The Designation, Stigmatization, and Marginalization of SWAs
Recently with an esteemed group of peer scholars, Dr. Allison Smith wrote a summary of her most recent publication in the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport titled At a Crossroads: The Senior Woman Administrator Designation for athleticdirectoru.com, a premier website that disseminates the most recent research and news pertaining to collegiate sport. The articles summarized by first authors by Dr. Smith and Dr. Janelle Wells (University of South Florida) explain that the designation of Senior Woman Administrator in NCAA athletic departments was intended to increase the presence and voice of women in college sport, however, previous research and the works by Drs. Smith, Wells and colleagues found that the title is no longer serving its purpose and is actually a barrier for many women to ascend to higher leadership positions such as the athletic director.
Athleticdirectoru.com sends their articles out to all subscribed administrators and coaches across the NCAA divisions. The article by Drs. Smith, Wells, and company was the most read article on the Division II and III ticker during the week of the article's release (12/9/2020).
