Shannon McCarthy, a University of Arkansas doctoral student in sport management, recently presented her research on the University of Cincinnati’s decision to eliminate athletic aid for men’s Olympic sports at a national conference.

McCarthy’s proposal was accepted for presentation through a peer-reviewed process. She spoke for 30 minutes about it at the College Sport Research Institute conference in Chapel Hill, N.C., on April 17-19. McCarthy’s adviser is Steve Dittmore, assistant professor of recreation and sport management.

McCarthy conducted a case study of Cincinnati’s decision in 2009 to eliminate scholarships for men’s track and field, men’s cross country and men’s swimming and diving. McCarthy was a student at Cincinnati and competed on the women’s swim team during the time the decision was made. The experience sparked her interest in gaining a better understanding of the organizational decision-making process.

She examined financial data and interviewed current and former coaches and administrators. Her findings included that the move to the Big East Conference hurt Olympic sports because the conference does not mandate funding minimums for those sports, the fiscal decisions of the 2000s led to the institution focusing on paying back debt, and the school needed to maintain gender equity.

McCarthy is serving a two-year term as the student director on the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation Board of Directors. She received a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Arkansas in 2011.