The HoST - Monthly CoHST Update — Niagara University CoHST

March’s Faculty Spotlight: Tom Burns

This year I was asked to serve as a Faculty Fellow in CoHST’s Sport and Recreation Management Program, and the transition to this new role has been incredibly rewarding for me.

The academic curriculum in the program is excellent, and it has been great to see the students recognize the basis of knowledge needed to work in sports. In an effort to complement traditional classroom learning, I have been able to leverage my network of contacts to secure speaking presentations from a number of high-level professionals in the world of sports. Students have heard from an ESPN producer, the president of Rich Baseball, the GMs of the Buffalo Bisons and Rochester Red Wings, the VP of digital for the Buffalo Sabres, and NU’s associate vice president for athletics, just to name a few. We even had the Arizona Diamondbacks manager, Torey Lovullo, call into a class and answer questions from students about the organizational culture within their organization.

Outside of the classroom, our students have access to incredible experiential opportunities. I’ll start with a recent trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl LIX. I was fortunate to travel with eight students selected to work on this immersion trip. The students worked long hours at the Super Bowl Experience (SBX) leading up to the game. Then, they worked for the team of people who organized the events outside the Superdome, ensuring a safe, orderly, and fun experience for thousands of fans attending the game. We were only there for a week, but it was great to see the development of the students over that short period. They grew as a team and tackled every task in front of them. I’m sure they will carry their Super Bowl trip experience and memories with them for a long time.

We have developed a partnership with the Kansas City Royals, where we brought six students to Arizona to work at MLB Spring Training. They learned what it takes to host a Major League team for Spring Training each year. They rotated through various positions, including promotions during the games, and created content for their social media channels.

It’s hard to believe my first full year of teaching will be coming to a close, and soon I will begin my 37th season of work with the Buffalo Bisons. I’ll miss seeing the students on campus, but will still get to interact with a number of them regularly - more than half a dozen NU students will be interning with the Bisons this summer. I can’t wait to see them at the ballpark.

Sincerely,

Tom Burns, Faculty Fellow