Seven ACC Faculty and Student Research Projects Funded Totaling $22,000
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference and Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics (CRIA) announced today the recipients of the inaugural Innovation Initiative Small Grant Program. Seven research proposals were selected, totaling $22,000 in grant funding.
 
Proposal authors, which included both faculty and students, represented seven ACC institutions. A total of 22 proposals were initially submitted earlier this fall. Grant recipients were selected based on feedback from ACC athletics directors and faculty athletics representatives.
 
The Innovation Initiative Small Grant Program funds research projects examining issues related to college athletics administration. Specifically, the program calls for research proposals with a focus on one of the five key areas: student-athlete welfare (mental health, time, physical health), revenue generation (donor relations, ticket sales, increasing expenditures), athletics organizational behavior (work-life balance, salaries, culture), NCAA rules (transfer students, scholarship levels, sports wagering), and current issues (NIL, COVID, social justice).
 
Grant recipients will present their findings to ACC athletics administrators at the conference’s fall meetings in 2021.
 
The Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics partners with and secures research funding from organizations within intercollegiate athletics. The CRIA encourages funded research opportunities and actively pursues partnerships with organizations.
 
2020 Innovation Initiative Small Grant Program Recipients:
 
Examining the impact of family and organizational culture on the work-nonwork relationship of intercollegiate athletic department employees ($5,850)

• Kyle Bunds, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, NC State
• Elizabeth Taylor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple
• Matt Huml, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Cincinnati
• Julie Wayne, Professor, School of Business, Wake Forest

 
Development and validation of a multidimensional mental health screening instrument ($5,500)

• John Lalor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations, Notre Dame
• Scott Nestler, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, & Operations, Notre Dame
• Martin Barron, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, & Operations, Notre Dame
• Seth Berry, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, & Operations, Notre Dame

 
A Tale of Two Cities: COVID-19 and Student-Athletes’ Psychological Well-Being ($2,750)

• Carter Floyd, Doctoral Student, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State
• Susmit Gulavani, Doctoral Student, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State
• James Du, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sport Marketing, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State
• Jason Pappas, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State

 
The Impact of College Conference TV Networks on College Football and Basketball Attendance ($2,700)

• Jeremy Losak, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Management, Syracuse
• Samuel Marteka, Undergraduate 4^th Year Sport Analytics Major, Syracuse
• Mackenzie Mangos, Undergraduate 2^nd Year Sport Analytics Major, Syracuse

 College Athlete Advocacy & Activism: Perceptions of Support in the Fight for Racial and Social Justice ($2,000)

• Molly Harry, M.A., Doctoral Student, Curry School of Education, Virginia

Perceptions of ACC sport psychologists and athletic trainers on mental-health strategies for student-athletes ($1,700)

• Chris Boyer, MS, Ph.D., Student and Assistant Vice Chancellor, Strategic Brand Management, NC State
• Virginia Blake, Undergraduate Student and Women’s Basketball Team Manager, NC State
• Jason N. Bocarro, Ph.D., Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, NC State
• Jonathan M. Casper, Ph.D., Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, NC State
• Kimberly Bush, Ph.D., Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, NC State
• Michael B. Edwards, Ph.D., Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, NC State
• Joel Pawlak, Ph.D., Faculty Athletics Representative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, NC State
• Danielle Smith, M.S. Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, North Carolina
• Michelle Joshua, Ph.D., Sports Psychologist, NC State

 
Relationship between dietary intake, diet quality, and biomarkers of health and performance in ACC cross country runners ($1,500)

• David E. Barney, M.S., Nutrition Sciences Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Nutrition, Food, & Exercise Sciences, Florida State
• Stephen R. Hennigar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition, Food, & Exercise Sciences, Florida State