On Thursday, Oct.19, university officials unveiled plans for a new curriculum: Motorsport Management. The announcement was made at a press conference in the Cleon F. Thompson Student Services Center.
The announcement of the new bachelor of science curriculum marked the beginning of a day filled with opportunity and high expectations for Winston-Salem State University and its students, today and in the future.
In attendance for the announcement was Jeff Burton, NASCAR driver and current NEXTEL Cup series points leader. Burton drives the #31 car for Richard Childress Racing. The presence of an A-list NASCAR driver at the celebration spoke to the importance that everyone involved placed on this special day.
“Having Jeff Burton lend his support today is critical,” said Dr. Travis L. Teague, WSSU’s Motorsport Management Program Coordinator.
Oct. 19 was also a stop on NASCAR’s 2006 NASCAR College Tour, which focuses on improving diversity in NASCAR and providing information about internships and job opportunities.The magnitude of the day wasn’t lost on Burton.
“I’m very proud of this university for stepping up to the plate,” he said. “I think the program is a wonderful idea and will help fill a void in our business and sport.”
The buzzword echoed by most in attendance was “opportunity.” Interim Chancellor Michelle Howard-Vital spoke about that at the morning press conference.
“There are 24,000 jobs in North Carolina dealing with NASCAR. There are 75 million fans of NASCAR, and about 8.9 percent are African-American; that’s up 29 percent since 1999,” she said.Howard-Vital also spoke about opportunities and expectations for students at WSSU.
“I’m confident students will enjoy the academic challenge in this fast-paced and exciting field,” she said. “The university hopes that the curriculum will begin in the fall of 2007.”NASCAR’s goal of becoming more diverse will not happen overnight; likewise, trying to develop a new academic curriculum is a long process. This sentiment was expressed by Jonathan E. Martin, J.D., executive assistant to the chancellor.
“This is an exciting day at the university to kick off this one-of-a-kind program,” he said. “It’s the culmination of two or three years of building relationships with the motor sports industry. Our goal is not to develop a program in a ‘vacuum,’ but rather to address the needs of the motor sports industry as a whole.”Burton also commented on the need for the program to address non-technical aspects of the industry.
“We need people to understand there are opportunities in the marketing, promotion and management side of NASCAR,” he said.
“Without good marketing and management people on a race team, there is no race team.”
NASCAR and WSSU have taken the first step by letting students know that the doors are open for minorities in NASCAR. However, NASCAR acknowledges that the industry must make progress in the areas of diversifying and breaking down lingering stereotypes.
“It’s no secret that for whatever reasons, our sport isn’t as diverse as we’d like it to be,” Burton said. “I love my sport and it’s full of good people. However, we do need to be better at diversity, and it all starts with the youth. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
Reaction was positive from students in attendance, including Tierra Berthau, a freshman sports management major.”[NASCAR] is an industry that people will go into. A plus is that it’s a major that caters to exactly what the industry is looking for,” she said.
Donica Young, also a freshman Sports Management major, echoed that idea.
“I don’t know much about NASCAR, but anywhere opportunity appears, I’m going to go,” she said.
October 19, 2006, has a chance to be looked back on as a great day in the history of WSSU. The university may one day be able to lay claim to being the first Historically Black University to offer a bachelor of science degree in Motorsport Management.
As Dr. Dennis Felder, WSSU?Director of Sports Management said, “I’m happy about the turnout from students, faculty, and community leaders, and of the numerous media outlets in attendance. This was a great day.”