Full Court Press: Announcing the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management

An email announcing the creation of “The Center for Hospitality and Sport Management” last week may have come as a surprise and left some of us scratching our heads in confusion. After hearing from the new Center’s Program Director Jonathan Deutsch and Senior Vice Provost John DiNardo, many of those concerns can be put to rest.

As Sport Management majors, the changes are very minimal. Dave O’Brien will still lead us as Program Director, Mary Waechter will remain as the Program Assistant, our professors will be unchanged, our curriculum will stay the same, and we will be located in One Drexel Plaza. It’s certainly a relief to hear that this change isn’t as drastic as we anticipated, and it’s exciting to imagine what the future holds for our program.

 

By re-organizing the structure of Goodwin College, the outlook is strong for students in Sport Management. With the support of the University and Goodwin College, we were able to grow and develop throughout our first ten years. And now it’s our chance to look toward the future while strengthening our foundation as members of the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, reporting directly to the University Provost’s Office.

 

DiNardo, who chaired the yearlong committee discussions identifying this opportunity for our program, has faith that we can set an example for how different industries can coexist and work in unity. He believes “Drexel can be a leader in recognizing how programs can come together”. It has become evident that our programs have similarities and can utilize each other’s resources to establish more opportunities for students.

The only change for Sport Management involves Heather Blackburn’s promotion to Director of Administration and Student Services, in which she will oversee two additional advisors for the entire Center. Blackburn describes the benefits of being closely associated with the Provosts office as a chance for students to be noticed for their success. Blackburn says, “it’s exciting to be part of a positive change with people who are supporting you”.

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Hayley Zedeck is a Junior Sport Management major, with minors in TV Production and Communications, at Drexel University. She is originally from Nashua, New Hampshire. She has compled co-ops and internships with Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, WPHL-17 TV, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, and 97.5 The Fanatic. In her spare time, Hayley enjoys bike riding, playing intramural sports, watching movies, CrossFit, and coaching softball. You can follow Hayley on Twitter @BigLeagueDebut.

 Connect with Hayley Zedeck on LinkedIn.