FAU Athletics Forms Inclusion and Equity Advisory Panel

BOCA RATON, Fla. (Aug. 3, 2020) – Florida Atlantic University Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White has announced the formation of the FAU Athletics Inclusion and Equity Advisory Panel.

The FAU Athletics Inclusion and Equity Advisory Panel is tasked with reviewing current initiatives within the department and creating a diversity, equity and inclusion plan for FAU Athletics. The panel will also develop and maintain initiatives to recruit and retain diverse student-athletes, staff and coaches, along with developing educational programs geared toward inclusion and equity and prevention of discrimination.

“I’m looking forward to serving as a member of this important group,” White said. “I believe by having purposeful dialogue in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion, and then acting on those conversations, we can effect meaningful change in our community.”

The 18-member FAU Athletics Inclusion and Equity Advisory Panel includes six student-athletes and is headed by Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academics and Student Development Eric Coleman.

The move is yet another example of FAU Athletics’ continued commitment to growth in this area. In June, White announced Coleman’s added duties of leading FAU Athletics’ diversity and inclusion initiatives. At that time, the Owls had already begun collaborating with the university’s Center for IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity Education and Advocacy) to develop a monthly series of workshops for student-athletes and staff members.

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Florida Atlantic University Athletics:

FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit fau.edu.