The United States Tennis Association is putting $100,000 worth of support behind building the next generation of teaching professionals. The funding comes through scholarships available for students of Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management Program.
Mike Janz, a 2014 Ferris PTM alumnus and the university’s assistant program coordinator, said the university’s Recruitment Scholarship became available at the start of the 2020-21 academic year, directed toward underclassmen and transfer students who enrolled in the program.
“It is a $2,500 grant, with $1,000 awarded for the first year and $1,500 for the second,” Janz said. “We felt this would be the best method to welcome PTM students to the curriculum, with that second year designed to foster retention as they move into our program. Recipients need a minimum 3.0-grade point average and must demonstrate at least a 4.0 rating on the National Tennis Rating Program scale. We had several students receive PTM Recruitment Scholarships in our first offering, and with our remaining funds, students can claim similar awards this coming year.”
PTM students also qualify as applicants for $2,000 scholarships from the United States Tennis Association, provided in a collaborative partnership with the United States Professional Tennis Association and Professional Tennis Registry. The USTA estimates the COVID-19 pandemic helped fuel interest in tennis as an outdoor recreational activity, with four million new players taking up the game in 2020.
“USTA scholarships are available to current PTM students, or those who are completing high school, who intend to pursue studies, such as our program,” Janz said. “We are one of 10 schools whose PTM students are qualified recipients.”
Where clubs were open in 2020, teaching and support staff were in demand. The open-air nature of tennis facilities offered a safe activity option.
“Some of our interns found the clubs or resorts they were headed to suspending operations, but other facilities had real bounce-back years,” Janz said. “Current prospects for full-time work as an entry-level tennis professional are the best we have seen since 2010.”
The USTA scholarship program has an application window from February to late April for those hoping to support their PTM learning in the 2022-23 academic year. More scholarship and general information are available from PTM Program alumnus and Assistant Director Mike Janz, who welcomes calls at (231) 591-2219.