“To prepare them, I urge them to take any kind of experience they can get,” said Assistant Professor of Sports Management David Perricone. Prior to teaching at Centenary, Perricone climbed the managerial ladder of the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils organization. Throughout his 14 years with the team, he worked his way from being a staff assistant to the Senior Director of Merchandise.
College Sports Management Association (SMA). “I wanted to get students involved, but I wanted them to lead the charge,” he said. “I told them that it’s an organization ‘for and about you guys.’” While Perricone arranges guest speakers such as Meadowlands and Metlife Stadium executives, SMA students organize sports-related events and fundraisers. “They devise the plans and I let them run with it.”
To get his “foot in the door,” Perricone underwent an internship with a professional baseball organization, the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as one with the New Jersey Devils, all while majoring in Sports Management at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pa. “Most students come in wanting to be a [General Manager], owner or agent,” he said. “I want them to learn through experience and that the industry offers many more opportunities.”
Through SMA, students have organized charitysporting events, rallied their peers for “White-Out” games in support of Centenary athletic teams and participated in many community service programs. Buono, who is also the General Manager of SMA, says that although she and her peers are doing the legwork, Perricone is making it all possible from the sideline. “The first thing he told us when we started was, ‘If you want to do something, we will make it happen — whatever and whenever,’” she said.
Kira Buono ’12, a Marketing and Sports Management major, credits multiple internships as her greatest experiences as a Centenary student. Talking about her time as an intern for the 2011 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship East Regional at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. “This is something on my resume that clearly stands out and I will have stories to last a lifetime about how great my time with the NCAA was.”
According to Perricone, through these experiences, students are gaining an industry necessity — networking. As Centenary continues to provide the industry with outstanding interns, he says that current students are opening doors for those who follow. He laughed, “I always tell them when making contacts to ask for two business cards; one for them and one for me.”
In addition to urging his students to intern, Perricone created an extracurricular organization for them to exercise their skills, the Centenary
“The first thing he told us when we started was, ‘If you want to do something, we will make it happen — whatever and whenever.’” Kira Buono ’12, Marketing and Sports Management major
To hear more about Kira’s experiences at Centenary, visit alumni. centenarycollege.edu and click on the video.
Career Services Newsletter Keeping You Up-to-Date Centenary College’s state-of-the-art Career Center continues to prove its worth as a vital tool for students and alumni. According to Coordinator of Career Services Dorian Alu, they are tapping into the benefits of having a Career Center right on campus. To increase awareness, Career Services is now distributing a periodical newsletter displaying the benefits of the Center. “At the Career Center, communication is key,” said Alu. “Informing the College community about career fairs, work-study program advancements and the importance of an online presence increases our visibility with all Centenarians. We enjoy getting the word out that the Career Center is multi-faceted, committed to excellence and here for you.”
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