#UCFBusiness DeVos Sport Business Management Celebrates Diversity Week

Photo: UCF Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Photo: UCF Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Did you know that last year, Becky Hammon made history as the first female NBA assistant coach ever?

This week, the UCF College of Business Administration (#UCFBusiness) DeVos Sport Business Management Program is showcasing the ways in which diversity and inclusive policies play a role in the world of sports and contribute to organizational success. Students in the program hope to shed light on how sports organizations can improve racial and gender hiring practices.

“Diversity Week represents so much of what we believe in at the DeVos Program and it’s really important to me to be able to see the efforts taking place across campus,” said Lizzy Whitbeck, a current student in the program. “I have been so fortunate to be able to work with and learn from people who come from different places and backgrounds and even have ways of thinking that vary from my own.”

The initiative is part of UCF’s annual Diversity Week October 12th-16th, made possible by the UCF Office of Diversity & Inclusion. More information about Diversity Week can be found at https://diversity.ucf.edu/events/diversity-week/.

The DeVos Sport Business Management Program was recently ranked in the top two graduate sport management programs in the world and the United States by SportBusiness International. It is an integrative “living classroom” with a rigorous and comprehensive academic schedule that keeps teams of students together throughout their coursework. In addition, graduates are expected to be able to discover the role of sport in society, how the power of sport can help create a more inclusive society and the responsibility of sport to use that power to make a difference.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES), part of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program, publishes the Racial and Gender Report Card, which digs deep into organization hiring practices on a regular basis.