UHV, VC strike athletics internship agreement
University of Houston-Victoria students will have the opportunity to gain experience working in a collegiate sports environment while in school, thanks to a new partnership with Victoria College Athletics.
The agreement will provide opportunities for UHV kinesiology students to apply for an internship with the Victoria College athletics program, which includes men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross-country. The VC athletics program is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
“We are so happy to partner with Victoria College in this new and exciting way that will help our students learn from quality, real-world experiences,” said Rachel Martinez, interim dean of the UHV College of Education & Health Professions. “We are happy that, through the hard work of our kinesiology faculty who prepare our students and help them progress with these amazing internship opportunities, our students will be able to apply what they are learning in the classroom to the exciting world of collegiate sports. We look forward to working with Victoria College Athletics.”
This new internship opportunity will be helpful for kinesiology students who are specializing in exercise sports science and pre-allied health, said Raymond Tucker, a UHV associate professor of kinesiology. Possible career options for students who are specializing in those areas include jobs as strength and conditioning coaches, fitness trainers, and those preparing to attend physical and occupational therapy schools.
Being able to have UHV and VC students work together is beneficial for both institutions, he said.
“This is a great partnership to have with Victoria College, and it is a big deal for us to work with their athletics program so that our students have the opportunity to intern at the collegiate athletics level,” Tucker said. “Not only will this be a great experience for our students, but hopefully the VC student-athletes will see the work our students are doing and consider transferring to UHV for a kinesiology degree after graduating from the Victoria College.”
Victoria College Athletics is under the direction of Trey Anderson, who started in February as the new athletics director. One of Anderson’s goals for the program is to enhance the student-athlete experience. With the amount of student-athlete activity and with the athletics program growing, Anderson saw that a partnership with the UHV kinesiology program could help both the college’s student-athletes and UHV students.
Victoria College student-athletes will receive support from UHV students who are getting ready to graduate, while UHV kinesiology students also will have the opportunity to learn under Anderson, who previously worked as the football director of academic services at McNeese State University, an NCAA Division 1 school.
While kinesiology students will receive real-world experience helping and supporting student-athletes in areas including strength and conditioning, Anderson would like to open the door to even more internship opportunities for UHV students. Other opportunities he is interested in include sports reporting for communication majors, business, event management and more.
Anderson welcomes UHV students to apply for an internship for the fall 2022 semester, and even for this summer, he said. The athletics program is getting ready to have a busy summer to prepare for the fall, and kinesiology students in the internship program who are from the Victoria area may want to apply for a summer internship.
He is thankful to Victoria College President Jennifer Kent and UHV President Bob Glenn for supporting his efforts to partner and enhance the student-athlete experience at the college.
“We want to make sure those dedicated UHV students who want to be part of a collegiate athletics program receive the best experience,” Anderson said. “Collegiate athletics is one of the most unique industries and touches so many different aspects of so many different fields. It will be a great experience and a terrific way for students to network so that they have a head start with getting a job after graduation.”
The UHV kinesiology program was established in 2015 and is recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The kinesiology program faculty recently created the internship program, and kinesiology students specializing in sport management, exercise sports science and pre-allied health are required to complete 300 internship work hours before graduating. Students must be seniors and meet certain requirements before applying for the internship program.
UHV students who meet the requirements for the internship program and are interested in a summer or fall internship with Victoria College Athletics can contact the kinesiology internship advisor.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
