UB Receives National Honor for Strides for Female Student-Athletes

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo has been recognized by the Women's Sports Foundation as one of four "standout" colleges and universities in the nation for making significant strides in providing equitable athletic opportunities for its female student-athletes.

UB Director of Athletics Warde J. Manuel today accepted the award from the foundation's founder, Billie Jean King at its inaugural "Opportunity Awards" ceremony at the HBO Studios in New York City.

The foundation honored one school in each section of the country. UB was recognized as award recipient for the Northeast. The awards were presented in conjunction with the release of the foundation's "Who's Playing College Sports?" research report in honor of Title IX's 35th anniversary.

This research report provides the most comprehensive set of data yet on the numbers of women and men playing college sports.

UB received an "A" on the report card and was chosen to be an award recipient for having less than a 2 percent proportionality gap between the percentage of undergraduates who are female and the percentage of student-athletes who are female.

Explained Aimee Mullins, president of the Women's Sports Foundation, "When selecting our four schools for the 'Opportunity Awards,' the Women's Sports Foundation set stringent criteria that included an 'A' grade in our research report card, similar population of male and female undergraduates and athletes, having a football program, not being liable for a Title IX lawsuit  in the past decade, equitable athletic budgets for the men's and women's programs, and having athletic departments serving at least 100 athletes.  We applaud these schools for setting great examples. Schools can treat female athletes as well as their male counterparts and still boast a top athletic program."

"We are delighted to have received this kind of recognition from one of the nation's most influential and respected organizations in the athletic domain -- a group that includes many of women's sports true trailblazers," said Manuel.

"The efforts that brought us to this point extend from UB President John B. Simpson to each employee in athletics who recognizes the importance of opportunity for all on the fields of collegiate competition.

"Sports offer so much in the growth of an individual," Manuel added, "and I am just thrilled to be a part of an athletic department at UB that has been judged by others to be equitable and fair in providing that opportunity."

Simpson noted that "providing equitable opportunities for women and men to participate in sports has been an institutional priority for many years, and UB views this goal as part and parcel of our efforts to build a strong, successful athletic program that complements the excellence of UB's academic programs.  

"We're thrilled that this commitment has been recognized in such a meaningful way by the Women's Sports Foundation -- an achievement that represents solid planning and a great deal of hard work on the part of many individuals. As UB strives to achieve excellence across the board through the roadmap provided by the UB 2020 strategic planning process, it's heartening to know that the work of our Division of Athletics has garnered this very prestigious recognition for UB.

"Under the leadership of UB's athletics director, Warde Manuel, we have continued to make significant strides in pursuit of our ongoing dedication to gender equity -- not only in terms of increasing the numbers of women participating in sports, but also in establishing the leadership, resources and support that foster a campus athletic culture that values equal opportunity and fair play."

The award marks the second national honor that the UB Division of Athletics has received this spring. UB was recognized in March for the second straight year by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University as one of 10 schools to receive recognition for overall excellence in diversity. UB also was recognized in employee diversity for gender and values and attitudes.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. The Division of Athletics sponsors 20 intercollegiate sports and competes in the tradition-rich Mid-American Conference at the Division I-A level. UB's more than 27,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.