Richard E. Lapchick, chair of the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program at UCF College of Business, was recently named to the board of trustees for the onePULSE Foundation, which was set up to honor the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. June 12 marks the one-year anniversary of the nation’s deadliest mass shooting.
“I am especially proud to serve on this board,” said Lapchick, a human-rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, internationally recognized expert on sports issues, scholar and author. “The way Orlando came together and was joined by Americans from every corner of our nation and people from around the world in standing up in support of the 49 victims and their families was inspiring. I am committed to continuing that spirit of hope through my service on the board.”
Lapchick is joined on the onePULSE Foundation board by 17 other Central Florida leaders, including Walt Disney World president and UCF alumus George A. Kalogridis, entertainer Lance Bass, and retired NBA player Jason Collins.
The foundation is a nonprofit organization incorporated by the owners of Pulse Nightclub in honor of the 49 lives lost and 68 injured victims in the Pulse shooting.. According to the foundation website, the fund is intended to support construction and maintenance of a memorial, community grants to care for the survivors and victims’ families, an educational program to promote, scholarships and a museum.
Lapchick, who also directs UCF’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, is the author of 16 books and the annual Racial and Gender Report Card.He is the president of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport and has been a regular commentator for ESPN.com on issues of diversity in sport.
In an ESPN.com article nine days after the shooting, Lapchick wrote, “I have lived 60 of my 70 years in New York, Boston and Orlando, so three of the most horrific terrorist attacks hit close to home. But no matter where you live in this country, the responses have always shown America’s strength.”