Sports Media Program at Mississippi College Opens Doors

Andy O'Brien, sports editor for "The Mississippi Collegian,'' is expected to enroll in the Mississippi College Communication Department's new sports media program that begins next fall. The 20-year-old Melbourne, Florida resident works as a sports intern with WJTV-12, the CBS network affiliate in Jackson.

Mississippi College’s new sports media program is the perfect fit for students like Andy O’Brien.

The sports editor for “The Mississippi Collegian,” O’Brien has penned stories on MC’s return to the Gulf South Conference this fall, the rise to national prominence for the university’s incredible table tennis team, and the Baptist-affiliated institution’s 16 NCAA sports.

“I’m a football, basketball and baseball fan,” says O’Brien, a 20-year-old Melbourne, Florida resident. “I’ve always been interested in sports. I’m very excited about doors opening with this opportunity.”

Mississippi College Communication Department leaders announced in April the concentration in sports media will become available to undergraduates beginning in August 2014. The 18-hour program teams interpersonal and public communication, journalism, mass media and public relations for students seeking bachelor’s degrees in communication on the Clinton campus.

The sports media concentration focuses on public relations in college athletics, sports broadcasting and reporting. Students enrolled will receive opportunities to cover Mississippi College sports teams and others at high schools in Central Mississippi.

Watch any of the games on ESPN, CBS, NBC or other networks, and millions of viewers know that college athletics nationwide is a huge business for fans, players, coaches and administrators.

Initially a public relations major, O’Brien says the sports media concentration enhances what he’s learning off campus. The Colorado native this year serves as a sports department intern with WJTV-12, Jackson’s CBS affiliate. A Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos fan, the MC junior will soon step up his baseball journalism skills at the Florida Collegiate Summer League in Orlando.

The MC Communication Department presently offers concentrations in interpersonal and public communication, journalism, mass media and public relations at the undergraduate level. Graduate studies are available in five areas.

Mississippi College enrolls more than 5,000 students. The Christian university is in the process of rejoining NCAA Division II ranks for the 2014-15 season. MC will face such GSC teams as Delta State, Valdosta State, North Alabama, Florida Tech and West Alabama starting this fall.

For more information on the sports media program, contact communication professor Reid Vance at 601.925.7785 or vance@mc.edu. He also serves as the announcer for MC Choctaws athletic teams.