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to create minority hiring report card for universities
Third & Short
BCA to create minority hiring report card for universities
The executive director of the Black Coaches Association, Floyd
Keith said in late October that his organization and others intend
to create a Hiring Report Card by August 2003 to grade and track
the progress of minority football coaches, while giving players
something to use when making their decision on which schools to
attend.
The BCA called on colleges to fill at least one of every five head
football coaching vacancies (20 percent) with a minority over the
next three years. After a decade and a half of frustration over
the scarcity of African-American coaches, the association is prepared
to inform leading recruits of progress – or the lack of it
– at specific schools, and, if needed, steer them away from
programs that do not comply.
Keith has been challenging major universities to create more opportunities
for minority candidates for years, since there are only four black
coaches among the 230 Division I-A or Division I-AA schools, excluding
the 21 historically black institutions in 1-AA. However, now Keith
is trying a different approach.
Keith outlined a plan that will focus on four parts: Providing universities
with knowledge of minority candidates, holding institutions accountable
for their decisions and backing it up with political and financial
pressure.
Keith wants schools to put diversification plans in writing to ensure
they are followed and wants minorities included in the hiring process.
He also would like NCAA certification to include a clause about
diversifying football staffs.
He also set a goal of having one of every five college football
head coaching jobs filled by a minority candidate by August 2005
and asked for incentives to be paid for “doing the right thing.”
Keith has also pledged that the Black Coaches Association and others
will create a political advocacy group to work with local, state
and national politicians in order to enact the policy.
If the groups do not see progress by August 2004, Keith said they
would re-evaluate their three-year plan and consider other ways
to force changes.
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