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Forging connections is important in any industry, but for sport and exercise psychology doctoral student Carra Johnson, WVU outdid itself.

Through a partnership with the New York Mets, Johnson spent June through September working hands-on with the minor league affiliates.  

An on-line master of science program blends industry best practices and practical skills. A new major offers internships for real hands-on experience in the field, preparing graduates to lead physical activity programs in community, campus, commercial and resort settings. An innovative collaboration provides an opportunity to use applied sport science within a combination of service and research to help coaches and athletes better understand the training process.

After a six-hour road trip, and four states later, 61 CPASS students and faculty converged on Indianapolis, Ind., for the Sport Management Worldwide Football Career Conference and NFL Scouting Combine in early March.

The students attended a daylong networking event with speakers from NFL Network and ESPN along with analysts, agents, team general managers, former NFL coaches and front office personnel.

A study abroad journey designed to give students the opportunity to work with local underserved youth combined sport performance, safety and sport psychology in Costa Rica, Central America.

The faculty-led trip offered preparation in injury prevention, sport drills and sport psychology lessons. During the trip, students examined the role of sport within the Costa Rican culture by attending professional sporting events, community rodeo, local-styled dance and adventure activities while focusing on sports medicine and culture in Costa Rica. 

In February, nine CPASS students and sport management faculty attended the Curt Roberts Step Up to the Plate event commemorating the late Curt Roberts, the first African-American drafted by the Pirates.

Frank Coonelly, Pittsburgh Pirates president, served as the keynote speaker. Following Coonelly’s presentation, students and Pirates front office members formed a panel to discuss inclusion in the workplace and career advice.

The CPASS Office of Student Success (OSS) provides students professional advising and academic support services. And in collaboration with the WVU Career Services Center, the OSS will expand its programming during the upcoming academic year to incorporate an increased focus on career readiness to prepare students for a diverse job market. 

Career Development specialists Jessica DiLello and Çağla Çelik will partner with College faculty and staff to offer greater access to career-related learning experiences and individual consultations. “[This] represents an exciting next step in helping us to meet the needs of our students,” said Lindsay Augustine, interim director of enrollment management.

Nine students and one faculty member from the CPASS Sport Management program attended the first annual Curt Roberts Step Up to the Plate event hosted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The event celebrated diversity and inclusion while also honoring the late Curt Roberts who was the first African-American baseball player drafted by the Pirates.

Frank Coonelly, president of the Pittsburgh Pirates, welcomed the CPASS delegation and emphasized the importance of diversity in the workplace. After the president’s keynote, students participated in a panel with nine members of the Pirates front office. Speakers offered career advice and spoke about diversity. The panel consisted of individuals from a variety of departments including marketing, community relations, sales, IT, analytics and baseball operations.  

A newly established endowment will support the West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. The Ted Slahetka Athletic Training Scholarship will provide scholarships for qualified students in the college.

The endowment will offer aid for undergraduate students majoring in Athletic Training at WVU CPASS. The gift amount is $25,000. Walter and Cynthia Slahetka established the scholarship in honor of their son, Ted, a third-year WVU Athletic Training student.

Billy Cedar, a student in the college’s first year on campus master’s program and successful strength and conditioning graduate assistant in a Morgantown area high school, was awarded a student travel grant from the Eastern Tennessee State University’s Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education for their upcoming Coaches College December 1-2, 2017 held at ETSU. Read more about Billy in the following Q&A series.

The opportunity to serve as a graduate assistant is what initially drew me to WVU and CPASS. The blend of practical experience and classroom education made CPASS an easy decision when choosing my graduate education. My favorite aspect of the Athletic Coaching Education master’s program is the diversity of the classes we take. The program offers a well-rounded curriculum that is raising the standard for what quality coaching can be.

Sport and Exercise Psychology student Abby Reid is using her minor in strength and conditioning and internships at Division 1 universities to pave the route of her career path.

This past summer, Reid interned for the strength staff of Georgetown University’s football team. “It was my first time working with football and the strength staff let me have a lot of coaching time with the guys. That really helped me decide that I would want to pursue a possible career as a football strength coach in the future,” explained Reid.