Rochester, Mich. (June 25, 2004) ???C Keith Merritt, Oakland University athletics??? academic advisor, has been selected to participate in the 2004-05 NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males. He is one of 19 athletics administrators picked to participate in the program that will take place this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males is designed as a model for athletics administrators to receive training and acquire skill sets necessary to advance to leadership roles in athletics. This program is the result of a recommendation by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee to address the critical shortage of senior-level ethnic minority males involved at the campus and conference levels. According to the NCAA's latest study of race demographics in intercollegiate athletics, minority males account for seven percent of the positions in athletics administration at NCAA member institutions (not including historically black colleges and universities). Established in 2001, the Leadership Institute focuses on enhancing job-related competencies in four professional areas: leadership and administration; human resource management; finance and fundraising; and media and public relations. The participants also engage in a week-long intensive workshop near the conclusion of the 12-month program that encompasses problem-solving techniques involving all four professional area components.