NFL executive VP establishes Vincent Commission to address gender-based violence on college campuses

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY — Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president, and Tommi Vincent, chair of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, have launched The Vincent Commission, a newly established entity formed to study and address gender-based violence on college and university campuses. The Vincent Commission will partner with Niagara University to conduct “The New Ground Study on Gender-based Violence” to focus on understanding how young men, through their thoughts and experiences, perceive domestic and gender-based violence.

“I want to commend and congratulate Troy and Tommi Vincent on The Vincent Commission and their continued commitment to finding solutions to address gender-based violence,” said Father James J. Maher, CM, president of Niagara University. “Their leadership and dedication to this work aligns with our mutual values and the missions of both The Vincent Commission and Niagara University. We hope that this partnership will forge a path for innovation and change to provide institutes of higher education with new approaches to better address gender-based violence and assault on our campuses across the United States.”

The research study, which will include an informational summit this fall, is expected to be completed in 12-18 months. The research will be led by well-respected Niagara University scholars Jennifer Beebe, Ph.D., and Dana Radatz, Ph.D. A vital cornerstone of the work will seek to better understand how young men’s experiences influence how they perceive, understand, and process the impact of all forms of gender violence.

Based on results from “The New Ground Study,” The Vincent Commission will recommend best practices for prevention, educational approaches, and policy changes. In addition, core findings from the study will also enable the commission to offer a new model for higher education institutions on the prevention of gender-based violence and bring awareness to bystander intervention. The intention is that the model framework will be easily replicated, customized and adapted to other campus communities while informing policy, future research, and practice prior to implementation.

Because of their deep commitment to eradicating gender-based violence, creating The Vincent Commission was the obvious next step for Troy and Tommi Vincent.

“The number of acts of gender-based violence keep going up. Despite all the dedicated advocacy work and preventative measures being taken around the country, we are not seeing the changes in behavioral trends that we need to see,” said Tommi Vincent.

“My wife, Tommi, and I feel called to do more, which is why we created The Vincent Commission,” continued Troy Vincent. “Through the work of the commission and the help of our dedicated partners, we plan to go where no research study has gone before. We are looking for new data, a new model, and ultimately, a new culture of respect and advocacy in communities across the country.”

“A key component to addressing violence within our culture is to emphasize prevention, which we do by educating people on ways to reduce their risks for harm, identifying potentially harmful situations and red flags, how to seek help, and how to help others,” said Radatz. “I’m truly looking forward to continuing to advance our violence prevention work through The Vincent Commission with our integral partners.”