Troy State University graduate student Amy Craft has been selected to participate in a prestigious sport management internship program

at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Craft, who is pursuing a master’s degree in TSU’s Sport and Fitness Management program, is one of 25 applicants nationwide chosen for the 2001-02 Sports Intern Program at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports.

She will begin the yearlong internship on June 18.

Craft will join students from leading sport management programs from universities around the country at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Other schools represented include James Madison University, the University of Georgia, Ohio University, Michigan State University and the University of California at Los Angeles.

Craft’s selection is a key step in the growth of TSU’s graduate program in Sport and Fitness Management, said Dr. Lance Tatum, coordinator of sport administration for the program. TSU, which has offered an undergraduate program in Sport and Fitness Management since 1996, received approval to create the graduate program in fall 2000.

TSU is Alabama’s only public university that operates a Sport and Fitness Management program.

"The Disney Sports Intern Program is extremely competitive and receives applications from sport management students nationwide," Tatum said. "Amy’s admission to the program speaks well of her and of Troy State’s program. It brings national attention to our program and is a significant achievement as we continue to develop."

Craft will work in the sports sponsorship division of the Disney program. She said the internship will give her a head start on a sport management career, which she plans to pursue in higher education and collegiate athletics.

I’m very excited about being accepted for the Disney internship program," Craft said. "It’s a big honor and a great opportunity for me, and I think it reflects well on Troy State University. I hope it can open doors for future sport management students at TSU."