ROI founder Nevin Caple is a 2002 student-athlete alum of FDU
NEW YORK – Return On Inclusion (ROI) is excited to announce FDU Athletics as its latest partner and first Northeast Conference institution to join the learning platform. FDU coaches, administrators and support staff will participate in the ROI Inclusive Leader Certificate Program as a department starting this month.
"We are thrilled to partner with ROI to educate our Department on inclusive leadership. To also be able to bring one of our former student-athletes in Nevin Caple back to the banks of the Hackensack is especially exciting and special as well," remarked FDU Director of Athletics Bradford Hurlbut. "We look forward to implementing the important work and strategies Nevin and her team practice across our entire athletic department. Our coaches, staff and administration's commitment to diversity and inclusion will become even stronger through this initiative."
ROI has emerged as an industry leader in diversity, inclusion and belonging training in college athletics. The sports-specific online learning platform helps athletics 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.
The six-module platform includes self-reflection exercises, facilitator-led videos, case studies, best practices, knowledge retention quizzes, and discussion guides for group participation. Throughout the modules, coaches and athletics administrators have the opportunity to experience personal and professional growth both individually and collectively.
Nevin Caple, a four-year letterwinner on the FDU women's basketball team and 2002 graduate of the institution, is the founder of ROI.
"Being a student-athlete at FDU connected me to people from all over the world. I'm a firm believer that athletics is a space that is accepting of differences, from race, class, nationality, orientation and more," said Caple. "Team ROI is thrilled to partner with FDU and build on this foundation. I'm grateful for Brad, his leadership team, and their commitment to moving the work of inclusion forward. The impact of our partnership will be felt throughout athletics and the broader campus community."
Caple's experience as a student-athlete has helped shape her career as a national thought leader on diversity, inclusion and belonging. She recently led a series of diversity and inclusion workshops with FDU student-athletes and staff as part of the Northeast Conference Speaker Series.
For more information, visit 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.
In November 2021, ROI and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced a groundbreaking partnership to advance diversity and inclusion in college athletics. NACDA endorsed ROI for individual and department-wide use in athletics.
About FDU Athletics
The Knights are home to 21 NCAA Division I teams. A member of the Northeast Conference, FDU has had tremendous success in the classroom, in athletic competition, and giving back to the Bergen County community. In 2019-20 year, FDU won NEC championships in men's soccer and women's indoor track & field and followed that up with championships in 2020-2021 in women's bowling, men's tennis, and women's golf. In 2020, FDU student-athletes were also recognized for their efforts in the community by winning the NEC Building Communities Award with over 3,000 community service hours. Other recent milestones include men's basketball winning the 2019 NEC championship and going on to win the first NCAA Tournament game in school history. In addition to recent championships, FDU also holds two NCAA National Championships in the sport of women's bowling (2006, 2010).