Northwestern University Announces New Director for M.A. in Sports Administration Program

CHICAGO, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies has named Curt Gruber as the new director of the Master of Arts in Sports Administration (MSA) Program. Gruber replaces Dan Migala, who left the position to serve as Vice President, Creative Partnerships with the San Diego Padres.

Gruber has been an instructor at Northwestern since the program's inception four years ago and has been an integral part of many professional sports organizations for nearly a decade. As vice president of business development for the Chicago Wolves hockey team, Gruber implemented new marketing initiatives which led to a number one ranking in increased ticket revenue for an AHL team. Before working with the Chicago Wolves, Gruber served as vice president of marketing and business development for the Chicago Rush Arena Football team. Prior to entering the field of sports management, Gruber was the senior marketing manager for Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and the director of global brand development for Beam Global Spirits and Wine.

As program director of the Master's in Sports Administration, Gruber will take the reins of an already established and distinguished curriculum. Gruber noted, "The Northwestern MSA program has made a name for itself with classes that are taught by top business instructors and sports professionals. The result is a program that prepares graduates for success in the sports industry by building a solid foundation in strategic, analytic and creative thinking and by offering hands-on experiences for students to network with leading professionals in the Chicago and national sports markets. "The coursework — which one faculty member describes as "modeled after MBA programs with a sports theme" — currently has more than 500 active students. Notable graduates have gone on to assume roles negotiating major corporate sponsorship deals, practicing sports-related law and applying their capstone theses projects to marketing initiatives. Chicago Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips said of the program, "I can't think of a better way to get started in professional sports than to complete a graduate sports administration degree from Northwestern."

The selection of Gruber as MSA program director underscores Northwestern's continued effort to provide students with solid links to the business of sports — an industry expected to see 23% job growth by 2018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Under Gruber's guidance, Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies looks to expand the scope of its Sports Administration graduate coursework and further strengthen the program's industry focus.

For more information on Northwestern University's Master of Arts in Sports Administration program, contact a Northwestern University admissions adviser at 312-503-0875 or click here to learn more: http://www.scs.northwestern.edu/grad/sports/.

Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies

The mission of Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies (SCS) is to extend the resources of Northwestern University to undergraduate and graduate students whose lives include significant professional and personal commitments that place limitations on their schedules and affect the pace at which they may achieve their educational goals. Consistent with Northwestern's dedication to excellence, SCS makes distinguished teaching available to working professionals and, to the greatest extent possible, provides access to the University's other resources, such as libraries, laboratories, recreational facilities and events.

SOURCE Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies