IDENTIFIERS *California Community Colleges; Equal Rights

This thesis investigated the hiring trends for athletic leadership positions in California's community colleges from 1988 through 1997. The directory published by the Commission on Athletics (COA) was used to identify and gather information on athletic departments, and an Equal Employment Opportunity Survey was designed to assess the gender and ethnicity of athletic leadership positions. The California Community Colleges offer 12 men's and 10 women's intercollegiate sports to over 23,000 student-athletes. Athletic leadership opportunities for women and minorities have been limited. A literature review highlights court decisions and legislation that have played important roles in expanding opportunities in intercollegiate athletics. This study surveyed all 101 colleges holding membership in the COA. The survey contained questions about sports offered and the gender and ethnicity of athletic directors and head coaches to determine trends over the 9-year period. The proportion of women's sports offerings increased from.413 to.455. The proportion of women athletic directors increased from.188 to.261 and the proportion of women head coaches increased from.168 to.222. Changes in ethnicity over the nine-year period were not significant. Appendices include a list of California community colleges, the survey instrument, and the cover letter. Contains 16 tables and over 100 references. (RDG) ENTIRE DOCUMENT