ENGAGEMENT WITH INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO DRIVE GRADUATE PROGRAM

Turning the page towards 2023, we can reflect with gratitude on an action-packed, celebratory semester for our MBA/MS graduate programs.

Arriving this past fall was a diverse and talented student cohort, who continue to set a brisk pace in and outside of the classroom. The collective group is made up of over 50 percent women for the second consecutive year, with students of color making up 35 percent of our cohort. We are proud of these trends and the intentional design changes we have made to ensure we create a diverse and inclusive academic environment for future leaders of the sports industry.

The fall 2022 semester started with a well-deserved bang, as SportBusiness bestowed upon us the #1 global ranking for our storied graduate program. Across more than 40 measurement metrics, McCormack was at the top of the class in quality of faculty, exit salary, femaleto-male student ratio, financial assistantships, and job placement. This ranking is a function of our amazing “McCormack Family” and a distinct source of pride in the halls of Isenberg!

A return to normalcy brought back certain staples of our graduate student experience, chief among them our fall New York City professional development trip. In early November, McCormack master’s students were hosted and educated by alums at Octagon, Major League Soccer (MLS), and Excel Sports Management, followed by a networking happy hour in Manhattan.

The rise of women’s sports, MLS’s recent media rights deal with Apple, and the challenges of athlete representation were themes covered throughout the day. Special thanks to alumni Chrissy Franklin, Noah Kolodny, Josh Neier, Brody Mankus, Preetam Sen, and Brett Estrella for making this trip a success.

Turning towards spring, we are excited about the ambitious and unprecedented lineup of programming we have in place, complete with MBA Practicum Consulting projects with CONCACAF, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Ones Basketball League, and the launch of an international sport business immersion trip to London during spring break in March!

This inaugural trip will leverage the full weight of both our alumni base and IMG’s McCormack legacy in the United Kingdom and is designed around tours and strategy sessions at Wimbledon, F1, London Olympic Park, Premier League Productions, Lord’s Cricket Grounds, and the FA. Coming off the buzz of an exciting World Cup, the group will also attend multiple football matches covering the EPL, UCL, and Women’s Super League. This trip will challenge students to expand their sport management knowledge base and observe how international sporting ecosystems operate, thus bolstering their academic experience and aiding our program both in terms of recruitment and industry relations.

Lastly, we look forward to returning to the National Sports Forum’s Case Cup Competition in Los Angeles this February to defend our title! We have a wonderful team selected and look forward to liaising with any alumni in attendance.

Be sure to follow along with the department’s activity on our recently launched and actively updated LinkedIn page, and join our LinkedIn alumni group for job leads. I would love to connect with fellow alums who wish to get in contact and engage with the department.

Will Norton Graduate Program Director