SUNY Delhi Launches Recreation and Sports Facility Management Baccalaureate

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Students benefit from SUNY Delhi's excellent mix of indoor and outdoor facilities

DELHI, NY (10/17/2015)(readMedia)-- SUNY Delhi has announced that it will introduce a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Recreation and Sports Facility Management in the Spring 2016 semester.

The four-year program is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in either the public or private sector managing park districts, aquatic facilities, health clubs, youth clubs, and athletic facilities at schools, colleges and universities, camps, and community centers. Students may choose from either a sports-related or recreational track.

"Facility management is an area in sports and recreation education that is often overlooked at the baccalaureate level," said Mike Branigan, program director. "Colleges and universities may offer a course here and there, but Delhi's bachelor's degree gives graduates an experience that is unique to the management of sports and recreational facilities. We draw on the strengths of the entire campus, including the building technologies and horticulture programs."

The program will offer a blend of courses in sports and recreation, event management, business, budgeting and planning, and turf management.

According to Branigan, the new program also benefits from the college's recent move to four-year athletics. "Nearly 40 percent of Delhi student-athletes are currently in one of the college's associate degree programs in Recreation and Sports Management or Physical Education. We have a better chance of retaining these students if we give them the option to pursue a bachelor's degree while competing an additional two years."

What also makes Delhi's new BBA attractive is experiential learning. "We go beyond the traditional classroom," said Branigan. "We are about practice, so students will learn by rolling up their sleeves, digging in, and maintaining the college's excellent mix of indoor and outdoor facilities."

In addition to gaining experience on the Delhi campus, students will complete a 12-credit capstone internship within the industry during their final semester. Students will receive guidance in choosing internships and electives that best reflect their personal interests. This will help them select a specific learning path that will prepare them for a career in an area of recreational and sports facilities management that best suits them.

Hunter Grace of Prattsville is currently pursuing SUNY Delhi's Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Recreation and Sports Management and plans to pursue the new baccalaureate degree. "The interaction, support, time and effort of the professors make students like me feel right at home," said Grace, whose grandparents own the All-Star Village baseball park in Oneonta. "I have been asked to do a lot around the park, and the direction of this new academic program fits perfectly with what I have experienced there."

Branigan indicated that since the announcement of the baccalaureate was made in mid-September a significant number of current and past students have begun applying to the program for spring admission.

For more information about SUNY Delhi's BBA in Recreation and Sports Facility Management and other programs, call 607-746-4550 or visit on the web at www.delhi.edu.