn the prestigious honor are (in alphabetical order): Florida Institute of Technology; Goldey-Beacom College; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Salem International University; South Dakota State University; and University of Missouri, Rolla.

For more information on the 2007-08 Diversity in Athletics Award, visit http://lds.tamu.edu.