Want to go to bat for a baseball team or plan a concert tour for Adele? Westminster College officials have a new degree program that will teach students how to get there from here.
Starting this fall, students can pursue a degree in sports and entertainment business management administered by one of the region’s top sports and entertainment industry leaders.
“I am excited that Jack Croghan, one of the giants in sports and entertainment, has agreed to direct this new undergraduate degree on our campus,†said Benjamin Ola. Akande, Westminster president. “The program will give our students fascinating career opportunities. In a field where an entrepreneurial spirit, strong organizational skills and solid personal relationships are important, Jack will give our students the advantage of his knowledge and connections.â€
Rob Crouse, director of media and public relations for the college, said Croghan is from the St. Louis area.
“The new program has the practical advantage of being administered by somebody who’s been in that business for quite some time,†he said.
Croghan is president of Croghan Sports, a sports consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, sales and marketing guidance and problem solving to teams, stadium and arena operators, and more. He formerly was the director of marketing of the St. Louis Cardinals, creating and managing the team’s in-stadium entertainment platform.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join Westminster College,†Croghan said. “(It) provides the perfect environment for students to learn and grow. … I am fortunate to be a part of the Westminster College family and I thank President Akande for the opportunity to be of service.â€
Crouse said students enrolled in the new program will study marketing, sales, financials, venues, operations, logistics, laws and management unique to sports and entertainment.
The new degree will be granted through the college’s Accounting, Business, Economics and Finance Department.
“Sports and entertainment business management is a new and highly competitive area of study featuring a strong business foundation embedded in a broad liberal arts curriculum,†said Rabindra Bhandari, John E. Simon Associate Professor of Economics who heads the department.
Students will learn to manage sports and entertainment organizations with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and leadership. The program will recognize the connection of sports and entertainment to tourism and community and economic development. Students will be prepared for careers in industries like the sports commission, tourism and convention and visitors bureau.
“Sports and entertainment business management will teach our students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and expert communicators, and provide the foundation for leading the next generation of sports and entertainment creative ventures,†Akande said.
To learn more, call Westminster College Admissions at 800-475-3361 or access the program web page at westminster-mo.edu/academics/majorsminors/majors/sportsentertainment/.