With just two professors, Salem State's sport management department may be small, but it is built on a world of experience: It's run by two professors, both former professional athletes, who grew up and competed in Europe before coming to the United States.
According to Stuart McMahon, the program coordinator, the international viewpoint helps set Salem State apart from similar sport management programs in the country. McMahon's originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and the professor he supervises, Peter Smolianov, comes by way of Moscow.
Since developing the bulk of the department's curriculum, McMahon, who earned his doctorate in sport and recreation administration at Temple University, has brought his expertise back home to Scotland.
He created the class "Sport Management and Culture: A European Perspective" for college students from the United States. This monthlong, six-credit course takes place not at Salem State but at Stirling University, between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
McMahon said students' weeks are split between lectures and site visits to Scottish sport organizations, such as Murrayfield Stadium, the home of Scottish rugby, and "The Old Course" in St. Andrews.
"I'm pretty sure my program is the first to get a behind-the-scenes look at how St. Andrews is managed," he said of the mecca of golf.
McMahon said he designed the course to provide working-class students the opportunity to expand their horizons.
"Coming from a working-class background, I've always felt the draw to give something back. The sport of gymnastics got me off the streets of Scotland and allowed me to travel globally," said McMahon, who earned an athletic scholarship to attend East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, where he was team captain of the gymnastics team.
"A lot of these students never leave their states, never mind the country, so this is a good experience for them to spend four weeks in Europe," he said. "Spending time in Europe, talking to other students from there and having an opportunity to travel is an education in itself."
Broadening perspectives
Their collective international experience, the instructors say, helps enhance the experience for students. Sport management is a minor in the school's sport and movement science department, and graduates leave prepared to work for college and pro sports teams, recreation programs or nonprofits such as the Special Olympics.
At Salem State, "not only will students get to learn about sport management from a North American perspective, but also from a global perspective," said McMahon, who was a champion gymnast in Scotland and captain of its national team.
Smolianov — who splits his time between Salem and Toronto — competed in modern pentathlon through his teens, as a student at Moscow University and professionally for Moscow Dynamo. (Modern pentathlon consists of fencing, shooting, horse show-jumping, running and swimming.)
After attending Brigham and Young University, where he earned his doctorate in sport management, Smolianov worked a decade for the Australian Sports Commission, preparing its national team for the Olympics.
New course
Like McMahon, Smolianov has also been busy developing a new course.
High-performance management, the latest class to be added to the curriculum, is the product of Smolianov's years of research, education and experience.
"It took five years at Salem State to put (high-performance management) down on paper, and probably most of my life to learn the content," he said.
According to its course description, high-performance management examines the principles and successful international practices of sport managers, and focuses on the integrated systems of coaching, facilities, competitions, qualification, talent identification and athlete development.
"The class is the pinnacle of sport-management education," he said. "It summarizes all other courses students take."
