Huskers Honored for African-American Female Grad Rate

Lincoln - The Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>TexasA&M recently awarded the University of Nebraska with a Diversity in Athletics Award for its outstanding African-American female graduation rate. 

The Diversity in Athletics Award, which is presented annually, recognizes the NCAA Division I-A athletic departments that excel in the areas of diversity. Departments are recognized in eight categories: diversity strategy, sex diversity of department employees, racial diversity of department employees, value and attitudinal diversity of department employees, graduation rates of African-American male student-athletes, graduation rates of African-American female student-athletes, Title IX compliance (substantial proportionality), and overall excellence in diversity. 

The Nebraska Athletic Department received The Diversity in Athletics Award in the Female African-American student-athlete graduation category. Nebraska was one of nine schools out of the 119 Division I-A schools surveyed to receive the prestigious honor. 

Graduation rates are based on NCAA data. The University of Nebraska as a whole graduated 40 percent of its female African-American students, but the female African-American student-athlete graduation rate was 86 percent. 

The 46 percent difference between the student-athlete graduation rate and the general population rate earned the Nebraska athletic department one of the nine awards in the category.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Overall, only 46 schools earned at least one of the 76 Diversity in Athletics Awards presented by Texas A&M. A complete list of award-winning schools by category and the details of the research information is available in the PDF attachment to this story or at http://lds.tamu.edu.