Professional Tennis Management Program At Ferris State Offers Course in TennisConnect
Software tool designed to manage a tennis facility’s business is now required study for students at premier tennis management program.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Peter Francesconi
PO Box 7845
Hilton Head Island,
843-686-3036 x 203
peter@TennisIndustry.org
10/28/09 - Hilton Head Island, S.C. — The Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., now has a required course in tournament/activity administration that focuses on the TennisConnect business tool.
The 16-week course, which is taught by PTM Director Derek Ameel, is designed to give students a well-rounded view of event programming and of TennisConnect’s capabilities in running a tennis business. The last eight weeks of the course cover various aspects of TennisConnect.
The course was created by Ameel with help from Charlie Ruddy, the developer of TennisConnect. Each student will create their own TennisConnect website and will complete a “go-live” process for their final exam.
“TennisConnect is a great business tool for any club and a fantastic addition to our program,” says Ameel. “There are so many aspect of TennisConnect that improve a club’s ability to run and manage their business. It provides many tools to improve customer service and increase profits. Our students will work with this product over their four years in the Ferris PTM program, learning how to administer, maintain, and build this website.”
The Ferris State Racquet & Fitness Center, which has 16 courts and is run by the students in the program, uses the TennisConnect system. Freshman and sophomore students work at the front desk at least four hours per week each and are trained in TennisConnect for the Court Scheduler, Contact Manager, eCalendar and more. Students also are trained in the String Center.
TennisConnect also was one of the topics at a Ferris State PTM “career preparation day” held in October. Ruddy spoke about business tool and other Tennis Industry Association and related websites, including GrowingTennis.com, a key resource for the industry.
Other speakers at the Ferris career day program were Peter Francesconi from the TIA, who spoke about the TIA, recent research, career initiatives within the industry, and internships; Liza Horan, founder and director of the TennisWire Network; former pro player Magnus Gustafsson, a former PTM student who is the director of tennis at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club in New York; and Mike Rahaley, director of tennis at Little Harbor Club in Michigan.
For more information on the Ferris State Professional Tennis Management program, visit www.ferris.edu/ptm or call 231-591-2219. For information on TennisConnect, visit www.TennisConnect.com or call the TIA at 888-686-3036 x.227.
Ferris State also recently announced the expansion of its Great Lakes Scholarship for 2010-2011, which allows eligible out-of-state students in 17 states to pay lower in-state tuition rates. Visit www.ferris.edu for more information.
####
The Tennis Industry Association, the not-for-profit trade association for tennis, is THE unifying force in the tennis industry whose mission is to promote the growth and economic vitality of tennis by working closely with the U.S. Tennis Association and industry partners to develop and implement initiatives to increase tennis participation. Core TIA activities include TIA/USTA Tennis Health Index, Consumer and Trade Research, GrowingTennis System™ including Tennis Welcome Centers, Cardio Tennis, 50-50 Co-op Program, QuickStart Tennis and TennisConnect.org. For more information, visit TennisIndustry.org or GrowingTennis.com or call the TIA at 866-686-3036.
###
Tennis Industry Association
117 Executive Center
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Phone: (843) 686-3036
Fax: (843) 686-3078
www.tennisindustry.org
Links:
www.tennisconnect.com
www.ferris.edu/ptm
www.tennisindustry.org
