It started with an idea, and now it's become the nation's number one athletics graduate program; he is Tom White, the founding director of Concordia University Irvine's Master’s in Coaching and Athletics Administration program.
Show Highlights
- He founded the Master's in Coaching and Athletics Administration program in 2005 with 12 students and was the program's director for many years
- How he is still able to contribute to the program while spending quality time with his family
- How recognizing that career coaches need a professional education, the climate around education in the 1990s, and starting a coaching education program in the Capistrano Unified School District, where he was District Athletic Director, contributed to the creation of Concordia University Irvine's MCAA program
- Why Concordia University Irvine's initial response to his MCAA proposal was a blessing and how thankful he is to everyone who believed in and participated in the program
- How the foundational tenets of having a practical and relevant curriculum, the knowledge that coaches are transformational leaders, and that the athletic and coaching industry is relational have stayed consistent throughout the many years of the program
- The process that he went through to bring the program to the world by moving the degree online, which now has 4,531 alumni in all 50 states and 11 foreign countries
- How he set up the program to be constantly evolving and adapting to the world of sports and be available for working professionals
- What the MCAA family, students, alumni, staff, and faculty, has contributed to the flourishing of this program
- What he learned from the founding fathers of coaching education and character education like John Wooden, Tony Dungy, Forest "Frosty" Westering, and more who coach for the right reasons
- The program has five Olympic Gold Medal and 22 National Football League alumni
- A common theme of this program is to treat everyone well and with dignity and that everyone is an opportunity to build character
- Why he reaches out to athletic directors and superintendents of schools when advocating for the MCAA program
- What he hopes to see in the future in terms of coaching and athletic innovations, discussions, and awareness among the MCAA family
Tags: Masters in Coaching, Coaching, MCAA Podcast, Athletic Director, Olympics, Football