McCormack Announces WISE Scholarship Recipients

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management within the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst and Women in Sports and Events (WISE), today jointly announced the recipients of the inaugural WISE/McCormack Graduate Scholars Awards.

The recipients, Lauren Elgee of Oregon and Kelsey Sloan of Utah, will each receive free tuition and graduate assistantship funding for both years in the McCormack MBA/MS in Sport Management program. Elgee and Sloan were selected from a field of WISE members who applied for fall 2020 admission to the McCormack program.

“We were very impressed by the quality of candidates we received in the first year of our partnership with WISE,” said Professor Steve McKelvey, department chair and graduate program director. “We were able to fulfill our goal of attracting more women, specifically from WISE’s extensive membership base, to further their education in sport management, and we look forward to having Lauren and Kelsey as part of our rigorous dual degree program for the next two years.”

“We congratulate Lauren and Kelsey on being selected as the inaugural recipients of the WISE/McCormack Graduate Scholars Awards,” said Kathleen Francis, chair of the WISE National Board. “Thank you to the McCormack Department of Sport Management team for partnering with WISE to help them achieve their goal of attracting more women to the program. We look forward to a long partnership.”

Lauren Elgee (left) is a graduate of Whitman College and joins the UMass program after having worked for the past three years for Sport Oregon, where she served most recently as senior sport tourism program manager. “I’m so grateful to both WISE and the McCormack Department for the opportunity to continue my education as a WISE McCormack Scholar,” said Elgee. “I’m thrilled to be pursuing my MBA and MS at UMass Amherst.”

Kelsey Sloan (right) graduated from Carleton College where she was a varsity swimmer. Her sport industry experience includes more than three years as team manager of Snowboard and FreeSki at U.S. Ski & Snowboard in Park City, Utah. “I am so grateful and looking forward to the opportunity to build on the connections WISE has granted me in Utah as I continue my learning at UMass Amherst in the dual MBA/MS Sport Management program,” said Sloan. “WISE has been such a resource in my professional development both in Utah and through nationwide offerings, and I cannot wait to continue to grow our WISE network as a McCormack/WISE Scholar this year.”

This is the first year of a three-year partnership between the McCormack Department of Sport Management and WISE providing WISE members nationally the opportunity to receive a fully funded graduate sport management education.

About The McCormack Department of Sport Management

The McCormack Department of Sport Management at UMass Amherst is the second oldest degree program of its kind in the world and is currently ranked by SportBusiness as the #1 graduate sport management program in the world. One of the few sport management programs housed in a business school (the Isenberg School of Management), the McCormack Department of Sport Management is also considered one the nation’s leading undergraduate programs. UMass Amherst also houses the papers of Mark H. McCormack and the company that he founded, IMG. For more information about The McCormack Department of Sport Management, please visit https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/programs/depts/sport-mgmt

About WISE

WISE — Women in Sports and Events — is the leading voice and resource for women in the business of sports. Its network of established industry leaders and professional development programs provide members with the practical tools and support necessary to reach their professional goals and accelerate their careers. A registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, WISE was founded in 1993 and has its headquarters in New York City with chapters across North America. WISE Chapters: Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, DFW, Detroit, Greater Orlando, Greater Raleigh, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Milwaukee, NYC Metro, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, SF Bay Area, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Twin Cities, Utah, Washington DC. For more information on WISE, please visit WISEworks.org.