Published on February 26, 2014  

Samford University’s Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) Department and Athletics Department have agreed to a unique partnership to create a sports-media program.

The sports-media program will allow approximately 20 students per year to work in the Athletics Department in the following roles:

• Sports Journalism

• Sports Public Relations

• Sports Advertising

• Sports Broadcasting

• Sports Event Planning

As part of the collaboration, JMC and the Athletics Department will work to establish a sports-media minor within one year through the University Curriculum Committee. JMC will also offer sports broadcasting and sports photojournalism in fall 2014.

“We think this will be an important first step toward creating a sports media emphasis within the department,” said JMC chair Bernie Ankney. “Sports media will complement the department’s exceptional print journalism, broadcast journalism, public relations and advertising tracks. We want to show our support for Samford athletics and prepare our students for the rapidly expanding employment opportunities in the sports-media field. The hands-on experience students will get in the Athletics Department will be invaluable.”

The new partnership is announced as Samford JMC students and faculty complete work on the pilot episode for a reality television series that follows nine athletes from various sports as they navigate life at Samford. “The Student Athlete” is expected to be complete in May.
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.