Dr. Chris Domes, Neumann’s president, rolled up his sleeves to serve Rita’s Italian Ice at a “celebrity scooper” spirit night on April 24 in Aston. Rita’s donated part of the proceeds to the Sport Management Senior Seminar project, an annual student-managed networking event with executives from local sports franchises.

Each spring semester the Sport Management seniors take a capstone course that is considered a workplace rather than a class. Students are referred to as associates and are given the opportunity to display the key skills in management, marketing, finance, and human resources that they have learned throughout the past three years at Neumann. Each student plays a role in planning and executing the networking event, which has grown to attract more than 100 alumni, current students, and professionals working in sports each year.

In recent years, students have met professionals in the sport industry from the Eagles, Union, Phillies, Flyers and 76ers at the event, as well as executives from the Wilmington Blue Rocks, National Lacrosse League, the PGA, NBC Sports, and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.

The seminar embodies Neumann’s educational approach of blending theory and practice to prepare students for the post-graduation marketplace. Currently, more than 85% of the university’s students complete an internship or field experience before they graduate.