April 2013 Volume 48 Number 3
BENEFITS OF MANAGING SPORTS TRAVEL
NACDA.COM
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Š Photo by About.com
April 2013 | Volume 48 | Number 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 8 16
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ASSOCIATION NEWS McLENDON UPDATE
18 20 22 24
STUDY ABROAD AND THE STUDENT-ATHLETE
30 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
GETTING TO KNOW: CHRISTIAN SPEARS, NAAC PRESIDENT
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE OF THE NACDA CONVENTION IMPORTANT BENEFITS OF MANAGING SPORTS TRAVEL CONVENTION PREVIEW GETTING TO KNOW: JOHN SUAREZ, I-AAA ADA PRESIDENT CABMA CORNER CEFMA CORNER COSIDA CORNER D2 ADA CORNER FCS ADA CORNER I-AAA ADA CORNER ICLA CORNER MOAA CORNER N4A CORNER NAAC CORNER NAADD CORNER NACMA CORNER NATYCAA CORNER SVG CORNER BOOK REVIEW UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS NACDA.COM
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Study Abroad and the Student-Athlete by: Erin Dengler, NACDA As student-athletes balance college life with training in their sport, there isn’t always time for other outside activities that the average student may be involved in. With study abroad opportunities popping up throughout campuses across the country, student-athletes are still considered an underrepresented group when it comes to taking their studies overseas. “One of the challenges student-athletes have with wanting to study abroad is that their day is just too busy to fit in extracurricular type activities,” said N4A President Elect and Associate Athletics Director for Student Services at Michigan State University (MSU) Jim Pignataro. Michigan State saw a need to improve this opportunity, creating the International Summer Sports Program. This program allows student-athletes, whether they are varsity, club or recreational, to attend classes, study, train and compete with Australians for five weeks in Australia. This program not only fosters international competition and cross-cultural understanding, but it’s a perfect opportunity for student athletes to study abroad without losing valuable training. “This program, offered in the summer, allows student-athletes to study abroad during a time of year when their sport or training is reduced. That’s why this program works,” Pignataro said. Developed in conjunction with Michigan State University’s Office of Study Abroad, the International Sports Program offers a unique educational opportunity for college student-athletes who have sports commitments. The program encourages student-athletes to compete and grow on every level: academically, athletically and culturally. In cooperation with the NCAA guidelines, student-athletes no longer have to sacrifice study abroad to keep pace with their athletics pursuits no matter the level of their competition.
Above photo: © Photo by Floridays | Right photo: © Photo by ComFi
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MICHIGAN STATE’S INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SPORTS PROGRAM In partnership with Education Abroad Network, MSU offers a unique educational opportunity for college students who consider themselves athletes or sports enthusiasts. The program defines “college athlete” as anyone who currently participates on any sanctioned university intramural sports team, any varsity student-athlete (scholarship/walk-on) or any sports enthusiast who competed in sports at the high school level. The program offers a solid rigorous academic program together with high-level sports training and an opportunity for integration with local Australians. Students attend classes, study, train and compete with Australians for five weeks in Australia. The program concludes in the tropical north in Cairns where students spend one day at the Great Barrier Reef and snorkel/dive to view thousands of tropical fish and corals. Students gain an insight into the elite coaching methods of the NSW (New South Wales) Institute of Sport and undergo a series of individual testing and training methods. Skills/physical training take place two to three times per week, under the guidance of a head coach and/or involve local Australian coaches. Students are housed in Bondi Junction, a suburb of Sydney, and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of cultural events and excursions. THE CONCEPT The program concept came from research Russ Alexander, formerly of Macquarie University in Australia, was conducting regarding
underrepresented groups in study abroad. Student-athletes were identified as one of these cohorts. After approaching the Australian elite sports institutes, Macquarie University had initial interest in hosting such a program. The identification of MSU as the lead institution was a combination of a number of factors. The solid working relationship with John Hudzik (former Dean of International Studies and Programs at MSU) on other Australian initiatives, the high profile role that study abroad had on the MSU campus including MSU’s reputation for leading the national outbound figures and the membership of the Big 10 sporting conference, a high profile conference with athletics programs that are highly regarded. Russ Alexander came to MSU to meet with various people and departments at MSU. MSU was very interested in this type of program and began the work to have this program approved to run for the first group of students to participate in 2005. The target audience for this program is: players of NCAA sports, club sports (e.g. Rugby), independent athletes not affiliated with a particular team, those participating in sport sciences/sport coaching. This program was put in the CIC Study Abroad pool of programs so any of the Big 10 universities can participate. So far, only Minnesota has participated in the program, but the MSU athletics administration is hoping to expand participation to all Big 10 universities and ultimately funnel the program though Michigan State. Since its inception, the International Summer Sports Program has had nearly 200 student-athletes take part.