The University of Alabama and Auburn University may have higher ranked college football programs than Troy University, but they have nothing on their Alabama counterpart’s Sport and Fitness Management (SFM) Program.
What makes that Program, which is one of only five that are nationally accredited, even more impressive is that it is recruiting star professors at a rate that would impress even Nick Saban.
One recent hire, Dr. John Miller, stands out.
Dr. Miller, a noted sports law professor from Texas Tech University, will teach in the SFM Program at Troy as well as serve as Associate Dean of the College of Health and Human Services, which houses the Program’s Department at Troy.
“The College of Health and Human Services is most pleased to attract someone of Dr. Miller’s caliber to this important Associate Dean position,” said Dr. Damon Andrew, Dean of the College, and also head of the SFM program. “In this role, Dr. Miller will draw upon his significant experience in curriculum and policy development, assessment, and research to provide academic support to our faculty.”
A leading international expert on risk management in sports, Dr. Miller was an associate chair and professor of sport management at Texas Tech University, a Carnegie-classified High Research Activity University. He has been named a Fellow of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance’s Research Consortium and Distinguished Scholar by the School and Community Safety Society of America. He was recognized as an outstanding faculty as selected by Texas Tech University undergraduate senior students on three occasions. He has published a textbook in the field, with another book in progress, in addition to authoring 46 peer-reviewed publications, five invited manuscripts, 19 book chapters and 156 peer-reviewed presentations.
As a collegiate swimming coach for more than 10 years, Dr. Miller coached one national champion in four events, more than 20 All-American swimmers and divers, and was elected President of the National Swimming and Diving Coaches Association. Dr. Miller completed a Ph.D. in Sport Administration at the University of New Mexico in 1994, and earned a master’s degree in sport psychology from the University of Minnesota. He completed his undergraduate studies in physical education at the University Wisconsin-Oshkosh. His primary research interests include risk management security issues in sport and recreational activities and facilities, sport marketing and promotion affecting consumer behavior in sports, and issues dealing with sport management pedagogy. In 2009, he was elected president of the Sport and Recreation Law Association and was awarded the Charles Peter Yost Award by the National Safety and Risk Management Council.
The SFM Program offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees on its Troy campus and online, thus making the program accessible to working professionals. Its master’s degree offers concentrations in athletic administration and coaching and is designed to provide the graduate with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to engage in the practice of management in a variety of sport and fitness settings. Troy University leverages its four Alabama campuses and 60 campus sites outside of the state and around the world in 12 countries to prepare over 30,000 students to succeed in an increasingly global economy. The University is ranked 28th in the South among public regional universities by U.S. News and World Report, received the top ranking among all state institutions from Forbes Magazine in 2010, and has been listed as one of the “Best Universities in the Southeast” by The Princeton Review for the past seven years. Its online programs were recently ranked 3rd nationally in student engagement and assessment and 5th nationally in student services and technology by U.S. News and World Report.
