Assumption. sport Business Leaders. Tomorrow s PLUS. Magazine. Swim team wins 2nd championship. Professor Weiner brings Washington to Worcester

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1 Assumption Magazine Assumption College Magazine Volume 13, Number 1 Spring 2015 Tomorrow s sport Business Leaders PLUS Rome campus named Top 10 Swim team wins 2nd championship Professor Weiner brings Washington to Worcester

2 Pursuing a Dream Career in Sports Sport Business & Leadership program focuses on ethics and real-world experience By Troy Watkins Sports have always played a major role in the life of Blake Nold 14. A former member of the Greyhounds football team, playing competitively has helped him learn about teamwork, commitment, hard work and fair play. Now, as a graduate student in Assumption s Early Career Track (ECT) Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree concentration in sport business and leadership, he s ready to take the next step. Jonathan Reinsdorf, of FroogaliT/United Center Joint Venture, talks to students during a December immersion experience in Chicago. I ve always known that I wanted to pursue a career in sports, Nold said, and this MBA program is a great opportunity for me to further my education and gain experience in the field, where I ve learned the most valuable lessons. Now with the knowledge, skills and experience he s developing through the program, he ll be well prepared to go from the football field to the boardroom. Assumption s Sport Business and Leadership program, which completed its first semester in the fall, strives to develop principled, ethical leaders in the world of sport business who are ready to meet and exceed the demands of the workforce. Coordinated by Visiting Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing Elizabeth Libby O Hara, whose vast experience in the sport management field includes serving as director of community relations and communications at New York City s famed Madison Square Garden, the program prides itself on an innovative internship program, solid academic grounding and a bedrock devotion to ethics. It emphasizes sport-related contexts in business as well as the unique dynamics of the sport environment. Students in the concentration prepare for a career in sport-related organizations through a 13-course (36-credit) curriculum that includes classes on accounting, human and organizational behavior, marketing strategy and ethics. Coursework is reinforced by panel discussions featuring industry-leading experts in the world of sport business and academics held several times during the academic year. The panelists discuss with students topics such as career opportunities (for example, college athletics director, marketing, sponsorship branding, facilities management, executive management); ethics; effective leadership; and women in sports complementing theory with true-life examples and hardearned advice. Students who complete this program will possess ethical leadership skills; real world, resume-building professional experience; critical thinking and communication skills; and an industry-wide perspective that will help them identify, analyze and implement how best to manage the highly demanding and growing field of sport business, explained Visiting Assistant Professor Eric Drouart, director of Assumption s MBA program. Paramount to the program and reflecting the mission of the college is forging individuals of critical intelligence, thoughtful citizenship and compassionate service with the Ethics for Sport Business course at its center. The course emphasizes relevant ethical issues in sport, focusing on areas such as sport media, sport ownership, fiduciary 14 Assumption College Magazine Spring 2015

3 sport students Taylor King 15, alex marshall 14, christiana Barela, Blake nold 14, chicago cubs executive assistant to the president/gm hayley dewitte, danielle driscoll 14 and ceo & executive director of The foundation To Be named Later allyce najimy at the cubs spring Training facility in mesa, az. PARAMOUNT TO THE PROGRAM IS FORGING INDIVIDUALS OF CRITICAL INTELLIGENCE, THOUGHTFUL CITIZENSHIP AND COMPASSIONATE SERVICE WITH THE ETHICS FOR SPORT BUSINESS COURSE AT ITS CENTER. students meet with mentors during arizona spring Training immersion experience in march. Assumption College Magazine Spring

