Return On Inclusion and San Francisco State Announce Partnership

ROI offers online diversity and inclusion courses designed for college athletic departments

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco State has announced a partnership with Return On Inclusion, which delivers online sport-specific diversity and inclusion education to coaches, administrators and staff in college athletic departments.
 
"This partnership has been a long time coming and I am thrilled that we have made it official," lauded SF State Athletic Director Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins. "From the moment I heard Nevin (Caple) speak and had the opportunity to experience the ROI certification program through my involvement with D2ADA, I have been wanting to share the wisdom and brilliance of ROI with our staff and coaches here at SF State. The Gator Athletic Department staff and coaches are committed to creating and sustaining a culture of belonging for our student-athletes; and we will now have the education and tools that ROI provides to build a vehicle of awareness AND actions toward realizing our diversity equity and inclusion goals. Thank you to the ROI team!"
 
Divided into six self-paced online modules, Return On Inclusion's comprehensive diversity and inclusion training is designed specifically for college athletic departments. Participants receive instruction on a variety of topics, including:

• Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Foundations
• Cultural Competence & Managing Relationships
• Overcoming Bias, Microaggressions & Covering
• Unpacking Racism, Anti-Racism & Privilege
• LGBTQ+ Inclusion & Gender Stereotypes
• Inclusive Leadership & Strategic Plan Development

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.
 
Since its launch in October 2020, ROI has emerged as an industry leader, helping athletic administrators, coaches, and staff at institutions and athletics organizations at all levels of competition develop the inclusive leadership skills necessary to support student-athletes across social and cultural differences. Participants who complete all six modules earn the ROI Inclusive Leader Certificate.
 
ROI and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) recently announced a groundbreaking partnership to advance diversity and inclusion in college athletics. NACDA endorsed the ROI platform for individual and department-wide use for NACDA and affiliate members across the country.
 
"We are honored to partner with NACDA as ROI is our labor of love to the athletics community," stated Caple. "I am seeing a valuing of difference in college athletics as many administrators and coaches are owning the places within themselves where they still need to grow. It takes courage and compassion to do that. We want to help our leaders who are on that deeply reflective and personal journey."

Caple hopes to set a new standard when it comes to how administrators and coaches are trained on diversity and inclusion topics in college athletics.
 
"DEI is a learned skill set. We don't just show up one day knowing what to do. It takes time, practice, and commitment just like learning a sport or anything of importance," Caple said. "This is our opportunity to provide a resource that will make us better humans, center the experiences of our student-athletes, and improve college athletics for generations to come."

For more information, visit nacda.roinclusion.com.
 
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 Co-Chair Kim Doran, Board Co-Chair John Square (George Washington), Kyle Chilton, Clyde Doughty (Bowie State), Jessica Duff (Smith), Jaide-Hinds Clarke (Richmond), Katie Harbert (Oregon), Noah Knight, Yannick Kluch (VCU), Maria Sanchez (Northwestern), Whitney Johnson (BYU).