SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University President Cheryl Norton signed an NCAA pledge that commits SRU to achieving ethnic and racial diversity and gender equity in college sports hiring.

The pledge, called the “Pledge and Commitment to Promoting Diversity and Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics,” was approved on Aug. 3 by the NCAA board of governors. It’s part of an effort to increase the number of minorities and women hired to lead college sports teams and departments.

According to an NCAA survey for the 2014-15 school year, fewer than 10 percent of athletic directors are African-American, about 40 percent of head coaches in women’s sports are women, and ethnic minorities hold just 13 percent of leadership positions in athletics administration.

SRU officials said the school boasts higher rates of minorities and women in leadership than the survey shows. Minorities account for more than 66 percent of SRU’s athletic administration, and women account for more than 33 percent. SRU’s rate of female coaches for women’s sports teams (50 percent) is also higher than the NCAA survey’s rate. The school did acknowledge, however, that it has no minority head coaches on its staff.