By Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.eud
Posted on July 7, 2020

The College Sport Research Institute at the University of South Carolina has announced several enhancements to its operations with the goal of actively promoting equality for scholars and students of color.

The research center, which is the leading scholarly institution for the study of issues in college sport, has appointed a new assistant director. Victor D. Kidd will join CSRI director Richard Southall and associate director Mark Nagel, and will bring valuable leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion. Kidd earned his Ph.D. in sport and entertainment management at South Carolina and has worked closely with CSRI on research surrounding issues that impact collegiate athletes of color.

Leading up to its 2021 conference, CSRI will also launch an annual research grant program, which will include two Diversity Scholar Research Grants. The CSRI Conference will annually acknowledge one undergraduate and one graduate student with a Diversity and Inclusion Award.

CSRI will also form a Diversity and Inclusion Committee, comprised of scholars and students. The committee will support scholar activism in the areas of equity and inclusion in college sport and will organize, plan and manage an annual panel at the CSRI Conference to provide a space to discuss research findings related to diversity and inclusion in college sport.

“For 13 years, CSRI has sought to fulfill its mission of encouraging, supporting, conducting and disseminating research to address college sport issues. After numerous thoughtful conversations, we agreed the institute should continue to provide a space to challenge systematic and structural racism and should seek ways to expand its impact in the field,” says Southall. “CSRI will continue to look for ways to embrace and uplift the voices of the Black community.”

More information on CSRI and the 2021 conference is available at csri.org.