Haverford athletics and ROI announce partnership for 2020-21 academic year

NEW YORK – Athletic director Wendy Smith has announced that Haverford College athletics has partnered with Return On Inclusion™ (ROI) as part of an on-going effort to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for its student-athletes.

“Last year, the Haverford athletic department initiated an educational process for student-athletes and athletic staff focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Smith said. “Nevin Caple's ROI modules provide an educational opportunity to support our department's efforts, especially as they relate to anti-racism, to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for our student-athletes from diverse backgrounds.”

Divided into six self-paced online modules, Return On Inclusion provides comprehensive diversity and inclusion training designed for college athletic departments. Participants receive instruction on a variety of topics, including: cultural competency, overcoming bias, microaggressions, racism, privilege, LGBTQ+ inclusion, gender stereotypes and inclusive leadership.

Instruction in all six modules is provided by ROI founder Nevin Caple, a national thought leader on diversity, inclusion and belonging in sport. The curriculum was developed by Caple in collaboration with the ROI advisory board – a diverse collection of college athletics administrators and scholars from around the country.

"I am thrilled to share ROI with the community I care so deeply about,” Caple said. “We should all have access to the tools we need to do our jobs most effectively. I hope ROI will serve as a catalyst for many institutions to prioritize learning for coaches, athletic administrators, and staff as they embark on their inclusive leadership journey."

As coaches and administrators complete the training, they will be better equipped to support and mentor student-athletes from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Participants who complete all six modules earn the ROI Inclusive Leader Certificate.

“I think one of the main themes of Nevin Caple's work is to create a culture of belonging and that is something we are always striving for at Haverford College, in our athletic department and on our individual teams,” stated Haverford women’s basketball coach Bobbi Morgan. “What we learned this summer was that Nevin Caple approaches this work in a way that makes it very relevant to what we do in college athletics on a day to day basis. I know as coaches we are all excited to participate because we are always looking for ways to be better and to lead inclusively.'' 

About Return on Inclusion

Return On Inclusion™ (ROI) is a sport-specific diversity and inclusion education platform dedicated to developing inclusive leaders and fostering a culture of belonging across social and cultural differences. Our self-paced modules standardize learning methods, deepening our commitment to helping every coach and athletic administrator develop the skills and competencies necessary to support student-athletes and achieve inclusive excellence in programs, policies and practices.

The ROI Advisory Board includes national thought leaders in college athletics who have made significant contributions to fostering inclusive teams and programs. Board members include: Board Chair Resa Lovelace (Maryland), DaWon Baker (Nebraska), Isa Berardo (Pomona-Pitzer), Cherish Burks (Alabama), Clyde Doughty (Bowie State), Kim Doran (Ohio State), Jessica Duff (Bates), Jaide-Hinds Clarke (Richmond), Katie Harbert (Oregon), Noah Knight (Kansas City Athletics), Yannick Kluch (Rowan), Jacqie McWilliams (CIAA), John Square (GW), Maria Sanchez (Northwestern), Whitney Johnson (NCAA).

Visit roinclusion.com or follow @ROInclusion on Twitter for more information.

Return On Inclusion Press Contact: 

Kyle Chilton (he/him) 

kyle@roinclusion.com

801-372-2080