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING A typical week in the International Sports Summer program consists of morning classes, followed by afternoon training sessions, with access to some of the best facilities and coaches in the world. On Fridays and Saturdays, the student-athletes have field trip opportunities to explore Australia, and Sundays are off days. “You’re able to go abroad, take classes, do the field trips and experience Sydney and not miss out on the training you’re supposed to be doing over the summer that makes you an athlete,” said Sean Wiseman, a member of the Spartans’ club crew team. The participants have access to the 2000 Olympics training site, as well as Olympic coaches. The program has a significant educational component to it, but also allows students-athletes to keep up with their training. All classes are Michigan State classes, geared toward any major and can be used toward graduation credit. Any students who are not Michigan State students can take the classes and transfer the credit to their institution. In addition, Michigan State offers 10 stipends per year for its student-athletes to take advantage of this opportunity. There are also scholarship options, as scholarship student-athletes can use their athletics scholarships for the program as well. MSU is also granted $20,000 per year for the student-athlete opportunity fund through the NCAA that can be used for the International Sports Summer Program. Through opportunities like these, it is the hope that the International Sports Program will continue to grow and provide important opportunities for student-athletes everywhere. At Michigan State, there has been very little resistance in student-athletes studying abroad, specifically from coaches, although the program tends to attract non-traditional student-athletes and is more popular among Olympic sport athletes like swimming, rowing and tennis. BENEFITS OF STUDY ABROAD The benefits of student-athlete study abroad is more than just seeing another part of the world and experiencing things that cannot be found on campus, but also enhancing the overall student-athlete experience, which in turn can foster a deeper connectivity to the university and provide leadership opportunities. “Our Study
Abroad Office seeks to partner with many MSU campus departments, and to have the opportunity to build a program with Intercollegiate Athletics has enriched our offerings. This innovative relationship demonstrates what the power of collaboration can do to enrich students’ lives,” said Sandy Tupper, study abroad coordinator at MSU. The challenge to these experiences is education: educating the coaches, administration, fellow student-athletes, etc. If there is push back from one group, or person, it can affect the entire program. Pignataro and the student-athlete services team at Michigan State, along with the study abroad office, hope to change the culture of student-athlete study abroad, and ultimately change the anecdote that student-athletes don’t have time to study abroad, when in fact, they can not only train in state-of-the-art facilities with world class coaches, while working toward graduation credit, but can also become leaders in their sport and have an enhanced student-athlete experience. “We are always looking for ways to enhance the student-athlete experience,” Pignataro said. “Being involved in the development of a study abroad program in Australia where our student-athletes have an opportunity to earn academic credit and train in an Olympic training facility has been very rewarding.” With all the benefits involved in study-abroad programs, the pioneers at Michigan State are cautiously optimistic that this trend will catch on for student-athletes at all divisions of intercollegiate athletics. A future goal of the sports program is to increase student numbers so it can offer a larger selection of courses and add more sporting options for the participants. It is important to create access to opportunities for student-athletes so they do not fall behind the traditional student, specifically when it comes to global understanding. “We are hopeful to change the culture of student-athletes studying abroad and add an additional benefit to the entire student-athlete experience,” Pignataro said. “We hope other institutions will commit to and understand the importance of sending student-athletes overseas to attend classes, study and train all in one program.” NACDA.COM
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Student Perspective of the NACDA Convention by: Nick Batista, NACDA Intern Even in high school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in intercollegiate athletics. For many young aspiring athletics administrators like me, the question was how to get into the industry. As a sophomore at the University of Montana, I began looking for ways to get involved in athletics, even if it was just getting my feet wet in the industry. After talking with one of my college professors, she suggested contacting Christie Anderson, assistant athletics director of marketing and promotions, about possible internship or volunteer opportunities. Meeting Anderson was exactly what I needed to help kick start my career. GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR After accepting the undergraduate marketing internship with the University of Montana athletics department, I immediately began my pursuit in becoming an athletics administrator. I spent two years coordinating and directing in-game promotions for all Grizzlies varsity sports teams. Eventually, I wanted experience in other areas of the athletics department and began working as a budget analyst in the athletics business office under Assistant Athletics Director for Business and Finance James Gibson. One of the perks of working in the athletics department at Montana, was a free student membership to NACMA. As a student member of NACMA, I
