RICE GLOBAL PARIS: SUMMER PROGRAMS 2024
The Business of Professional Sports and Event & Venue Management
Paris Session 5 | July 15 - Aug 2, 2024
The Business of Professional Sports and Event & Venue Management
Paris is a world-class sports city that will be hosting one of the biggest sports events in 2024 - The Summer Olympics! Alongside Stephanie Wilka & Steven Rackley, students will take part in a sports management summer intensive in Paris to learn The Business of Professional Sports and Event & Venue Management.
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Program Details:
- Program Dates: July 15 - Aug 2, 2024
- Program Location: Rice Global Paris Center | Paris, France
- Who Can Apply? Any Rice Undergraduate (no prerequisites required)
- Program Total Cost: $1,200 per credit hour ($7,200 Tuition for 6 credit hours) + travel to Paris ($1000-$2500) and living expenses for 3 weeks ($1000-$1500).
- What's Covered: The program will provide housing for all three weeks, local travel, course-set excursions/tickets, three group meals, and travel insurance.
- What's Not Covered: Airfare to Paris, passport fees (if applicable), any visa fees (if applicable), ride to and from the airport, any non-course planned travel/excursions/tickets, International phone plans and/or SIM cards, incidentals, and most meals.
- Financial Aid: Students looking for financial aid to help with expenses should contact the Financial Aid Office to see if and how much financial aid they qualify for. Summer tuition qualifies for some assistance, and in some cases, grants are available
- Tuition Assistance: Students can also apply to receive further tuition assistance and some international travel assistance from Rice Global Paris. Application for assistance is included in the course application.
Course Details:
- Credit Hours: 6 credit hours
- Course Instructors: Stephanie Wilka and Steven Rackley
- Course Description: Students will take part in a sports management summer intensive in Paris to learn The Business of Professional Sports and Event & Venue Management as it relates to French/European sports and the Olympics. Students enrolled in this course will attend an Olympic event as part of the course.
- Who is this class for? Any Rice Undergraduate (no prerequisites).
- Course Zoom Information Session: Click here to view the Zoom information session recording.
For questions, please visit our FAQ page or email pariscenter@rice.edu. The application deadline is January 26, 2024.
Steven Rackley
Steven Rackley joined the Department of Sport Management at Rice University as Professor in the Practice in 2019. Rackley earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah in Political Science. He continued his education at Ohio University where he obtained a Master’s degree in Sports Administration and Facility Management. As a 33-year veteran of collegiate athletic administration, Rackley spent 20 years as an Athletic Director at Alma College (Michigan), an NCAA DIII program, and the University of Findlay (Ohio), an NCAA DII program. Prior to Findlay Rackley worked at Marshall University, Weber State University and Salt Lake Community College in various athletic department administrative positions. Professor Rackley resides in Missouri City, Texas, with his wife Amy. They have four married children, Nick (Brit), Ali (Edgar), Rachael (Travis) and Jen (Caleb). Steven and Amy are also the proud grandparents of Selena and Jack! Professor Rackley teaches three courses each semester, Business of College Athletics, Event and Venue Management and Leadership in Sport Management.
Stephanie L. Wilka, J.D.
Prior to joining Rice University, Stephanie spent nearly two decades in Major League Baseball, holding various roles in scouting, international baseball operations and law. During this time, she oversaw the construction of two little league fields in the Dominican Republic as the leader of a Boston Red Sox philanthropy project, submitted the 1-1 pick for Carlos Correa in the 2012 draft while with the Houston Astros, and built a baseball operations compliance program for the San Diego Padres. Stephanie has also negotiated an MLB stadium renovation contract, a Dominican Republic Academy renovation project, and the acquisition, relocation, and construction of a minor league affiliate. Stephanie is a graduate of Harvard University (’05) with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law (’11). She now teaches Sport Law a nd Business of Professional Sports to undergraduate students at Rice University. Stephanie is also the Director of the Hutchinson Leadership Initiative in Sport Analytics, and industry-leading undergraduate program dedicated to providing cutting edge analytics support to the Rice University varsity sports teams and catapulting Rice University students into successful sport analytics careers.