Kathleen Twist, former Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Administration and Senior Woman Administration at the University at Buffalo, published her SUNY Empire Master’s thesis earlier this August, titled “Transformative Learning Communities as a Diversity and Inclusion Framework.”[1] Ms. Twist presents the results of the ethnographic microstudy called “Student-athletes perception of cultural awareness and soft skill development,” conducted jointly with the Buffalo Project, which measured student-athletes’ perceptions of cultural awareness.
Inspired by her own journey as captain of both tennis and basketball teams as a young athlete, and her experience working with other student-athletes for over two decades at UB, Twist noticed among the millennial generation a decline in soft skills, such as cross-cultural competencies. Twist’s thesis provides insight on how Transformational Learning Communities of NCAA sports could assist millennials in the acquisition of the important skills of diversity and inclusion, given the importance these have for athletes’ success, both personally and in the workplace. It also brings attention to the role of higher education in creating a more multiculturally sensitive environment for students. Twist supported this statement referring to the data acquired during the 10-year ethnographic study, known as the Buffalo Project.
When asked how the mentor-mentee relationship started back in 2016 with the Buffalo Project’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers, Twist stated that “it was really easy connecting with the Buffalo Project given that Dr. Rogers is also a former athlete.” With regard to the thesis, Twist refers to the Buffalo Project as “a valid and reliable means of measuring DI that was recognized in the academic community.”
On a personal level, Twist saw this thesis as an opportunity to connect her athletic mindset with her desire to aid others to better themselves. “I’m going to do everything that I possibly can to improve myself, so that I can assist others achieve what they need to achieve”, added Twist, who has over two decades of experience supervising both women and men in several sports, including tennis, track field, and cross-country.
The Buffalo Project congratulates Kathy Twist in her achievement and commends her contribution to building cross-cultural awareness in the student-athlete community.
The Buffalo Project was created with the purpose of measuring students’ perceptions of culture at the SUNY Empire State College Buffalo Campus, in order to create inclusive higher education programming and promote cross-cultural understanding in the Buffalo region and beyond. The Buffalo Project data have been used to bring innovative learning opportunities across New York State and internationally.
You can contribute to our multicultural awareness research by completing the Buffalo Project Survey now!
[1]Twist, K. (2019). Transformative Learning Communities as a Diversity and Inclusion Framework. (MA thesis, State University of New York Empire State College). Retrieved from: https://search.proquest.com/openview/8e5d9e45d350a64547a3c70719b2ef9e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
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