His dissertation focus changed after enrolling in the program. In the final version, he wanted to explore the idea that as universities started to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, athletic departments were lagging behind.
“One of the reasons I wanted to look at that particular topic is, you’re starting to see different buzzwords like ‘diversity, inclusion and equity,’ and people don’t really understand how that relates to higher education, let alone higher-education athletic departments,” he said. “Being in this space for the past two years, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge of how to start to dissect and find ways to make athletics more inclusive.”