Career Realization
I always knew I was going to work in sport, initially it was on the player development and injury management side, but I quickly realized that I was more interested in the organizational management aspect of the sport industry and education. Over time, it became clear to me that education was where I belonged; preparing future leaders for a meaningful and rewarding career in their area of interest.
Research
My dissertation combined finance and marketing concepts, so in class we can work on understanding the links between sponsorship fit and financial return back to the sponsor. Understanding how sport can help businesses achieve a financial return allows students to apply this to their future career.
Developing Student Networks
The best part of being an educator is watching students grow over time. I get to observe that growth over a course and how they start to understand and apply what they learn in class to what is happening around them and how this improves their own decision making. I also enjoy engaging with industry professionals and identifying opportunities for students to gain experience and start their careers.
Mount Union Difference
The individualized approach that students get to customize their education makes Mount Union unique. Their are many paths within the sport industry and students can augment their sport business classes to include many different career paths, whether that is marketing, finance, communication, coaching or something else. This really provides them the opportunity to create their own way forward, that doesn't exist everywhere. I like to think that my teaching style is participative, where students are engaged in discussion around the topics. The department has a problem solving component where students create solutions to problems they will likely face in the future. The discussions then allow the class to talk about various solutions and determine how they would respond in the future when facing a similar situation.