Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU's Jewel Cotton Earns MAC Diversity & Inclusion Award
9/10/2021 2:48:00 PM | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
CLEVELAND – Central Michigan's Jewell Cotton was named today as the winner of the Mid-American Conference Diversity & Inclusion Administrator Award.
Cotton, a CMU graduate, serves as the assistant director of mentoring initiatives in CMU's Multicultural Academic Student Services.
"We are so proud of Jewel and everything she has done for our programs," Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan said. "Jewel has made a significant impact on our entire department in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her work and vision have enabled us to create a strategic roadmap for CMU Athletics to become a DEI leader in the MAC and the impact she has made on Central Michigan University's campus makes her an exceptional honoree for this award."
Cotton was a four-year letter winner on the CMU women's basketball who earned her Bachelor of Applied Arts in family studies with a minor in substance abuse education in 2017. She then earned Master of Science in Administration.
She planned and implemented more than 20 DEI events over the past year and collaborated with CMU's Leadership Institute and Communications Department to provide media for student-athletes to assist in their responses to press inquiries related to DEI and mental health.
Cotton also advised a group of CMU student-athletes of color to assist in the development of the inaugural Black Student-Athlete Committee (BSAC), a registered student organization that provides an entirely student-led space to share experiences and create community among minorities who may be searching for a sense of belonging.
Cotton developed the "United as One" campaign in which CMU student-athletes from each sport recited the Unity Pledge. She assisted in the coordination of video content reflecting culture, diversity, and unity. Cotton coordinated events and engagement opportunities during Black History Month for all student-athletes, coaches, and staff. Her impact and leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion over the past year helped to open the door for CMU student-athletes, coaches, and staff to become comfortable having conversations on race, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, etc. and utilizing those conversations to grow individually and to think beyond their biases.
Further, it was Cotton who several years ago created the Athletics Reading Tour that was adopted by the MAC Council of Student-Athletes. Part of the group's mission is to read to elementary school children a book that covers DEI and/or mental health topics and then donate the book to the school's library. Cotton's impact on the CMU athletics department and the greater Mount Pleasant community has been invaluable and immeasurable.
"I humbly appreciate this honor as the MAC Diversity and Inclusion Administrator Award recipient," Cotton said. "I am the product of my education and experiences, so I want to provide similar opportunities to our department. The reception received reinforces the will to provide progressive programming that focuses on where we want to be, not where we currently are.
"Being a two-time CMU graduate, my efforts were deeply rooted which drove my motivation to contribute to our education and perspectives around diversity, equity, and inclusion. This journey continues with further exploration and elevation through discomfort and ambiguity."
In November of 2016, the MAC announced one of the most comprehensive Diversity & Inclusion Programs in Division I intercollegiate athletics to begin during the 2017-18 academic year. Through this program, the MAC is working to expand opportunities for minority candidates in coaching and administration with six specific and coordinated program initiatives.
The initiatives: Establishment of the Conference Diversity and Inclusion statement; the commitment to 25 annual internships across membership; a collaborative mentoring program; a bi-annual summit; a resource webpage; and the annual awards platform to recognize one institutional athletic department, administrator, and student-athlete.
The MAC Diversity, Education & Inclusion program provides career educational opportunities for a diverse pool of candidates, career entry and advancement opportunities, consistent support and career mentoring programs, and opportunities for collaboration on best hiring practices and cultural enhancements.
In 2015, MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher instituted a 15-member working group comprised of university administrators, senior athletic administrators, and faculty athletic representatives to present to MAC membership recommendations for a comprehensive diversity and inclusion program.
Steinbrecher charged the group with "taking a solution-oriented leadership role in accelerating and growing the pool of minority candidates for collegiate job opportunities in coaching and administration."
Kamal Adewumi, a sophomore wrestler at Ohio, earned the student-athlete award.
"It is an honor to recognize Central Michigan's Jewel Cotton and Ohio's Kamal Adewumi for their outstanding leadership and commitment to prioritizing and advancing diversity and inclusion programs at their respective institutions," Dr. Steinbrecher said.
