Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WIU and Augustana Help Sport Management Students

 Augustana College President Andrea Talentino and WIU President Guiyou Huang sign the agreement
WVIK News
Augustana College President Andrea Talentino and WIU President Guiyou Huang sign the agreement

Augustana President Andrea Talentino says it's one of the fastest growing majors at the college, now with 70 students.

"In addition to the strong student interest, this is a really in-demand field. Graduates with a kinesiology major are ready to fill roles within the Quad Cities - our minor league sports teams, other athletic organizations, our health care organizations - there are just a lot of opportunities in this region for students."

The college first offered a kinesiology major and minor in 2019.

She signed the agreement with WIU President Guiyou Huang.

Rene Polubinsky, Graduate Coordinator for Sport Management, says the program at Western Illinois University is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and 60 students are currently enrolled.

"What sport management does, we go into senior leadership positions in athletics. So these are directors of athletics, compliance, sports information directors. So they're in that senior leadership. Sometimes they'll work at the high school level but most of the time they're looking for collegiate jobs."

Graduates of her program now work for many colleges, plus pro teams in Dallas, Houston, and Milwaukee.

Copyright 2023 WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. To see more, visit WVIK, Quad Cities NPR.

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.