Commission grant goes to VCU researchers and partner

The “Achieving Racial Equity in College Sports” award recipients include SOE’s Tomika Ferguson, assistant dean for student affairs and inclusive excellence.

Headshots of Yannick Kluch, Ph.D., Raquel Wright-Mair, Ph.D., and Tomika Ferguson, Ph.D.
Researchers Yannick Kluch, Ph.D., Raquel Wright-Mair, Ph.D., and Tomika Ferguson, Ph.D.

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics has awarded an “Achieving Racial Equity in College Sports” Research Award to an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and a partnering institution to explore the impact of a first-of-its-kind leadership certificate program designed to help minoritized student-athletes emerge as leaders academically, athletically and professionally.

The project, “Creating C.H.A.M.P.S. on Campus (Certificate for Helping Athletes from Minoritized Groups Prosper & Succeed): A Research Proposal for the Development of An Inclusive Leadership Program Designed for Racially Minoritized Student-Athletes’ Success at Predominantly White Institutions,” is led by Yannick Kluch, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of outreach and inclusive excellence in the VCU Center for Sport Leadership.

Additional researchers are Raquel Wright-Mair, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Rowan University College of Education in New Jersey, and Tomika Ferguson, Ph.D., assistant dean for student affairs and inclusive excellence in the VCU School of Education.

“I look forward to working with Drs. Yannick Kluch and Raquel Wright-Mair to develop the C.H.A.M.P.S. program for student-athletes at VCU. This competitive research grant from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics is an honor and provides an opportunity for us to do impactful work on this campus. We are grateful for the partnership with and support of the VCU Athletics Department,” said Ferguson.

The C.H.A.M.P.S. project is one of four research projects selected by the Commission to share $100,000 in research funding to demonstrate how specific interventions impact the Black athlete experience and/or Black athlete advocacy areas.

In its “Achieving Racial Equity in College Sports” report last year, the Commission committed to supporting research that would advance the equity goals highlighted in the report. The Commission’s Call for Proposals resulted in a total of 37 proposals requesting more than $1.5 million in funding. Proposals had to demonstrate a partnership between researchers and athletics administrators at the campus, conference, or national association levels. After a rigorous review of each proposal, Commission members selected four proposals for funding.

“The overwhelming response to our call for proposals shows a robust research field that should be supported,” said Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Co-Chair and Racial Equity Task Force Chair Len Elmore. “We had a challenging selection process given the number of quality proposals received. It’s gratifying to make these awards to support researchers who are collaborating with administrators to explore ways to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of Black college athletes.”

The Commission, founded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in 1989, is an independent group that leads transformational change to prioritize college athletes’ education, health, safety and success.

Read the release from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics