Faculty Focus: Dr. Joseph Cooper speaks at SIAC Black College Sports Lecture Series

UConn’s Dr. Joseph Cooper was among the noted scholars in the field of race, gender and sport who headlined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Black College Sports Lecture Series on March 5 at Miles College.

SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore remarked “During the past several months, seminal court cases, congressional hearings and legislative policy shifts which now provide increased autonomy to the so called “Power Five” NCAA conferences have pushed intercollegiate sports into areas that can best be described as uncharted territory. The purpose of this lecture series was to facilitate conversations and dialogue with respect to the impact these shift could have on HBCU sports from the standpoint of both challenges and, most importantly – the opportunities.”

In addition to Dr. Cooper, the discussions were led by J. Kenyatta Cavil, Ed. D., M. B. A., Texas Southern University Assistant Professor and Sports Studies and Leadership Program Coordinator, as well as Geremy Cheeks, BA, MBA, Florida A&M University, Ph. D Candidate (Sport Science), Texas A&M University.

Recent publications by these scholars include:

• THE STATE OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUS): PAST, PRESENT, & PERSISTENCE. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 7, 307-332

• THE TRANSFER EFFECT: A CRITICAL RACE THEORY EXAMINATION OF BLACK MALE TRANSFER STUDENT ATHLETES’ EXPERIENCES. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 7, 80-104.

• A CULTURE OF COLLECTIVE UPLIFT: THE INFLUENCE OF A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ON BLACK MALE STUDENT ATHLETES’ EXPERIENCES. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 6, 306-331.

• A PLACE OF OPPORTUNITY: BLACK MALE STUDENT ATHLETES’ EXPERIENCES AT A HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITY. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 5, 170-188.

ABOUT THE SIAC:

The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The primary mission and purpose of the SIAC is “to leverage intercollegiate athletics to the benefit of our student-athletes and to advance the overarching strategic interests of SIAC member institutions.” The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Benedict College, Central State University Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Paine College, Spring Hill College, Stillman College, Tuskegee University) which are located within a contiguous six-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men’s and six women’s sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II.