General

Russell Rule Continues to Champion WCC’s Diversity Hiring Commitment

SAN MATEO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference’s Russell Rule continues to champion the conference-wide diversity hiring commitment, as the WCC shared the hiring report in the second year of its groundbreaking policy.
 
The Russell Rule, named after the late Bill Russell, requires the athletic department at each member institution and the Conference office to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position.
 
From August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022, the Russell Rule diversity hiring commitment once again resulted in more than half, 72 out of 127, of the overall hires from a traditionally underrepresented community. Overall, 127 candidates from a traditionally underrepresented community were part of the final candidate pools in the 127 searches.
 
“The Russell Rule report for 2021-22 demonstrates both the Conference’s and the membership’s steadfast commitment to providing a diverse and inclusive environment throughout the West Coast Conference,” Dr. Thayne McCulloh, President of Gonzaga University and the Chair of the WCC Presidents’ Council, said. “The leadership exemplified on each campus speaks to the Conference’s core values of diversity and inclusion and honors the legacy of the late Bill Russell, who championed social justice efforts throughout his life. The WCC was a leader with its adoption of this groundbreaking policy and continues to show its strong commitment with its hiring efforts.”
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS OF THE RUSSELL RULE HIRING COMMITMENT IN YEAR TWO
  • 124 of 127 (97.6%) total hires across all 10 institutions and the Conference Office met the Russell Rule hiring commitment.
  • More than half (72 of 127, 56.7%) of the hires were candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities.  
  • Across the 127 searches, 127 total candidates in the final pools were from traditionally underrepresented communities.
  • In 15 head coach searches, seven hires were candidates from traditional underrepresented communities.
  • In 28 senior administration searches, 16 hires were candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities.
  • There were 38 exceptions included in the 124 hires that met the Russell Rule hiring commitment.
“I appreciate the steadfast commitment to the Russell Rule from the WCC Presidents’ Council and the leadership on all 10 campuses,” said the WCC’s Gloria Nevarez. “I continue to be pleased with the strong efforts to create a more inclusive environment for our student-athletes.”
 
The gender demographic of senior administration at the 10 member institutions and the Conference office overall is 33.3% female. The racial demographic of senior administration includes 18.3% of employees from a traditionally underrepresented community. The WCC’s racial demographic for the 10 institutions and the Conference office is higher than the NCAA demographics (17.0%), while the gender demographic is slightly lower than the NCAA demographics (34.0%). This includes all NCAA-sponsored sports from WCC-member institutions.
 
Among head coaches of men’s programs at the 10 member institutions, 15.1% are from a traditionally underrepresented community. The NCAA demographics list 18% of head coaches of men’s teams from a traditionally underrepresented community. Four percent of head coaches of men’s teams are female according to the NCAA demographics. In the WCC, 5.2% of the overall group of head coaches of men’s teams are female. This includes all NCAA-sponsored sports from WCC-member institutions.
 
Among head coaches of women’s programs in the WCC, 45.9% are female, compared to the overall NCAA demographics of 41%. The racial demographics of this group includes 22.4% from a traditionally underrepresented community, higher than the NCAA demographics that include 21% from a traditionally underrepresented community. This includes all NCAA-sponsored sports from WCC-member institutions.
 
At least half (55.0% of men’s teams and 53.3% of women’s teams) of the assistant coaches of both men’s and women’s basketball programs in the WCC are from a traditionally underrepresented community.
 
The NCAA percentage of female assistant coaches in men’s basketball is 1.0%. There is not currently a female assistant coach for a WCC men’s basketball program. In women’s basketball, the NCAA percentage of female assistant coaches is 66.9%. In the WCC, 73.3% of assistant coaches in the 10 women’s basketball programs are female.
 
For a more detailed 2022 report on the Russell Rule, please log on to wccsports.com/RussellRule.