Sport Administration program – UofL News Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:06:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 After more than 20 years, this UofL grad made a longtime goal reality /post/uofltoday/after-more-than-20-years-this-uofl-grad-made-a-longtime-goal-reality/ Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:00:44 +0000 /?p=57728 In 2001, Matt Crouch moved from the small town of Springfield, Kentucky, to Louisville to attend the University of Louisville. He settled into Unitas Tower with his friend, and they both decided they’d pursue a computer information systems degree.
Crouch loved UofL – especially the sports teams – but after a year or so, he took a well-paying full-time job and stopped taking classes.
“I decided, ‘I’m really not enjoying class anyway,’” he said. “I’m not sure this is for me. I’ll finish it later.”
Later turned into almost two decades of working full-time jobs around Louisville. He became a husband, then a dad. He remained a diehard UofL sports fan.
“I always told my wife, ‘I want to go back to school,’” he said. “My parents both graduated from college and I felt like the oddball without a degree. And obviously, I knew a degree would help me at some point. I just had this passion to graduate from UofL.”
With years to reflect on his interests and strengths, Crouch decided would be a perfect fit, and tested the waters by taking one class in the spring of 2020. When the pandemic caused him to be furloughed from his job that semester, he stayed home with daughter Lucy (day care had also shut down) and took his class while his wife continued working.
“I got an A in the class, which was really exciting because I don’t think I got many of those when I was initially there,” he laughed. So he plunged in, taking as many classes as he could.
By May of 2021, the Crouch family grew again with the addition of a son, Cooper, and dad Matt continued to care for the children while working on his degree. His goal was to finish by the time he was 40.
By the summer of 2022, an internship at Churchill Downs had blossomed into a full-time job in the human resources department. Determined to finish by August, Crouch spent the summer taking classes, caring for his family and working full-time. At the age of 40, he had earned a 4.0 GPA for the summer semester and completed his degree.
“It was honestly miserable, but I made it,” he said. “It makes me a little emotional to talk about it because it was tough.”
Crouch said he never could have achieved his dream without the flexibility of the all-online degree program. He also leaned heavily on the consistent support he received from his family – his wife, Jessica, is an optometrist who cheered him on – and UofL.
In his new role at Churchill Downs, he participated in a campus job fair and had the opportunity to visit Belknap Campus for the first time since he first attended UofL.
“It’s a great place,” he said. “It was actually surreal. It looked so different.”
He said he is excited to walk across the stage at December commencement with his family and friends watching from the stands at the KFC Yum! Center. He hopes his children, now 3 and 1, will remember the celebration.
“It’s going to be a moment for sure,” he said.
]]> Social justice award recipient, UofL grad hopes to change the sports industry /post/uofltoday/social-justice-award-recipient-uofl-grad-hopes-to-change-the-sports-industry/ Tue, 10 May 2022 19:40:45 +0000 /?p=56431 MiKayla Morton, a graduate of the College of ֱ and Human Development, was always involved in sports. A track-and-field standout throughout her middle and high school years, she placed at several state championship meets in Kentucky. But despite her success, Morton says the world she loves lacks representation at the top.

“Sports is a male-dominated industry, and one without many women of color in leadership,” Morton said.

Recognized for her aspiration to change the sports industry, Morton has received the Savannah Walker Award for Social Justice. The award recognizes a graduating senior from CEHD’s Department of Health and Sport Sciences who has demonstrated a commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion.

“I wanted to become an advocate for Black girls, so they could know this is possible for them, too” said Morton, who has combined her sports affinity with a passion for mentoring and representation through the CEHD’s Sport Administration program.

Morton is a Woodford R. Porter Scholar, J. Blaine Hudson Scholar, Dean’s List Scholar, member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honor Society member. She graduates May 14 with Summa cum Laude honors.

She has also volunteered with the TRIO Upward Bound Secondary School Outreach Program, the Cardinal Cupboard, the Louisville Men’s Soccer team and as a tutor for participating Jefferson County Public Schools.

Matched with a mentor as part of the Porter Scholar Program during her freshman year, Morton realized she could give back to other students through a mentoring relationship. She became involved in the Caring of New Students Experiencing College Transition (CONECT) Peer Mentorship program, which seeks to help minority students feel welcomed and supported.

“I’ve been blessed with support at UofL, so I wanted to give back – it’s been a great journey.” Morton said. “I want to be someone who shows other people that, once you put the work in, you can do it. You’ll excel in it.”

Morton currently works as an intern for the Louisville Sports Commission, with hopes of continuing with the organization following graduation. She plans to pursue a master’s degree or graduate certificate in the future.

]]>