2011-12 Highlights

Athletic Communications Employment Opportunities

Application Deadline:
Open until filled, preferred response by May 24, 2013

Projected Start Date:
August 1, 2013

The University of West Florida is now accepting applications for the position of Athletic Communications Assistant. The University of West Florida's main campus is located 10 miles north of historic Pensacola and the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. The area is considered a vacation destination and offers a vibrant cultural life. The Pensacola campus is situated on a lush 1,600-acre nature preserve with branch campuses in Fort Walton Beach, other Emerald Coast locations and via distance learning. UWF is a state regional comprehensive university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Professional Studies. UWF is dedicated to becoming the best regional comprehensive university in the nation serving over 12,000 students and offering 14 sports for its student-athletes. UWF is an NCAA Division II institution, and the Argonauts are winners of seven national championships and over 70 Gulf South Conference championships. For more information, visit www.GoArgos.com.

This 10-month position runs from August 2013 through May 2014. Athletic communications assistants may choose to apply to graduate school at UWF and receive a stipend ($8,000 per year) or not attend graduate school and receive a larger stipend ($11,000 per year). Graduate assistants will receive full tuition reimbursement for 18 graduate level credit hours per academic year, including matriculation waiver and out-of-state tuition when applicable. Graduate assistants must also maintain a 3.0 GPA and good academic standing to maintain the financial package. Refer to www.UWF.edu for more information on graduate study.

Minimum Qualifications:
- undergraduate degree in a communications, journalism, sports management or related field
- at least one year of experience in athletic communications
- strong communication, organization, writing, editing and design skills
- strong computer skills, including familiarity with Adobe InDesign and Photoshop or similar programs, Microsoft Office, and The Automated Scorebook and StatCrew
- working knowledge of new media, including tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

Desired Qualifications:
- previous athletic communications experience with volleyball and/or swimming and diving
- at least one year of experience as a play-by-play broadcaster and on-air personality
- at least one year of experience creating video content
- advanced graphic design skills

Responsibilities:
- serving as the primary media contact for a variety of sports, including the following tasks: writing press releases, game notes and feature stories; updating and maintaining the official athletics website; compiling statistics at athletic events; coordinating interviews and other requests with staff, coaches and student-athletes; pitching story ideas to and building relationships with media contacts; traveling with teams as appropriate
- creating live and on demand multimedia content, including but not limited to: live audio broadcasts, live video broadcasts, highlight reels and interview segments
- managing the press box/scorer’s table at home events, including supervising game day staff
- nominating coaches and student-athletes for various awards
- other duties as assigned

To Apply: Individuals wishing to apply should submit a cover letter, resume, references and work samples to Director of Athletic Communications Matt Rowley at mrowley@uwf.edu. Please use the subject line: UWF Athletic Communications Assistant.

Athletic Communications Student Assistant

The University of West Florida athletic communications office is looking for students who love sports and are potentially interested in a career in athletics or media relations. Working in the athletic communications office provides students the opportunity to get valuable job experience while still in college.

The toughest part of breaking into athletics, whether amateur, collegiate or professional, is getting started. There is no substitute for experience and we are looking for hard workers who want to see if this field is for them. The longer you wait, the more time someone else has to get added experience over you. By starting early, you will have the time to learn about the field and give it your best shot. An athletics communicator (or SID - sports information director) is a versatile position and being an expert at various skills can only enhance your future employment chances.

The following is an overview of what the expectations are for the position, as well as the types of experience you can gain from working in the athletic communications office.

- Maintain a schedule of regular hours in the athletic communications office
- Assist in compilation and editing of publications, game notes, press releases and game programs
- Assist at home events with game operations, including, but not limited to:
     - Preparation of the scorer’s table/press box
     - Scorekeeping or scoreboard operation
     - Assisting with computerized statistics compilation and delivery to coaches and media
     - Assisting with audio/video broadcasts, including appearing as on-air talent when needed
     - Assisting with post-game duties, including gathering quotes and reporting results to media
- Light administrative work, including filing, typing, filling of media requests, computer work (word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing)

As you progress in your time and abilities with the athletic communications office, additional responsibilities and experience opportunities may be given to you as a student assistant, including serving as the primary contact for a particular sport or sports, including:

- Primary contact with all media and sports information offices in dealing with that sport
- Primary responsibility for production of press releases and other printed materials
- Responsibility for compiling and providing to other schools all statistics dealing with the sport
- Contacting local media with results and newsworthy performances after each event
- Possible travel with the team

Skills needed for this position include good writing ability, some basic (advanced is beneficial) knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet and desktop publishing software, significant interest in sports, good communication skills, ability to work well with others, and flexibility to adapt to situations when necessary. We want to develop a student staff that will stay with us throughout their college career and take the opportunity to grow within the field. This position is available throughout the year, but we ask for a minimum of a one academic year commitment when joining the staff. Hours will vary each week, depending on the number of events. Events are mostly late afternoon or evening hours, but there may be some hours in the office preparing for upcoming events.

If you have work study money available to you, we can arrange that your work here be as a work study student. Students also looking for internship or field study credit are eligible. Hourly pay is available, but these positions are limited. If you are interested in taking your first step in a career in athletic media relations, please contact director of athletic communications Matt Rowley at 850-474-2140 or mrowley@uwf.edu.