Professor Nicole Melton researched inclusive LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) policies of organizations as they relate to job applicants. Her study with Professor George B. Cunningham (Texas A&M University) included job applicants searching for managerial positions in both sport and non-sport organizations. Melton teaches in the Masters in Sport Administration and Leadership program.

“We examined the influence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered-inclusive policies on the attractiveness of organizations to potential job applicants,” Melton said.

Their findings, reported in “The Effect of LGBT-inclusive Policies on Organizational Attraction” in the International Journal of Sport Management  (October 2012), indicated that job seekers expressed a greater desire to work for organizations that exhibited inclusion for LGBT individuals.

Melton received her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and joined the College of Arts and Sciences faculty this year. Her research and scholarship focus on diversity and inclusion in athletics. She has published in prominent academic journals, written book chapters, and presented at national conferences. Her research includes examining the underrepresentation of various groups (e.g., women, racial minorities, and sexual minorities) in sport and investigating the nature of prejudice and discrimination, including how people respond to prejudicial behaviors.

The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest college in Seattle University, offers 42 undergraduate majors, 37 minors, and 7 master’s degrees, including the Masters in Sport Administration and Leadership program.