Here at Rowan University, there are so many professors who impact students’ lives each day. For a lot of students within the sports communication and media major, Kate Harman is one of those professors. Students throughout the program take her classes, some even when it is not required by their major concentration.
Harman has been teaching at Rowan since 2013. She was also one of the founding members of the Sports CaM major, the program that has now grown immensely and produced over 4,000 graduates. She is a member of the communications department but predominantly teaches sports communications classes. She teaches the required class, Sports Communication, Culture and Identity, and helps students shape the start of their education in the Sports CaM program.
“I have always been interested in a variety of sports and things that impact sport,” said Harman when discussing what inspired her to break into the industry. “It is something that I have always been drawn to.”
Prior to working at Rowan, Harman worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer, mainly covering high school sports for local teams. She also covered some soccer, as well as a few special sports pieces when needed. Her extensive experience within the field has carried over to her teachings and allows her to teach from personal experience.
Harman is a Rowan Alumni having graduated with two degrees in Journalism and Communications. While she was a student here at Rowan, she played for the Women’s Soccer team, jump-starting her passion for sports. She then attended Towson University for graduate school.
Being a woman in this industry is an experience that only certain people, women, can understand. Harman, having worked so early on in sports journalism, faced hard situations many times and has had to jump hurdles that her male counterparts have not.
“I can’t tell you the amount of times that I have been the only woman in the press box. It was hard, I loved it, it was really difficult. There were a lot of obstacles and battles, some that I lost, you don’t win them all,” said Harman.
Harman’s experience in sports journalism made her the professor she is today, and she shares what she has learned with her students, hoping to prepare them to step into this field. There is a low number of female professors teaching in the major who have also worked in the industry.
Being in the sports entertainment industry is still incredibly difficult because everyone is so used to seeing men talk about this subject, and this makes it hard for women to become comfortable within the space. However, Harman uplifts her students and makes sure they know there is a space for each one of them within the world of sports. Having a professor like her at Rowan is rare, and the hope is that she continues to teach students and make the sports world a better place.
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