Interdisciplinary Studies Degree Helps Razorback Athletic Staff Member Grow as a Leader

Working in collegiate athletics requires strong leadership, adaptability and a commitment to helping others succeed. For Jasdeep "Jazz" Grewal, the online Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Arkansas is helping him strengthen those skills while advancing his career with Razorback football.

Grewal, 31, lives in Rogers and works in Fayetteville as a graduate assistant in the Player Development department for Razorback football. He received his graduate assistantship before entering the online master's program.

Originally from Sacramento, California, Grewal moved to Arkansas as an adolescent. After exploring different majors and spending time in the workforce, he returned to Arkansas and to the university, completing a Bachelor of Science in Education in Educational Studies in spring 2023. Through internships connected to his program, he began working with athletics and eventually joined the football program.

"I built a relationship with the director of Player Development through collaborative work and was referred by the football academics staff in the Jerry & Gene Jones Center to join the football side, and now I have served as a graduate assistant for the Player Development department since December 2022," Grewal said.

While balancing a demanding schedule in athletics, Grewal looked for a graduate program that would fit his professional goals. The Interdisciplinary Studies program stood out because of its flexibility and ability to tailor coursework. For Grewal, the combination of flexibility, personalization and real-world application has made the program a meaningful step in his professional journey.

He selected the focus areas of leadership and adult lifelong learning, a combination he felt would help him better support the student-athletes he works with every day. For Grewal, one of the program's biggest strengths was how customizable it is for each student.

"I felt the best combination for me was leadership and understanding of personnel, what it really takes to meet people where they're at and help them get to where they want to go," he said. "You can personalize it to your exact goals."

According to Grewal, that combination of focus allowed him to choose courses that directly support his career development rather than taking classes that might not apply to his professional path.

"I was able to definitely choose courses and kind of learn…through each class the things I can apply to really advance my career and any other endeavors I want to pursue," he said.

One class assignment stood out in Grewal's memory. The four-part assignment involved designing a detailed program plan that gave him real-world skills that could be applied to his job in real time. Grewal used the opportunity to develop a mock leadership academy concept for Razorback football players.

"We'd been coming up with new ways to help our guys learn more about themselves, their branding, what it takes to be a good teammate, a good student athlete, how to navigate different rooms that they're going to be in—not just now, but in the future," he recalled. "It was a very intricate program plan where you talk about finding external resources and make a needs assessment. As I built this, I wanted to use the opportunity to revamp a familiar program that we've done here in the past for our student athletes. I basically got an opportunity to build my own version of a leadership academy. The experience helped me translate academic lessons into practical programming that could benefit student-athletes now and in the future."

Throughout the program, Grewal credited various faculty members with helping to shape his academic path. In particular, he credited Ed Bengtson, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School, as well as Lecturer Chris LaFata and Associate Professor Dr. Kenda Grover, both in the Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods in the College of Education and Health Professions. Grewal added that these and many other faculty members have been valuable instructors and mentors during his time in the program.

"First of all, Dr. Bengtson's been great," he said. "He was able to really give me a thorough explanation and break down details to any questions that I had. His transparency played a pivotal role in my graduate experience and for that I'll always be grateful for his mentorship."

As he prepares to graduate in May, Grewal believes the interdisciplinary studies degree provides students with a powerful opportunity to build skills across multiple fields.

"What this degree can do for you is what you want it to do for you," he said.

For students considering an online graduate program, he emphasized the importance of intentionality and preparation.

"My advice would be: do your research before you commit to a program," Grewal said. "Just because you're not going to an in-person class or sitting in a lecture setting doesn't mean that you're not going to have to apply yourself."