Season 2 Episode 5: What’s Up With College Sports?
Many colleges in the United States have an athletic program comprised of multiple sports such as basketball, football, track and field, softball, and many other options. These sports generate revenue and offer opportunities for students, faculty, alumni, staff and others to cheer for team victories together. In this episode, Dr. P. has a great conversation about college sports with Dr. Monique Ositelu, a researcher, entrepreneur, advisor, speaker, author, strategist, and advocate for marginalized students. As a first-generation child of an immigrant parent from Nigeria, Dr. Ositelu values college as a lever to propel students from the limitations of their childhood zip codes.
Last year, Monique launched a consulting firm to help nonprofit organizations, colleges, and universities harness the benefits of data to curate meaningful strategies that promote student success and socioeconomic mobility. Monique also serves as a Senior Policy Analyst for Higher Education with the Education Policy Program at New America, a bipartisan policy think-tank located in Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining New America, Monique held several research and practitioner roles, including positions with the Florida Legislature, College Autism Network, and Florida State University’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement.
Monique received the Dissertation of the Year Award from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education for her research study that focused on the impact of distributing academic performance rate penalties on men’s sports athletes’ graduation rates and the potential differential impacts on men’s sport athletes at historically black colleges and universities. That research has also led her to presenting at numerous conferences, publishing in academic journals, and recently being quoted in NPR’s show All Things Considered as a content and data expert to discuss the NCAA’s use of academic performance rate metrics.
Monique is also an accomplished track and field athlete, as she competed as a Division I track and field athlete with a Southern Conference championship title in the 800 meters. She also earned a bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2007 U.S. Junior Olympics and qualified in the 800m for Nigeria’s national track and field team. In addition to her own athletic achievements, Monique served as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the Women’s and Men’s cross country and track & field teams at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Monique holds a PhD in Higher Education, with a specialization in Public Policy, from Florida State University (FSU), a Master’s in Public Administration, with a focus in Public Policy & Management, from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and a bachelor’s of science in Psychology from Furman University.
Dr. Ositelu resides in the Washington, DC metro area and during her free time, she enjoys traveling internationally (pre-COVID), cooking gourmet meals, mentoring youth, and spending time with her family and her Havanese pup -- Kofi!
The Did You Know segment suggests an option for making new friends and exploring interests in college. The Ask Dr. P. segment features a question about how to calculate daily interest on a student loan.
Dr. Ositelu's Social Media Links
Twitter: @moniqueositelu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/moniqueositelu-phd
Got a question about college? Email Dr. P. at amelia@speakingofcollege.com