Prof’s Fifteen-Year Efforts Result In Sport Management Master’s Degree At UNLV
By Nancy Lough for LVSportsBiz.com
On Friday, the approval was finally granted for a new Sport Management master’s degree at UNLV.
It took two long years to get to this point, but for me, it was really a 15-year journey.
I came to Las Vegas in 2006, being recruited here to build a new program. The first three years were amazing, resulting in multiple master’s degree graduates like Becky Pugh and Yvonne Wade and three PhD graduates.
The program grew until the economic downturn hit. UNLV was near financial exigency, which resulted in 700 plus faculty and staff leaving, along with the elimination of multiple departments and programs.
My department and program were eliminated, but I made the choice to stay.
This meant I would have to retool to become faculty in the Higher Education Leadership program.
I chose to use my expertise to create new classes like Women Higher Education, Marketing Higher Education and Title IX & Gender Equity. I created a graduate level certificate program in College Sport Leadership and an undergraduate Sport Leadership and Management certificate. I kept engaged with my field, serving as Editor of Sport Marketing Quarterly, President of the Sport Marketing Association, and publishing the Handbook on the Business of Women’s Sport with Andrea Geurin.
The big shift came when the NHL granted a new franchise to Las Vegas and the Golden Knights were born in 2017.
After the events of Oct. 1, and the Stanley Cup playoffs, this city became known as a sport town. Then the WNBA Aces relocated to Vegas, along with the Raiders.
With all this momentum, the time for a sport management program had finally arrived. I’m so deeply grateful to all of you who supported me during this journey. This is a new beginning, with tons of work to be done, but it’s an exceptionally exciting time to Be Here Now.
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