Cotton, a CMU graduate, serves as the assistant director of mentoring initiatives in CMU's Multicultural Academic Student Services.
"We are so proud of Jewel and everything she has done for our programs," Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan said. "Jewel has made a significant impact on our entire department in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her work and vision have enabled us to create a strategic roadmap for CMU Athletics to become a DEI leader in the MAC and the impact she has made on Central Michigan University's campus makes her an exceptional honoree for this award."
Cotton was a four-year letter winner on the CMU women's basketball who earned her Bachelor of Applied Arts in family studies with a minor in substance abuse education in 2017. She then earned Master of Science in Administration.
She planned and implemented more than 20 DEI events over the past year and collaborated with CMU's Leadership Institute and Communications Department to provide media for student-athletes to assist in their responses to press inquiries related to DEI and mental health.
Cotton also advised a group of CMU student-athletes of color to assist in the development of the inaugural Black Student-Athlete Committee (BSAC), a registered student organization that provides an entirely student-led space to share experiences and create community among minorities who may be searching for a sense of belonging.
Cotton developed the "United as One" campaign in which CMU student-athletes from each sport recited the Unity Pledge. She assisted in the coordination of video content reflecting culture, diversity, and unity. Cotton coordinated events and engagement opportunities during Black History Month for all student-athletes, coaches, and staff. Her impact and leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion over the past year helped to open the door for CMU student-athletes, coaches, and staff to become comfortable having conversations on race, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, etc. and utilizing those conversations to grow individually and to think beyond their biases.
Further, it was Cotton who several years ago created the Athletics Reading Tour that was adopted by the MAC Council of Student-Athletes. Part of the group's mission is to read to elementary school children a book that covers DEI and/or mental health topics and then donate the book to the school's library. Cotton's impact on the CMU athletics department and the greater Mount Pleasant community has been invaluable and immeasurable.
"I humbly appreciate this honor as the MAC Diversity and Inclusion Administrator Award recipient," Cotton said. "I am the product of my education and experiences, so I want to provide similar opportunities to our department. The reception received reinforces the will to provide progressive programming that focuses on where we want to be, not where we currently are.
"Being a two-time CMU graduate, my efforts were deeply rooted which drove my motivation to contribute to our education and perspectives around diversity, equity, and inclusion. This journey continues with further exploration and elevation through discomfort and ambiguity."
In November of 2016, the MAC announced one of the most comprehensive Diversity & Inclusion Programs in Division I intercollegiate athletics to begin during the 2017-18 academic year. Through this program, the MAC is working to expand opportunities for minority candidates in coaching and administration with six specific and coordinated program initiatives.
The initiatives: Establishment of the Conference Diversity and Inclusion statement; the commitment to 25 annual internships across membership; a collaborative mentoring program; a bi-annual summit; a resource webpage; and the annual awards platform to recognize one institutional athletic department, administrator, and student-athlete.
The MAC Diversity, Education & Inclusion program provides career educational opportunities for a diverse pool of candidates, career entry and advancement opportunities, consistent support and career mentoring programs, and opportunities for collaboration on best hiring practices and cultural enhancements.
In 2015, MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher instituted a 15-member working group comprised of university administrators, senior athletic administrators, and faculty athletic representatives to present to MAC membership recommendations for a comprehensive diversity and inclusion program.
Steinbrecher charged the group with "taking a solution-oriented leadership role in accelerating and growing the pool of minority candidates for collegiate job opportunities in coaching and administration."
Kamal Adewumi, a sophomore wrestler at Ohio, earned the student-athlete award.
"It is an honor to recognize Central Michigan's Jewel Cotton and Ohio's Kamal Adewumi for their outstanding leadership and commitment to prioritizing and advancing diversity and inclusion programs at their respective institutions," Dr. Steinbrecher said.
Diversity and Inclusion PSA
Monday, May 17