Fresno State Athletics
Malmo Takes Education to the Next Level
7/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
July 1, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - Equestrian head coach, Dr. Becky Malmo, was among the 5,000 students that graduated from Fresno State in May when she received her EdD in Educational Leadership through a joint program between Fresno State and UC Davis.
Malmo began working towards her degree in 2001 after moving from Thousand Oaks to Fresno.
"It was the next logical step as an educator and administrator," Malmo said.
No stranger to the classroom, Malmo earned three degrees prior to completing her PhD. In 1978, Malmo completed a Bachelor's degree in English from Cal Lutheran before finishing her Master's from Cal Lutheran in 1991 and in 1996 she obtained a Jurist Doctorate from Ventura College of Law.
"In today's economy we need to be as competitive as we possibly can and an additional education is the first step to expand our knowledge base putting us ahead of others," Malmo said.
Malmo is one of two athletic department employees to have earned their PhD and the only head coach to hold a degree at that level.
Prior to coming to Fresno State, Malmo worked as an elementary, and middle school teacher before taking a position as a high school administrator in the Simi Valley Unified School District. A world-class rider with a vast array of experience, Malmo served as Pierce College's (Woodland Hills, Calif.) equestrian coach from 1983-84 and worked at a large Southern California equine veterinary clinic assisting veterinarians during equestrian events at the 1984 Olympics.
Under Malmo's guidance, the Fresno State equestrian team was ranked in the top 10 nationally all last season competing against the likes of defending national champions, Georgia.
"We had a rigorous season last year competing against difficult teams and traveling constantly. I am looking forward to the upcoming season where we will get the chance to host more often," Malmo said.
After five seasons and leading the Bulldogs to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco, Texas this past season, Malmo is looking forward to the 2009-2010 year.
"We lost a lot of good seniors this past year but we have a good junior class coming up and our recruiting class is full of strong athletes with a lot of experience so it should be a great season," Malmo said.
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