University Webinar to Center on Equity and Access in Athletics and Beyond

Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to watch an important and timely webinar presented by the University and Duquesne Athletics and co-sponsored by the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.

The Rooney Rule and What’s Next: Equity and Access in Athletics and Beyond, will be streamed via YouTube at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, and will include a live question-and-answer session.

The National Football League first established the “Rooney Rule” in 2003. It is named for legendary Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney (a Duquesne alumnus) and his effort to recruit more minority coaches in major league football. The Rooney Rule—a momentous statement of commitment in its day—requires league teams to interview minority candidates for senior football operation jobs.

Moderated by Duquesne President Ken Gormley and Brian Baptiste, athletics director at La Salle University, the event is the first in an ongoing series focusing on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion to be presented by A-10 member schools throughout the 2020-2021 academic year.

The featured speakers at The Rooney Rule and What’s Next include Jim Rooney, co-partner at Rooney Consulting and author of A Different Way to Lead—an account of his father Dan Rooney’s life and leadership, and N. Jeremi Duru, professor at American University’s Washington College of Law and one of the nation’s foremost sports law authorities.

Rooney and Duru will participate in a discussion with Gormley and Baptiste, who each co-chair the Atlantic 10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.

“We are justly proud of what the Rooney family has done in Pittsburgh and the ways Dan Rooney modeled a commitment to diversity and inclusion long before the rest of the country recognized its central importance,” said Gormley. “Our conversation can build on that action and consider what we can do in our own universities and cities. Universities shape our regions, and with actions for equity and inclusion needed more so now rather than statements, how will we lead? This exciting discussion will be an inspiration for what is next.”

Jim Rooney worked alongside his father for decades, assisting him with relationships at the U.S. State Department and the White House when his father was Ambassador to Ireland. A national speaker, Jim is co-partner of Rooney Consulting, which helps organizations enhance culture, build strong teams and grow businesses. He also founded FirstLink research and Analytics, a world leader in building business analysis for technology transition.

Duru, who teaches sports law, civil procedure and employment discrimination, is author and co-author of several premier texts in the law field, including Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL. He also represents the Fritz Pollard Alliance of minority coaches, scouts and front-office personnel in the National Football League. He previously represented sports industry professionals in employment matters involving other leagues such as the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Visit the event website for more information.