New Balance has committed $10 million to the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) to establish the New Balance Institute for Innovative Leadership in Sport.
This $10 million commitment, New Balance said in a statement, will provide operational funds in order to launch the institute and “endow it in perpetuity at the UMass Boston campus.” The financial commitment and the institute, the statement continued, will build on the New Balance Sport Leadership and Administration program, which was established at UMass Boston in 2018 and launched with $5 million from the athletic company.
“UMass Boston is the natural academic home for the New Balance Sport Leadership and Administration program and this new institute,” UMass Boston chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said in a statement. “Innovative and interdisciplinary, the program prepares students for exemplary careers in sports management while offering a robust social justice platform to advance excellence, equity, diversity and human rights in sports. This aligns with our foundational idea that a UMass Boston education is designed have impact and serve the greater good.”
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New Balance explained in the statement that the institute will provide new faculty, academic support and bolster scholarship funding “to increase student enrollment in the academic program to 200-300 students annually.” Its focus, according to the statement, will be on “conducting and publishing research on the sport industry and cultivating external partnerships, expanding funding sources and gaining support within and across the sport industry.”
“We are excited to expand our investment in UMass Boston through this institute, which reflects New Balance’s focus on advancing opportunities for transformational leadership, innovation and diversity in our industry,” New Balance chairman Jim Davis said in a statement. “Chancellor Suárez-Orozco and Dr. Joe Cooper have done a tremendous job to establish the Sport Leadership & Administration program. We look forward to seeing how this institute will enable the power of sport to positively impact our communities and create change-making sports leaders for the future.”
As the institute grows, New Balance stated UMass Boston will establish sport industry labs that are focused on “student learning and development for career readiness,” as well as a certification program for sport industry professionals.
“With this new Institute for Innovative Leadership in Sport, our three pillars are sport equity, sport innovation, and sport performance and holistic wellness,” professor Joseph N. Cooper, the J. Keith Motley Endowed Chair of Sport Leadership and Administration, said in a statement. “This integrated specialization approach will allow us to engage in impactful equity-minded research, education and programming that advances the sports industry across multiple levels and society more broadly.”
New Balance President and CEO Joe Preston added, “Dr. Joe Cooper’s demonstrated passion and academic leadership on the intersections between youth, sport, race and culture has been integral to the success of the UMass Boston Sports Leadership and Administration program. We are proud to support his innovative and inspirational work to build greater opportunities for diverse communities within the sports industry.”
New Balance stated the Sport Leadership and Administration program was driven by “advancing equitable practices and social responsibility inside the sports industry.” The program, New Balance confirmed, has grown to 127 students majoring in sport leadership and administration since its fall 2019 debut, with another 34 having already graduated.
What’s more, the students have participated in a combined 10,000 hours of internships in the sport industry, the athletic company said, and the new institute hopes to further expand internship and employment opportunities.
“The New Balance Institute for Innovative Leadership in Sport will open doors more widely for students from diverse backgrounds pursuing sports management careers,” UMass president Marty Meehan said in a statement. “With the skills, knowledge and connections they will gain, these students will be change-makers for good in the sport industry.”
New Balance has remained a mainstay in headlines as of late. For instance, the company broke ground at the future site of New Balance Londonderry factory in November. New Balance invested $70 million into the 102,000-sq.-ft. factory, and stated it will add more than 150 jobs. Production is planned to begin in 2025.
Also in November, New Balance and Tennis Australia announced an extensive agreement to make the athletic brand the official performance apparel and footwear provider of both the Australian Open and United Cup.
