Dr. Cathy Klein Joins LCN Faculty to Lead Tourism, Sport, and Hospitality Program .
Bloomington, Ill. – After playing a variety of sports her entire life, Dr. Cathy Klein has decided to hang up her cleats and hockey gear - at least part-time. A lifelong athlete, Klein, was an All-American soccer player at Cortland State University in upstate New York. She later went on to become a coach at both the college and high school levels but eventually retired permanently from coaching to pursue a teaching career - a job she describes as, "the most rewarding work."
A native of Canada, Klein was raised in Ontario where her love of sports and feisty, competitive spirit was nurtured from an early age by her parents - especially her father. She credits those early experiences as helping to shape her into the determined spirit that led her to a successful athletic career. She became the first Canadian woman to play NCAA Division I soccer and later she enjoyed a successful three year career with the Canadian National Women's Soccer Team.
The first in her family to attend college, Klein humorously recounts that despite many colleges and universities inviting her to visit, she settled on SUNY – Cortland and after only a single campus visit. As a kid from a small Canadian town she "...figured all American universities were pretty much the same…rather like the UCLA basketball games (with thousands of screaming fans and lots of press) that I grew up watching on TV."
Although raised in a very different environment, like any good teacher, Klein was able to find common ground and parallel experiences her students. When asked to elaborate on those commonalities, she responds, "For me, ‘sports’ was a seed. It was also the path that has led me to so many personal successes. As a coach and as a teacher, I see time and time again that many students have a passion for sports. The degree is a path for them to merge their personal passions into careers they find fulfilling."
She went on to add, "I'm excited to be a part of things here at Lincoln College. I love the college's focus on student-centered learning. It's something I am passionate about. Its an exciting time to take over the TSH program too. We continue to evolve and grow the program even adding new classes. I'm looking forward to working with my faculty colleagues as well as the local sports community to introduce new courses on sports management, conflict resolution, fundraising, and leadership theory to the sport management program. I'm also working to identify internships or other opportunities for LC students within professional, collegiate or interscholastic sport settings in the area."
She went on to explain, "For me, teaching is such a rewarding experience because of the daily interaction with students. It gives me the opportunity to see their development first-hand.
When announcing her acceptance of the post as program director, Jeff Kratz, academic dean at LCN said, "Dr. Klein's qualifications and experiences make her an excellent addition to our current group of Program Directors. Dr. Klein will be responsible for assisting in the development of a new Bachelor of Science in Sport Management degree. Her credentials – including a doctorate in sport management and extensive experience in both education and sports – make Dr. Klein a perfect fit for establishing a high quality undergraduate Sport Management degree. We are all excited about the potential she brings for developing an academic program which is responsive to the needs of our community – specifically the expansion of sporting events in Bloomington-Normal with the recent addition of U.S. Cellular Coliseum and the construction of the Corn Crib. "
Lincoln College-Normal (LCN) is a small, student-oriented, four-year institution offering bachelor's and associate's degrees as well as certificate programs through small interactive classes and high-quality academic programs to a diverse community. Since many of our students work and raise families, LCN provides both full-time and part-time study options as well as day, evening, hybrid and online classes.
Updated 8/18/09