4 and stewardship responsibilities in sport, and athlete behavior standards. Classwork examines the intersection of sports and gender as well as how sport, society and ethics are integrated. To that end, students are provided a framework for handling these issues in their careers. Recognizing Assumption s commitment to teaching ethics across the MBA curriculum, the sport management and leadership program focuses on ethical leadership and will enable its graduates to develop principled approaches to inspiring, influencing and guiding others in the sport business industry, Drouart said. In addition to the classroom work, the program also requires a hands-on internship. Through these internships, students gain comprehensive, foundational knowledge and resume-building practical experience by working in assigned consultant teams to solve problems faced by sport businesses. The students observe and analyze sport business culture; demonstrate the ability to conduct effective meetings; apply a structured process to solve sport-related business problems that optimize profit; incorporate principles from effective communication into work products; and integrate an ethic of integrity and fidelity into work processes. Sport business partners hosting internships for the academic year include The Base in Roxbury, MA, the New England Ruffnecks Baseball and New England Baseball Enterprises (NEBE) in Northborough, MA. In the fall, the students worked as a team to assist NEBE as it constructed three baseball fields. Our students collaborated with the NEBE leadership in a consultative relationship to assist them with a marketing strategy, gaining sponsorship, selling the product, daily event operations, longterm planning, etc. They also worked at an event with professional athletes at the TD Garden in Boston, coordinated by Allyce Najimy 86, said O Hara. The College s National Advisory Board for Sport Business Leadership is comprised of 10 members representing some of the leading sport organizations in the United States: Daniel Burger, strategic advisor, Ripken Baseball and board member of The Base Daniel Duquette executive vice president of baseball operations, Baltimore Orioles Brian Kelly 83, head football coach, University of Notre Dame Jason Kosow, chief financial officer, New England Baseball Operations Robert Lewis Jr., president and founder, The Base Josh Mora, program director of sports marketing and media, Full Sail University Allyce Najimy 86, executive director, The Foundation To Be Named Later in Boston and Chicago Thomas O Connor 68, former assistant vice president and athletics director, George Mason University, and member of the NCAA Division I Men s Basketball Championship Committee Jonathan Reinsdorf, (advisory committee chair) president, FroogaliT, and partner, Stonegate Alliance James Samuels, The Education Alliance In December, O Hara traveled with the students to Chicago for an immersion experience. There, they witnessed and analyzed the operations-side of game management of a Bulls basketball game and a Blackhawks hockey game at the United Center. Drouart said, Assumption MBA students learn the intricacies of sport business through direct, hands-on experience. The local, regional and national sport business communities play an integral part in many facets of our program and provide an experiential opportunity in which students apply, strengthen and extend the skills learned in the classroom setting. Through our immersion experiences, we ve connected with numerous successful professionals in the business, noted student Alex Marshall, who wishes to work in either player personnel or development with the NFL or NBA. Witnessing the operations of professional sports teams and events was an invaluable experience I will never forget. Assumption s program is unique in the way it approaches learning by doing or, experiential learning. This is not a standard internship, O Hara explained. It is a full-bodied, multi-dimensional experience that includes internship components such as mentorship and job shadowing, as well as direct engagement with professionals in a speaker series, and the constant exposure to expert practitioners. Students are required to engage with professionals on a daily or weekly basis to build a real network. This is 16 Assumption College Magazine Spring 2015

5 only possible because we have the best advisory board in the business. That 10-member National Advisory Board for Sport Business Leadership represents some of the leading sport organizations in the United States. The board members have each been instrumental in developing the program s curriculum, facilitating and shaping our practicum experiences, and establishing strong mentoring relationships for our students, said O Hara. Through them, we have the best connectivity and access to professionals who are motivated by wanting to give back. They understand that the industry needs the next generation of leaders in order to continue to have sport be a positive part of our society. Students worked as a team at several events last semester. I really enjoy that we work together, said student Danielle Driscoll, who aspires to become a chief of operations or a collegiatelevel athletics director. We all have unique skills to contribute, maximizing our time with our diverse talent and successfully completing tasks and projects. It s that passion and drive that draws students. Christiana Barela found what she was looking for in Assumption s ECT Sport Management MBA program after extensive research. I came from New Mexico to pursue a degree here, and I could not have asked for a better group of fellow students and faculty to navigate this with, she said. I am impressed with the way the faculty members care about us as students and truly have our success in mind. We have worked with amazing people, met with CEOs of various companies, talked to professional athletes; and attended immersion experiences, events and panels relative to our program. I feel so blessed to be a part of a program that is providing amazing opportunities that we would likely not have elsewhere. For any young college graduate looking to get involved in the sports industry including collegiate, amateur and professional sports and the retail industry we have a variety of opportunities to launch a career and contribute to society. I hope they will visit Assumption and see if our program is a good fit for them, said O Hara. Special session with Theo Epstein, Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations, and Connie Falcone, VP Community Affairs and Cubs Charities at the Arizona Spring Training immersion experience in March. SEE VIDEO of Allyce Najimy speaking about the Early Career Track MBA Sport Business & Leadership program at assumption.edu/magazine. Najimy 86 connects students with sports leaders The inspirational story of Jackie Robinson ignited a passion for sports in Allyce Najimy 86. The CEO of the Foundation to Be Named Later (FTBNL), she has facilitated networking opportunities and learning experiences for the graduate students in the College s new Sport Business and Leadership MBA program. As an advisory board member for the program, Najimy matches each student with a mentor from sports entities such as: ESPN, the Boston Red Sox, the Doug Flutie Foundation and Blue Sky Sports and Entertainment. Najimy has also introduced the students to sports journalist Peter Gammons, Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein and Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherrington, among others. If I am able to introduce them to athletes, journalists and sports industry professionals and they develop those relationships then the sky is the limit, she said. During spring break, Najimy arranged an immersive experience for the students with the Chicago White Sox and Cubs during Spring Training in Mesa, AZ. The students gained experience in customer service, ticket operations, baseball operations and community relations and sponsorships. Najimy worked with college and professional sports teams as well as a number of high-profile athletes from a variety of sports during her seven years as COO of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University. We took the values that sports promote and used them to teach leadership, to break down barriers and make a difference in society, she said. Najimy was asked by Epstein to run the FTBNL, created to capture the good will of fans and supporters and use it as a force for social change in the community. Today, Najimy is using her connections, experience and expertise to help educate and train the next generation of sport business leaders through Assumption s MBA program. Assumption College Magazine Spring