Mission Statement
To advance and foster diversity and inclusion within the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics by providing a welcoming environment for all student-athletes and staff, with a community engagement focus.
Inclusive Excellence Charges
- Develop a culture of inclusion within Athletics
- Recruit and retain diverse and culturally competent staff members
- Encourage respectful dialogue between people with different experiences, beliefs and perspectives
- Partner with campus departments and the Tuscaloosa community to educate and celebrate diversity
- Foster a learning and working environment that maximizes the diversity of student-athletes and staff, through the development of cultural competencies, free of stereotypes and bias
- Advance and foster diversity and inclusion by providing programming and education that supports individuals on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, pregnancy, national origin (including ancestry), disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, marital status and all other protected statuses.
Inclusive Excellence Committee
The Team for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (T.I.D.E) was established by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and charged with the advancement and fostering of an inclusive culture. The T.I.D.E includes representation from across athletics administration, staff and student-athletes. The committee members are as follows:
- Patrick Murphy - Head Coach, Softball
- Jessica Pare - Deputy Athletics Director, External
- Whitney Hughes - Director, Annual Giving Athletics
- Josh Chapman - Director, Football Player Development
- Brandon Sevedge - Associate Athletics Director, Facilities
- Ginger Gilmore - Director, Behavior Medicine/Sports Medicine
- Allison Jeffreys - Associate Athletics Director, Human Resources
- Aja Sims-Fletcher - Coordinator, Student-Athlete Enhancement and Social Responsibility
- Dr. Karin Lee - Deputy Athletic Director/SWA/Chief Diversity Officer
- Whitney Hughes, Assistant Athletic Director, TIDE PRIDE Annual Giving
- Evan Van Nostrand, Assistant Director of Player Development-Character and Career Development
