Home » Midway College adds School of Business, Equine and Sport Studies

Midway College adds School of Business, Equine and Sport Studies

Dr. Charles Williams named Dean

MIDWAY, Ky. (Aug. 4, 2014) — Midway College announced today that it has created a new school within the institution called the School of Business, Equine and Sport Studies — one of three within the College along with the School of Health Sciences and the School of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Charles Williams.
Dr. Charles Williams.

“In Central Kentucky, the equine and sports industries are large segments of the economy,” said Dr. John Marsden, President of Midway College. “As Midway College looked to the future direction of our degree programs, a natural merger took place among some of our existing offerings that now gives the college a new positioning power and offers great value to our students.”

The new School of Business, Equine and Sport Studies will be led by Dr. Charles Williams, who comes to Midway College with substantial experience in higher education administration. Williams holds doctorates in business and engineering and has previously served as an academic dean at the University of the Virgin Islands, East Texas Baptist University and Troy University. He has over 20 publications in circulation and is qualified to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in eight subject areas. In addition, he has spent several years working with the business aspects of the oil industry and is a licensed farrier.

Midway College and its sport management program are in a unique position to equip students with the practical knowledge and hands-on skills they will need to be leaders in their chosen field. Graduates have gone on to careers with collegiate athletics departments, professional franchises and athletics associations and have also worked in ticketing, merchandising and public relations.

Midway College has long had ties to the state’s $4 billion equine industry and 80,000-100,000 jobs. This close connection to boarding and breeding operations, therapy centers, equine association headquarters, and animal health companies gives the college’s equine studies students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the industry and apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios. It is this blend of intensive instruction and practical application that has led Midway graduates to careers in sales and racing, breeding, herd management, and other positions in the equine industry.

Though Kentucky is most closely associated with horses, its sports industry is also thriving, accounting for a $6 million economic impact each year.