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had access to all NACMA had to offer, from their Online Library, which is constantly updated with institutional best practices from around the country, to live chats with some of the best marketers in the industry. I saw first-hand how best practices enhanced their departments and helped provide top notch entertainment for fans across the country. This exposure to the industry really energized me to continue to grow as a professional in the industry. Leading up to graduation, I thought about the opportunities a postgraduate internship could provide me in my pursuit of a career in athletics, and the more people I talked to, the more confident I was that a good postgraduate internship experience would be my foot in the door. At first, I didn’t realize that most people in the industry do some sort of volunteer, internship or graduate assistant work after their college degrees are said and done. I knew this was exactly what I needed to do, but I had no idea what I was in for. As a two-year NACMA student member, I understood what NACDA had to offer and the role it played in the industry. NACDA was an organization that I knew offered a prestigious internship and was well known across the intercollegiate athletics landscape. An internship opportunity with NACDA would be a great opportunity to gain experience and
network with hundreds of professionals across the country. After applying for the NACDA internship and patiently waiting for several weeks, I was offered one of four internships at NACDA headquarters in Cleveland. I would be shipping off from my home state of Montana, to spend a year in northern Ohio, a state I had never been to. I’d be housed with three other strangers (fellow interns), as we worked, lived and navigated our way through Cleveland … a season of MTV’s Real World comes to mind. As excited as I was for this upcoming adventure, I had other things I needed to focus on, like graduation and hopefully attending the NACDA Convention, which had been a dream of mine since joining NACMA two years prior. With my student membership, I not only had opportunities to increase my network and learn the ways of the industry, but opportunities for stipends and scholarships to attend the Convention. I decided to take full advantage of these opportunities — which I’m glad I did, as I was selected as a NACMA student stipend winner along with several other young professionals looking to break into the industry. The student stipend covered my registration fee, travel and room for the Convention, but any other incurred costs ended up being trivial with the amount of networking and experience I gained in
Dallas last year. The student stipend program is a great way for students to attend Convention and gain more exposure to the people that could potentially be hiring them. As a past recipient I would highly recommend applying for any of the stipends that NACDA and its Affiliates offer in your interested field. The Convention is an extraordinary event that provides incredible opportunities to learn best practices, and most importantly an endless supply of industry professionals.
WHAT TO EXPECT AS A STUDENT AT CONVENTION As a first time attendee at the NACDA & Affiliates Convention week, it was extremely overwhelming because of the sheer number of people in attendance. Put this out of your mind, and focus on why you are there: to meet people and learn, and in that case, the more people the better — and the NACDA Convention did not disappoint. The Convention offers many top notch tracks and sessions that expand across all different aspects of intercollegiate athletics which makes it almost impossible to not come out of Convention with a brain full of ideas. Going into Convention, my goal was to attend anything and everything and to meet as many people in the industry as possible. I knew attendees ranged from students and interns all the way up to athletics directors. As a student at the Convention, the amount of access I had to the top marketing people in the industry was incredible. My first day at NACMA Basic Training, I remember meeting people like Brian Hicks, associate athletics director for marketing at Xavier University, and Eric Nichols, assistant athletics director for marketing at the University of South Carolina, who both are in positions I strive to be in one day. ADVICE FROM A FIRST-TIME ATTENDEE The industry leaders continued to stress the
importance of what it takes to be successful in this industry. My advice for first time attendees would be to meet as many people, and ask as many questions as possible. The great thing about being a student and attending Basic Training is everything is relevant to you. They want to help you learn and want you to be successful. The panel sessions that the Board of Directors coordinate are informative discussions that help young professionals establish themselves in the industry. The panel sessions are used to help guide students and entry level attendees on trending topics in the industry or how to position themselves to be successful once you have accepted your first job. If you set out to do one thing at Convention, make sure you introduce and get to know as many people as you can. Whether you work in marketing, compliance, student services, etc. there is a place for you at Convention. Getting your name and your brand out to people will help you make a name for yourself and will potentially help you get that first job in college athletics. Don’t just go person to person collecting business cards, but rather get to know the individual and put a face to every card you collect. TAKE IT ALL IN Convention can be a place where you meet your future boss; it can also be a place that helps your athletics department implement a new social media idea through the tools you learn. Whether you are from a Division III institution or a Division I institution, there are endless options and opportunities. From my experience at Convention, I gained a better understanding of how things differ from division to division. Although you may think you have an idea on the division you want to work for, sometimes plans change and other opportunities can arise. Attending Convention also gave me the rare opportunity to
attend Convention before I started my NACDA internship. I was able to meet everyone I would be working with, and gain a better understanding of what NACDA does to prepare for their Convention every year. This information was invaluable to me as I started my internship. I would no longer be sitting in on live chats and searching the Online Library for best practices, but instead running the live chats and posting information to the Online Library. My student membership with NACMA was about to come full circle as I took on the NACMA internship at the NACDA office. In addition to my opportunities with NACMA, I also work directly with our business association, CABMA, and our Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) program. CONCLUSION At my first NACDA & