Carlow University Cuts Ribbon on New Esports Facility
By Drew Wilson
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Carlow University recently opened its new esports facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 7. The new facility is in room 114 of A.J. Palumbo Hall, located on the corner of Fifth and Craft avenues.
The completely reimagined space now features 15 state-of-the art Alienware gaming PCs. The overclockable, liquid-cooled gaming stations feature an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards and have 32GB RAM. The new esports facility will allow the varsity team to run training, practices, and co-op matches with other universities all from one on-campus facility.
This fall, Carlow University began fielding a co-ed esports team and offering an esports business management major to address one of the fastest growing industries in the United States today. Students in Carlow's esports program will graduate with a bachelor's degree in business management. The program includes six courses specific to esports, plus commerce musts like accounting and labor relations. Carlow has worked with Pittsburgh's tech sector to find internship opportunities. These skills are transferrable to other fields.
"The popularity and growth of esports has created a multitude of new career opportunities for students, and Carlow's esports business management major allows them to build their business, management, and financial knowledge while pursuing their passion," said Matthew Gordley, PhD, Carlow's Interim Provost and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
By adding a new major and sports team for such a popular pastime, Carlow students learn about business and fiscal management while developing soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, and communication, all while playing a sport they love.
Carlow's esports team has an 11-person roster – four women and seven men – who compete in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) in both the Rocket League and the League of Legends. The team's record stands at 2-2 as it heads into its final match on the fall schedule against the University of Louisville. The Celtics kicked off their schedule on October 19 with an overtime victory against the University of Michigan. Since then, they defeated Robert Morris University and lost to Midway University and Cleveland State to even their record heading into their final match against Louisville on November 10.
According to some estimates, esports are a $1.44 billion industry and are projected to grow to $5.48 billion by 2029. The growth of esports is creating jobs in management, marketing, coaching, logistical support, event production, and finance.
Students interested in Carlow's esports business management major should contact the admissions office via email at admissions@carlow.edu or by calling (412) 578-6059.
