Big Sky Launches “Big Sky U” Leadership Programming
FARMINGTON, UTAH (November 24, 2020) -- As part of its #ExperienceElevated initiative, the Big Sky Conference is launching “Big Sky U,” a leadership and professional development curriculum for its student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. Four different cohorts from the Big Sky membership will engage in customized courses for leadership education and career advancement preparation during the 2020-21 academic year.
Big Sky institutions may nominate as many as two individuals for each track and a conference-wide committee will select the participants to ensure a diverse cohort. Every member institution may be represented in each cohort. Institutions are strongly encouraged to submit nominees who identify as ethnic minorities and/or female.
The four “Big Sky U” courses are:
- Student-Athlete Advisory Committee 22
- Aspiring Coaches and Athletics Administrators
- Aspiring Head Coaches
- Aspiring Athletics Directors
“Sports offers meaningful and lifelong lessons to its participants, and this unique programming conducted in a distributed learning environment will nurture and expand the leadership abilities of our students, coaches, and administrators while preparing them for the next step in their journey,” said Andy Feinstein, president of the University of Northern Colorado and chair of the Presidents’ Council. “The Big Sky’s mission statement specifically references our collective desire to provide a world-class experience to those we serve. On behalf of our universities’ presidents, I am thrilled that we will do so in a creative and collaborative manner that will utilize the greatest strength of our conference – our people – to further develop the future leaders of intercollegiate athletics.”
Each cohort will convene virtually on a regular basis. Practitioners from around the conference’s member institutions as well as leaders across higher education and intercollegiate athletics will provide participants with practical lessons and learning opportunities as part of the curriculum for each cohort. In addition to the group meetings, participants may be assigned someone from within the Big Sky to provide them individual mentorship.
“We have an ongoing obligation and a unique opportunity to help develop tomorrow’s leaders, especially as we seek to put tangible meaning and action behind our ongoing #ExperienceElevated efforts,” Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “‘Big Sky U’ will bring together the next generation of leaders from across our conference to learn from each other as well as from those who already have chartered the career path that they wish to follow. I am particularly proud that, especially in today’s world, our conference will serve its membership by helping to prepare and advance women and minorities who aspire to serve in leadership positions within college athletics and higher education.”