Symposium To Explore Sports Business Careers

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (March 22, 2006)—Penn State's director of athletics will join a representative from the PGA Tour and sporting-event sponsorship and marketing executives next week at Smeal to discuss with students how to leverage their business degrees in the world of athletics.

The inaugural "Penn State Smeal College of Business Sports Symposium" will get underway at 10 a.m. on March 31 in the Business Building auditorium with a panel discussion to explore career options in sports that are available to business students in a variety of disciplines.

"Sports and athletic events are big business in the United States and around the world," said Douglas Wilber, a second-year Smeal MBA student who is organizing the symposium with Smeal MBA Career Services. "This event will expose Smeal students to that sector of the economy and give them insight into starting their own careers in this multibillion-dollar industry."

The participants will discuss the current state of the sports industry and examine how sponsors maximize their return on investment. They'll also meet in small groups with MBA students to offer personal advice about pursuing a career in sports.

Wilber hopes the symposium will become an annual event at Smeal that brings together potential employers with a pool of interested job candidates, while broadening the educational experience of Smeal students.

This year's panelists are:

Tim Curley , director of athletics, Penn State

Mike Felici , general manager, Learfield Sports

Harry Hall , marketing manager, Dupont Refinish Americas

Mike Stevens , vice president, PGA Tour

Rob Rutz, vice president and director of client and community relations, PNC Bank

Hall manages Jeff Gordon's Dupont NASCAR sponsorship and Rutz handles PNC's relationship with Penn State athletics.

The panel discussion is open to all Smeal students, regardless of year or course of study.