Kent Weiser, Emporia State University athletic director, was awarded with the President’s Award for Diversity. This award is handed out to those at ESU who demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion to the community.   

“Athletics is always ahead of society when it comes to diversity, it has broken down barriers and racially before the rest of society. It gives you a great opportunity to show you that people from different backgrounds and cultures can work together and do great things,” Weiser said.

Weiser became the schools athletic director in 1999. He serves as a member of the Nation College Athletic Association Inclusion and Advisory Group with the mission to study issues related to diversity and inclusion in Division-II sports that will enhance the division’s diversity. 

In Weiser’s tenure at ESU, the athletic program has been ranked in the top 100 out of 300 schools in Division-II 14 of the 15 years he has been in office. ESU has also been ranked in the top 20 in the nation in producing Academic All-Americans in the 21st century. The Hornets won 24 MIAA regular season championships and finished in the top 20 in Division-II in 11 different sports under Weiser’s tenure as well.

In 2005, Weiser hired ESU’s first head coach from China, Bing Xu, for the volleyball program, which has an overall record of 74-45 over the past four years. He also hired the first African-American men’s basketball coach in Emporia State’s program, Shaun Vandiver, who led the Hornets to an 18-13 record last year. Vandiver was chosen out of 140 candidates for the job for men’s basketball coach.    “No one has gotten an opportunity because of their race or their culture, they got the opportunity because they are the best.” Weiser said. “You set aside those racial, social, and cultural differences, you want to hire the best person available.”  

Weiser was granted by the NCAA Strategic Alliance Matching Grant six months into office which granted him to establish more opportunities in athletics for women and minorities. The following year Weiser led an effort to add women’s soccer as a varsity sport that increased the participation opportunities for female student-athletes at Emporia State. Recently, Weiser fought to bring in artificial turf into the women’s softball program.

“I honestly think that Kent is one of the greatest mentors I’ve been around. A lot of times when you’re a coach you deal a lot with the athletic director but the kids don’t necessarily do that. With Kent, he loves the kids, he loves them on a personal level and knows their name. and interacts with the parents. On a female athletic standpoint he is great with our girls and cares about what their full life is about.” said Julie LeMaire, head ESU softball coach.

It was his dedication to the students and the University that has helped ESU become one of the most successful athletic programs in the NCAA.