SEM students, faculty make strong showing at state convention

​The 67th annual North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport Management (NCAAHPERD-SM) Convention had a distinctly Elon University flavor, thanks in large part to the participation—and celebration—of several sport and event management majors and faculty members.

For her winning submission in the convention’s video resume competition, Sophie Kane ’17 was named North Carolina Sport Management Coalition Undergraduate Student of Year. Kane’s four-minute entry, available here, details her interest in athletics and sport management, professional experience and current internship with the Iron Dukes, the fundraising arm for Duke University athletics. Jeremy Recoon ’16 was the runner-up in the resume contest.

In recognition of their educational and professional successes, Taylor Barclay ’15  and Kelly Siewers ’17 were both presented with college scholarships. Barclay received the June P. Galloway Undergraduate Scholarship and Siewers was awarded the NCAIAW Undergraduate Scholarship.

In addition to her award, Siewers co-presented with Associate Professor Tony Weaver during the convention’s college sport thematic poster session. The duo’s topic, “Uncovering the Rationale: A Document Analysis of Reclassifications to Division I,” examined the reasons behind why Division II/III schools reclassified their athletic departments to Division I.

​The NC Sport Management Coalition Awards also recognized Weaver as its Sport Management Educator of the Year. Several Elon faculty members led presentations at the convention. For a complete listing of the faculty’s lectures and a description of their topics, see below.

​A group of five sport and event management students also competed in a case challenge competition, provided by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Jess Buller ’16, Katharine Mann ’17, Douglas Williams ’16, Hailey Winter ’17 and Kane were one of eight teams from six universities participating in the case study, which attempted to explore ways to expand the ACC’s database with accurate and relevant data.

SEM students and faculty weren’t the only Elon representatives in attendance. Ben Tario G’12, associate commissioner of multimedia, business development and legal affairs for the Atlantic Coast Conference, joined a four-person panel discussion addressing his professional experiences, current role, and issues in the industry. He also served as a judge for the case challenge competition.

The organization’s convention was hosted Oct. 29-31 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem.

Faculty Presentations

“Through the Kaleidoscope: Differences in the Career Needs of NCAA Division I Male and Female Head Coaches”
Shaina Dabbs, Assistant Professor
The Kaleidoscope Career Model is used to help explain employees’ career choices. This research investigated differences in the career needs of NCAA D-I head coaches.

“Bring Your Dreams to Life; Teaching What You Love!!”
Mark Cryan, Assistant Professor
The author will describe his experience in combining his personal interest in baseball in the Dominican Republic with his institution’s desire for study abroad experiences.

“Entrepreneurship in Sport Management”
Craig Schmitt, Assistant Professor
How do we stimulate an entrepreneurial mindset in our students? Entrepreneurship and characteristics of an entrepreneur will be discussed, along with future research considerations.

“Creating an Effective Internship Program”
Hal Walker, Associate Professor, Chair of the Sport and Event Management Department
Internships are perhaps the single most important activity that undergraduate sport management students complete. Learn how to best prepare yourself for your internship.

About NCAAHPERD-SM

The North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport Management (NCAAHPERD-SM) is one of the oldest professional associations in North Carolina dedicated to the advancement of research and education within the fields of athletics, health, physical education, recreation, dance and sport management.