SPORTS MANAGEMENT
COME DISCOVER A PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG...
STERLING COLLEGE IS A PLACE... FOR THINKERS
STERLING COLLEGE SPORTS MANAGEMENT PRODUCES GRADUATES THAT WILL BRING THE WORD OF GOD INTO THE WORLD OF SPORT BUSINESS.
SEE WHAT KINDS OF CAREER PATHS YOU CAN TAKE WITH THIS MAJOR AT WWW.STERLING.EDU/ACADEMICS/ SPORTS-MANAGEMENT
Students in the program are expected to work hard inside the classroom and in partnership with the Sterling College Athletic Department where you will experience hands-on training for your future career. Our students work hand-in-hand with Sterling faculty to learn about the many job opportunities that relate to sports, including marketing, press coverage or managing a small business. You will also gain experience by working with the athletic department staff to strengthen your knowledge and employment portfolio. If you are a student that is passionate about pursuing a career in athletics or recreation, we invite you to join us here at Sterling College.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH SPORTS MANAGEMENT? Students who major in sports management learn skills that allow them to work in various business fields that relate to sports. Sports enthusiasts can work toward a job in recreational fitness and health clubs, coaching their favorite sport, working as an athletic director, marketing sporting goods or other sports-related jobs. To pursue employment from a major sport organization like the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA institutions, students can continue their education with graduate school. Many graduate programs have entry-level graduate assistant positions to give you the experience and training necessary to work your way into a job at the top level of sports.
CONCENTRATIONS CLUB, FITNESS, AND RECREATION Learn the skills necessary to pursue a career in recreational fitness in the health club industry. This includes becoming a personal trainer, how to prevent and care for athletic injuries and proper nutrition.
COACHING AND INSTRUCTION Develop a coaching philosophy that will allow you to pursue a graduate assistant position in the college coaching industry. This concentration focuses on coaching individuals or teams, proper nutrition and basic first aid.
COLLEGIATE, PROFESSIONAL, OR CORPORATE SPORT ADMINISTRATION Acquire the skills needed to work in the front office of a collegiate or professional sport organization. Learn about scheduling, working with other athletic departments and accounting.
MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND SPORTS INFORMATION Garner the necessary experience to be able to successfully market a sport organization through organizational media. Students will learn about mass media writing, marketing and public relations.
A FIELD OF DREAMS
We give our students the opportunity to focus on specific content areas to build their resume for jobs after graduation. Sports management majors will work with the Sterling College Athletic Department, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and other sport organizations in the Sterling area to broaden their hands-on experience. Our students will learn from faculty who are currently working in the field of sports management. This means that students not only get to learn about sports management, they will join in the process before they ever leave campus. Sports management majors get to practice the theories they are learning in class first-hand to build a resume that will allow them to stand out among their peers.
MEET OUR FACULTY... KATHERINE “KC” BASSETT, PRO-RATA ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EXERCISE SCIENCE Bassett has been involved in sports her entire life. She played basketball for Sterling College and now coaches the junior varsity women’s team, is an assistant coach for the varsity women’s team and serves as recruiting coordinator for the Sterling College women's basketball program. She earned her M.S. in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation from Emporia State University. In spring 2007, Bassett was named Sterling College's Outstanding Female Student of the Year and the Female Athlete of the Year. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Elementary Education. DR. DALE LEVERING, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS AND MCVAY CHAIR FOR BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Dr. Dale Levering approaches his profession with a business-as-mission perspective. His classes emphasize servant leadership and encourage the upcoming generation of opinion leaders to engage business with a Kingdom of God perspective, purpose and impact. He has a variety of training including experience in the banking industry, the U.S. Department of Commerce, agriculture, Christian ministry and medical service with the U.S. Marine Corps through the U.S. Navy. He earned a B.A. in Military History from The Citadel and a B. B.A. with an emphasis in Management from Washburn University. He also holds an M.B.A. in Finance and Ph.D. in Economics from Kansas State University.
HANS NICKEL, PRO-RATA ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SPORTS MANAGEMENT Nickel has worked with athletics in both the NAIA and NCAA Division I. Before coming to Sterling, he worked at Wichita State University in the athletic department’s marketing division. He also worked in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference commissioner’s office, as a basketball coach at Augusta High School (Kan.) and as a member of the Augusta Youth Soccer Board of Directors (Kan.). He is currently a professor and sports information director for Sterling College. Nickel graduated from Wichita State University with a B.A. in Sports Administration and a M.Ed. in Sports Management. Nickel brings his passion and experience for marketing, public relations, and organizational media into the classroom. TIMOTHY THORPE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS Tim Thorpe brings 11 years of operations and management experience to the Sterling College business department. Prior to coming to Sterling College, Thorpe was responsible for information and data security at Viking Collection Service in Eden Prairie, Minn. He also has experience in project management, business continuity, disaster recovery planning and development. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Northwest Nazarene University and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix. MARY VER STEEG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EXERCISE SCIENCE Mary Ver Steeg high school for eight years and has extensive coaching experience. At Sterling College, she has coached volleyball, basketball and softball. Her volleyball teams won two KCAC championships and 10 American Volleyball Collegiate Association Team Academic Awards. In 1986 she was inducted into the Northwestern College (Iowa) Athletic Hall of Fame for both her outstanding athletic performance and coaching. In college she was a multisport athlete, competing in tennis, volleyball, basketball and softball. Ver Steeg has been named KCAC Coach of the Year twice and won the McCreery Teaching Award, an award presented to a professor whose efforts have provided noteworthy and innovative instruction to Sterling College students during the academic year. Ver Steeg earned her M.S. in Health and Physical Education from South Dakota State University. She also has a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Northwestern College (Iowa).
BECOME A LEADER IN THE SPORT INDUSTRY If you love athletics and want to learn how to be a servant leader in the sport industry, join us! Prepare yourself to work with your favorite sports and learn how to use your occupation to influence others for Christ as you integrate Christian business principles into the workplace. Learn how to navigate the sport industry and stand out as a professional. We hope you will prayerfully consider Sterling College. Schedule a visit day with your counselor and come see for yourself what makes Sterling College the best choice for your future. Come discover Sterling College.
800-346-1017 | WWW.STERLING.EDU | STERLING, KANSAS