{"id":9686,"date":"2019-11-21T21:33:33","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T21:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=9686"},"modified":"2021-07-22T05:14:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T05:14:22","slug":"building-on-an-early-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2019\/11\/21\/building-on-an-early-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Building on an early lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hop, step, and jump. Hop, step, and jump.<\/em><\/p>\n

Training for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Chris Dixon<\/strong><\/a> could think of little else than the triple jump cadence.<\/p>\n

Hop, step, and jump. Hop, step, and jump.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then at practice, hop, step, and crack<\/em>\u2014followed by intense pain, doctors, and confirmation that his Olympic dreams shattered along with his ankle.<\/p>\n

Dixon spent the next few years figuring out who he was off the field\u2014the place where athletic ability and subsequent praise had become closely linked to his sense of identity. It was a journey as difficult\u2014if not more so\u2014than his climb to peak performance. During that dark, confusing time, he promised himself: If I\u2019m ever in a position to help others transition to life after sports, I will.<\/p>\n

Since July, Dixon has served as Augsburg University\u2019s director of athletic diversity and inclusion and assistant coach for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s track and field teams. He is eager to return to the field as a coach, and he has a game plan to use the new role to promote a culture of inclusion. This job is personal, Dixon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was one of only a few African American kids in elementary school. People would ask to touch my hair, and I felt different until fifth grade, when I performed in front of my peers and teachers at a district track meet,\u201d he said. \u201cFor the first time, I felt accepted and embraced, and from then on, my identity was as an athlete. I loved it, don\u2019t get me wrong, but it was difficult to adjust once I left the arena.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Men<\/a>
Student-athletes attend a networking event hosted by Chris Dixon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dixon never had an African American teacher or coach other than a friend\u2019s dad who, after selling insurance all day, volunteered for Dixon\u2019s high school track and field team. \u201cI had amazing coaches and teachers, but I never saw myself in those roles,\u201d he said. These and other life experiences inform his outlook on this new role and emphasize the importance of his presence at Augsburg, where he also teaches Introduction to Kinesiology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am meeting student-athletes and talking with them about the challenges they face. I am working to be a presence on campus\u2014to break down stereotypes for some and to be a role model for others,\u201d he said. \u201cAlongside student-athletes and our athletics administration, I want to create or enhance academic resources, life-skills development, and networking opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personal connections and consistent, centralized support are critical to the success of underrepresented student-athletes, Dixon said. \u201cAugsburg is already ahead of the game. The student body is diverse, and there are many resources across campus that support inclusion. I plan to work with and build on what\u2019s already there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A plan\u2014starting with breakfast<\/h3>\n

As the sun rose on the second Thursday in October, Dixon greeted several tables of student-athletes seated in The Commons in Christensen Center. The young men of color connected with each other over breakfast before hearing advice from Jareck Horton, district sales manager
\nat PDC IDenticard, and Augsburg Football Assistant Coach Keanon Cooper<\/strong><\/a>. Dixon plans to invite successful men of color from a range of professions to these monthly networking socials, and he will hold similar events with other groups. Alicia Schuelke<\/a> \u201920 MAE<\/strong>, graduate assistant coach for track and field, said she and other students are thrilled with Dixon\u2019s enthusiasm and vision for the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a world where, many times, the odds are stacked against us, leaders of color provide hope and strength,\u201d said Schuelke, a student in the Master of Arts in Education program. \u201cI came to Augsburg for the MAE program, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how diverse the campus is, and it is my absolute favorite part of my learning experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can move the needle toward a more diverse group of leaders that better represent our country\u2019s demographics, then students of color will begin to understand that the sky\u2019s the limit in terms of their own hopes, dreams, and aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlongside student-athletes and our athletics administration, I want to create or enhance academic resources, life-skills development, and networking opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Chris Dixon, director of athletic diversity and inclusion<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Position the result of NCAA diversity grant<\/h3>\n

Dixon\u2019s position is largely made possible through a two-year NCAA Ethnic Minorities and Women\u2019s Internship Grant, which provides financial assistance to member institutions who create full-time, entry-level administrative positions for people who identify as an ethnic minority and\/or a woman, according to federal guidelines. The grant also supports professional development and formalized mentoring.<\/p>\n

Augsburg was one of only 20 institutions and conference offices selected to receive the grant this cycle, and it is the third award for Augsburg in the past decade. The university first secured the Ethnic Minorities and Women\u2019s Internship Grant during the 2012 to 2014 cycle to fund Jennifer Jacobs<\/strong>\u2019 role as assistant director of NCAA compliance and assistant volleyball coach. In 2014, Augsburg received the NCAA\u2019s Strategic Alliance Matching Grant, which funds full-time, mid- to senior-level athletics administration positions during a five-year commitment. Jacobs\u2019 role then evolved into assistant athletic director of external relations and diversity and inclusion, in addition to her role as assistant volleyball coach. She is now head volleyball coach at Augustana University.<\/p>\n

Augsburg\u2019s Associate Athletic Director Kelly Anderson Diercks<\/strong> said the department is driven to advance diversity and inclusion. \u201cEmbracing and connecting students of all backgrounds and experiences is the right thing to do, but it is also smart,\u201d she said. \u201cMore diverse teams are often stronger teams. They produce student-athletes who are better prepared to excel in play and in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson Diercks is a product of the NCAA\u2019s diversity grants, first as an intern for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and then as an assistant director. The experience, Anderson Diercks said, transformed how she operates as a leader in a male-dominated profession. More than a decade has passed, but she remains in contact with the mentor assigned to her during the internship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are critical opportunities for women and minorities to enter into leadership positions with tremendous personal and professional resources designed to equip them with the tools and outlook to navigate difficult roles,\u201d said Anderson Diercks, who formerly served as chair of the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women\u2019s Internship selection committee. \u201cWe are particularly excited about Coach Dixon\u2019s position because, to our knowledge, it is the only role of its kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Augsburg is \u2018ahead of the game\u2019<\/h3>\n

Ali Spungen, associate director of Division III for the NCAA, said that about 130 positions have been awarded through diversity grants during the past five years\u2014that\u2019s more than $36 million in funds for positions and professional development. Augsburg, Spungen said, stands out as a leader in the division, which is well positioned to meet the needs of diverse populations.<\/p>\n

\u201cDivision III allows student-athletes to play the sports they love within departments also focused on their academics and social engagement,\u201d said Spungen, also a past grant recipient. \u201cThese positions empower leaders like Coach Dixon to thrive, which inspires and encourages students. Augsburg clearly cares for its student-athletes and is willing to dedicate time and resources to ensure they are successful and well-rounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dixon is ready and grateful to come full-circle\u2014to be the coach and teacher he never had and to prepare others for the transitions he never saw coming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On and around the land that today houses Augsburg University\u2019s Minneapolis campus, they celebrated births and mourned deaths. They spoke languages of love and laughter, stress and sorrow. They built families, businesses, and dreams.<\/p>\n

They were here and many are gone, at once everywhere and nowhere because in the blistering pace and abundant distractions of the human ecosystem we all inhabit, it\u2019s natural that we forget who came before us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":9877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[89],"class_list":["post-9686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-stories","tag-fall-winter-2019"],"wps_subtitle":"Athletics secures NCAA grant to fund first-of-its-kind position supporting culture of inclusion","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/278"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9686"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11456,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9686\/revisions\/11456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}