College Sports Information Directors of America

Saint Francis College and Tennessee Tech University have been awarded College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) internships for the 2003-04 academic year. The awards are worth $10,000 each and are designed to assist member institution sports information offices with funds to support the addition of graduate assistantships. Saint Francis College sports information director Angela Merlino has hired Paola Baptiste. Baptiste, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a 2000 graduate of St. Francis, where she was a four-year letterwinner on the Terriers' women's basketball team. Since her graduation, she has served on the game-management team for all home events. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's Degree in sports management at Brooklyn College. Saint Francis is an NCAA Division I institution located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. SFC, a member of the Northeast Conference, sponsors 18 varsity sports. Tennessee Tech University sports information director Rob Schabert has hired Joanna Riley. Riley, a native of Laramie, Wyoming earned her bachelor's degree from Tulane University in May. She has worked on the sports information staff at the University of New Orleans for the past two years, serving as the media coordinator for the 2002 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track Championships. Also that year, Riley won the Ace Higgins Award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association as the top student assistant/intern in the state. Riley also worked one year in the Tulane sports information office and one year as an intern with the Sun Belt Conference office. Tennessee Tech is an NCAA Division I (I-AA for football) institution located in Cookeville, Tenn. TTU, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, sponsors 17 varsity sports. CoSIDA awards $45,000 annually through its scholarship and internship grant programs. The organization sponsors two post-graduate and three undergraduate scholarships that are awarded to individuals and two graduate and three undergraduate internships awarded to member institutions. The awards are meant to support the quality staffing of member offices and the development of young talent in collegiate sports information.