Athletics, Sport Management Work Together To Further University Mission

The BGSU Athletics Department has had a long history of supporting the mission and values of Bowling Green State University. The administration often looks for ways to reach out across campus to help with the admission and retention goals of the University. One particular event this fall showed that commitment through a "preview day" with the sport management school.

BGSU's sport management program is one of the largest, oldest and most diverse in the country, with the program dating back to 1980. Students in the program have had the opportunity to volunteer at the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, the NHL All-Star Game and the Final Four. The Sport Management Alliance on campus is extremely active and the department has a large alumni base across the country.

As the sport management program began looking at unique ways to recruit students that other Universities weren't doing, they proposed an idea to BGSU Athletics Director Chris Kingston. The idea was to invite the program's highest-achieving recruits to campus and allow them to job shadow at a home BGSU football game.

"We thought we'd offer them a unique opportunity," Associate Professor Dr. Amanda Paule-Koba said. "We wanted to give them an idea of what it is like to work in college athletics."

The Athletics Department immediately came on board with full support. Kathleen Lawry, a marketing communications specialist for the University, created invitations that looked like all-access passes. The sport management program invited out-of-state students and high-achieving students and asked them to choose the area they would most like to job shadow – from a variety of options that including event management, marketing and media relations among others.

In total, 13 students took advantage of the opportunity to attend the Oct. 18 football game against Western Michigan and get their feet wet in the world of college athletics. The event was a hit.

"We've had very positive feedback," Lawry said. "They were very complimentary of us trying something like this. It confirmed for those students that they wanted to come to BG. Having access to a Division I program that is willing to collaborate is tremendous and the field experience is huge."

For sport management recruits, it was a chance to see how closely they can get involved in Division I athletics at BGSU. The Athletics Department provides hands-on experience for students in almost every area. And the sport management program provides a large percentage of those students.

"At BGSU, our Athletics Department has a responsibility to further the mission of the University," Senior Associate Athletics Director Kit Hughes said. "The partnerships we have with our sport management program, as well as many other areas across campus, are crucial to support the future of Bowling Green State University."

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