RIC’s School of Business Offers New Sports Management Major

Sports management is not only one of the biggest businesses in the country, it is one of the fastest growing majors in the country, says RIC Director of 体育运动 Don Tencher. 今年秋天, Rhode Island College will launch a new sports management major under the School of Business.

“We are very excited to launch this new major and to be the first college in Rhode Island to offer it,” says Interim Dean of the School of Business Marianne Raimondo. “The sports management field offers many job opportunities at the high school, 大专及专业水平. We know that many students who are athletes or who just love sports will be attracted to a program that combines their passion with career opportunities.”

A longtime advocate for this major at Rhode Island College, Tencher is happy to see the major finally come to fruition. He has been and continues to be involved at the national level in the education of athletic administrators and is constantly engaged in the professional goals of RIC’s more than 400 student-athletes. 通过他的经历, he’s found that many student-athletes aren’t looking to become phys ed teachers but want to become athletic business professionals.

“在过去, someone interested in becoming an athletic administrator would first become a phys ed teacher and work their way up to coach and then administrator,他说. 但这已经改变了. 在过去的15到20年里, 高中, colleges and professional organizations are looking for people with a business and management background.

Tencher expressed gratitude to Raimondo and RIC President Jack Warner for backing his initiative.

“When I met with Marianne about creating this major, support was immediate and enthusiastic,他说. “She engaged in a great deal of work and research in moving the major forward, and her hard work was strongly supported by President Warner. 通过玛丽安的领导, we conducted research to find out if there was any interest in this major amongst the interscholastic league. 我们得到了压倒性的支持.”

Core courses will be taught by professors in the School of Business and experts in the field of athletics. One expert in the field, Dave Roach, will be teaching SMGT 201: Introduction to Sports Management.

An extremely well-respected athletic director for 30 years, 罗奇在布朗大学工作, Colgate University and Fordham University. He was also president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of 体育运动 and a high-powered Division I coach at a number of D1 institutions, 包括田纳西大学.

在他的入门课程中, Roach will give students an overview of what it’s like to be 1) a high school athletic director, 2) a collegiate athletic administrator and 3) to work at the professional level.

“When I say professional level, I’m not just talking about professional teams,” Roach explains. “I’m talking about professional sports venues and organizations. 你可以为爱国者队工作, or you could work for the AMICA Mutual Pavilion or you could work for a company that sells sports sponsorships for colleges and professional organizations.

“On both the intercollegiate and professional levels, 门票行业有很多职业, 合规, 政府, fundraising and promotions and marketing. That’s why we refer to this field as sports management rather than athletic 政府. 它涵盖了整个领域. 可能性是无限的.”

据雷蒙多说, RIC’s School of Business is already working to establish relationships with 高中, colleges and pro sports teams in the area to provide RIC students who major in this area with internship and job opportunities.

For more information, contact the School of Business at 456-6359.