SLIZ partner West Virginia University
LEADING sports management organisation — the Sports Leaders Institute of Zimbabwe — have scored another first by partnering with the West Virginia University in a deal that will see the organisation run courses in conjunction with the tertiary institution and send sports leaders to the United States on exchange programmes.
SLIZ president Russell Mhiribidi is in the United States where he sealed a number of deals that will result in greater co-operation between local sports leaders and the West Virginia University. Mhiribidi revealed that he had met with deans and chairmen of the key faculties for Sports management and the Physical education and sports sciences, as he sought to enhance the capacity of the courses that SLIZ offer with the models being used by the Americans.
“The itinerary was hectic but it was very well planned and started from the entry point. We met with the Dean of Sports science and chairmen of the faculties of sports management, athletics department, physical activity and sports sciences.
“So there have been lots of meetings no less than 15 of them and each at the highest level with a view to introduce sports education in Zimbabwe.
“Their sports science department is finalising the coursework for sports science and we also met the experts for online course, while their marketing department is working on marketing the Zimbabwe programme.
“They want to use Zimbabwe as a pilot project for Africa and they are already doing such courses in countries like Bahrain and we are determined to make the Zimbabwe project a success story.
“They (West Virginia University) feel that the world is going to be one small world and they want experiences from each part of the world to be shared,’’ Mhiribidi said.
Mhiribidi said part of the partnership deals would also include a programme that caters for the youth in sport.
“There is a non-governmental organisation, which is headed by Dr Jones (West Virginia University lecturer) called Youth Enrichment Services which deals with peer mentoring and giving children life skills and West Virginia University want to partner SLIZ in respect of that.
“So when you look at all these we think that the trip was worthwhile and we think there are good prospects for strengthening already existing sports management courses. At each of our camps, we will now be having someone from the University attending and likewise we will have people coming from here too and attend courses there,’’ Mhiribidi said.
West Virginia University, who are highly rated in the United States, dispatched one of their top lecturers in sport management, Floyd Jones, for an international sports management Level 1 Continuing Education Certificate Course in October last year.
Jones delivered a lecture whose main topic was: “The globalisation of sport management as an academic discipline, a science based approach to managing sport in Zimbabwe’’.
In the last two weeks it has been Mhiribidi’s turn to deliver a lecture in the United states on sport in Africa and Zimbabwe in particular as well as seal a number of partnership agreements with key West Virginia University departments.
The SLIZ boss who was in the company of the institutes’ vice-president and head of marketing Clara Mukononyanga, also got an insight into how sports teams at American universities operate and their high levels of funding.
“The West Virginia University teams have an annual budget of $100 million and about 50 percent of that goes to college basketball.
“It is also worthwhile noting that West Virginia is rated fifth in the United States and 14th in the world in terms of their sports management department,’’ Mhiribidi said.
A day after their arrival in the United States, the duo was making presentations on SLIZ operations, mission, goals and success.
But it is their meetings with such high profile figures like Julie Thalman, who is the executive director of West Virginia University Online and CPE to discuss the potential exchange and mobile course offerings that have left Mhiribidi convinced that Zimbabwe is on course to transform sports management in this country.
The duo also held talks with the vice president of the American University’s Global Strategy and International Affairs department William Burstein and chairman of the sports sciences faculty Jack Watson.
At each of our camps, we will now be having someone from the University attending and likewise we will have people coming from here too and attend courses there,’’ Mhiribidi said.