MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Emporium native and 2019 Slippery Rock University graduate Ruth Phillips has had a lifelong love for helping others along with athletic competition. Growing up, she rarely missed Cameron County High School athletic events, and even played in many of her own through the years.
Going into her senior year of high school, a conversation with her brother, Ryan helped her determine some goals for her life past high school.
“My brother is 19 years older than me,” Phillips explained. “I would always go spend a week in the summer with him. In the summer going into my senior year, he and his wife Davina asked me what I wanted to do for a career, and they encouraged me to think about a career in sports.”
Like her older brother, she decided Slippery Rock University was the right school for her undergraduate career. At Slippery Rock, she majored in sports management while picking up minors in business administration and coaching. Going to Slippery Rock meant she would be able to pick up one of the best sport management degrees in the country, according to the U.S Sports Management Degree Guide, which ranked their program among the top 30 in the entire nation.
During her undergraduate career, Phillips was able to become an intern for various teams and for the Slippery Rock University athletic department itself. She built great relationships with those at the university, and when an opportunity arose to become a fiscal assistant and secretary shortly after graduation, she accepted the opportunity. Though, she knew it was not a permanent role for her.
“I filled in full-time for the secretary who was on maternity leave, and that experience really taught me a wide range of knowledge in college athletics. I think my biggest takeaway was how to deal with the public,” Phillips said.
Late in her undergraduate career, the Cameron County native began thinking about a masters degree because some of her mentors explained it could be a step in the right direction for a career in college athletics.
She applied to eight masters programs with sport management or related degrees, and was accepted to all but one of those programs. However, her best opportunity came from West Virginia University, who offered her a chance to become a hospitality intern through West Virginia Athletics. Her official title is intern for Mountaineer Athletic Hospitality. Typically, she would only have the opportunity to work football, but the department has now also given her a chance to work basketball this season as well.
Phillips has a complete pregame, in-game, and post game agenda in her role that allows her to prep for game day and accommodations she must make for guests and boosters, execute those during the competition, and then clean up and take inventory after the competition concludes. Phillips is also in charge of recruiting, hiring, firing, and paying workers. A role like this is perfect for Phillips as she has many years of service experience in the food and hospitality industry from working at Fox’s Pizza Den in Emporium for several years.
Phillips is slated to graduate from WVU in May of 2022, and hopes to continue working in collegiate athletics post her days as an intern with the Mountaineers.
“My biggest goal is to become a college athletic director in a Power 5 Conference. However, finding a good job or various roles in collegiate athletics would be great,” she said.
While there is no exact path that can guarantee a career as an athletic director, having a masters and several years involved with both the business and service side of college athletics certainly helps.
Throughout her life, her parents have been her biggest supporters. Her mother Laurie and her late father Lanty have always encouraged their daughter to follow her dreams. Additionally, her father was her biggest fan in everything she has accomplished.
“He was quick to tell everyone how his Ruthie was doing. I also have to give my mom credit for her strength and for being my rock,” she said. “Lastly, I must mention the community of Emporium. I cannot thank those people enough who watched me and took care of me when my dad was sick and my mom was with him.”
Phillips’ father passed just 65 days before she graduated college, but she found ways to continue to get her school work done. It impressed one of her biggest mentors, Dr. Catriona Higgs, a professor of sport management at Slippery Rock so much that she rewarded her for her commitment to school while dealing with a tough loss in her final semester.
Another big mentor in her life is Dr. Joanne Leight, who will become the interim AD at SRU next month.
“She helped me to learn my passion for coaching sports, convinced me to get a coaching minor, has always been there for me since the day I met her, and still continues to root for success for me,” Phillips said.
