PNW may bring back a Sports Management degree.
Faculty and administrators are assessing student interest in the fall class of HTM 39000: Foundation of Sports Management as a possible first step towards re-establishing the Sports Management major.
“We just started to explore the demand,” said Kwangsoo Park, associate dean of the College of Business and director of the White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “The first step will be to see if there is good enrollment in the HTM 39000 Foundation of Sports Management, which is temporarily offered this fall.”
PNW announced that it was offering a Sports Management degree in 2017. The program was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There may be significant interest among students and athletic staff.
Zack Bosi, a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field team, has heard enthusiasm from peers about taking sports management courses and pursuing a degree in the field.
“I would say there is a decent bit of demand for the degree,” said Bosi, a junior Political Science major. “I definitely know people who would [take classes for the degree]. Some people have talked to me excitedly about maybe taking these classes and I definitely know people in degree paths close to this one that would consider pursuing the degree.”
For many student-athletes, Sports Management could provide a valuable career path in athletics after their time in collegiate sports.
Devin Vervoort, head Strength & Conditioning Coach, emphasized how such a program could benefit students looking to stay connected to the sports industry after graduation.
“The demand for the Sports Management degree here at PNW would be high, especially with our large athletics student body,” Vervoort said. “It gives them a chance to stay involved in sports post-college since there aren’t a lot of avenues currently for them to do that. So adding a Sports Management degree would give them the opportunity to stay involved [in sports].”
With student enthusiasm and faculty in support, the potential resurrection of a sports management degree path at PNW will largely depend on enrollment numbers in the temporarily offered course, as well as feasibility long term.
