Duquesne, Josh Gibson Foundation and Pittsburgh Schools Team Up to Improve Retention

To help address concerns about retention rates and student interest in completing high school, the Palumbo•Donahue School of Business has teamed with the Josh Gibson Foundation and Pittsburgh Public Schools to offer a new, innovative, program this fall that will introduce high school students to different career facets of sports while offering college credits.

The Business of Sports Academy (BOSA) will be open to incoming sophomores and juniors attending Pittsburgh high schools. The program will be housed at Pittsburgh Westinghouse and Pittsburgh Carrick but open to students in all Pittsburgh Public Schools.

BOSA is the first targeted program in Pittsburgh to introduce the opportunity for career development in sports beyond the playing surface. Over two years, Steve Greenberg, chair of marketing, sports marketing, supply chain management and entrepreneurship program and former vice president of marketing/new ballpark development for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has worked with Sean Gibson, executive director of the Josh Gibson Foundation; Angela Mike, executive director of career and technical education for Pittsburgh Public Schools; Linda Wolfgang, supervisor for career and technical education, Pittsburgh Public Schools; and assistant professors Dr. Dorene Ciletti and Dr. Maryellen Kelly to develop a three-year, six segment curriculum, which will also earn students college credits through Duquesne.

The Duquesne team will work with teachers who will lead courses in Introduction to Sports Business, Sports Marketing and Media, Sports Sales and Event Management, Sports Law and Independent Study Project in Sports. The University will provide mentoring and experiences with professional and collegiate teams in the Pittsburgh market.

“Sports are such a positive force in Pittsburgh and around the world, and a major economic driver,” said Greenberg. “We thought that if we helped develop a high school business curriculum around sports, we might be able to interest more kids in staying in school and open them to the possibility of continuing their studies in college.”

The Josh Gibson Foundation also hopes to encourage students to remain in school by providing financial support for BOSA through grants so that participating students attend at no cost to them. The foundation also will arrange speakers and authentic learning experiences because educational options are a prime concern for the foundation.

“The decision by Pittsburgh Public Schools to add the BOSA program to the curriculum is especially significant for the Josh Gibson Foundation,” Gibson said. Josh Gibson enrolled in Pittsburgh Public Schools when the family moved to Pittsburgh in the early 1920s, then he attended Allegheny and Conroy pre-vocational school as he prepared to become an electrician, though his exceptional baseball skills took him a different direction. Josh Gibson, regarded as the best overall player in Negro League history, led the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords to several titles.

Sean Gibson and the other partners are well aware that not everyone seeking a career in sports can follow a star player’s path, so they find great value in BOSA.

“This partnership prepares students not only for a career but college as well,” said Mike. “Our students will graduate with a high school diploma, Microsoft Office certification and college credits. We want our students to know that they don’t have to be athletes to excel in the sports arena.”

Students need to apply in advance for the classes and can obtain more information from the Career and Technical Education section of the Pittsburgh Public Schools website, www.pghboe.net, by calling 412.665.2258 or by emailing cte@pghboe.net.