VCU Center for Sport Leadership and VCU Athletics has been recognized for their long-standing partnership and collaboration by winning the 2021 Mullin Award from the Sports Marketing Association. This annual honor is given to a sport organization which has partnered with an academic program to provide students with unique and exceptional educational opportunity. In addition to the experiential learning, the award also considers collaborations that highlight education, research and networking.
"We are honored to receive this award with our friends from VCU Athletics. They have been a vital partner since our program was founded and have contributed to the success of our students by offering them real world, hands on experience and guidance," said Carrie LeCrom, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Sport Leadership.
VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin said, "The partnership we have with the Center for Sport Leadership helps us thrive as a department. The graduate assistants that we have each year bring a strong educational foundation to their work in our department based on what they learn in their CSL classes. The combination of the excellent curriculum with practical work experience in our department gives CSL alums a huge advantage when they enter the ultracompetitive job market."
About two-thirds of each CSL cohort work as graduate assistants for VCU Athletics in adminstration and coaching.
VCU Athletics is the first college athletics department to be honored with this award. Previous recipients have included Octagan and University of Massachusetts Amherst; San Francisco Giants and University of San Francisco; Tampa Bay Lightning and University of South Florida.
LeCrom & McLaughlin will accept the award on behalf of the CSL and VCU Athletics at the SMA Annual National Conference later this month in Las Vegas.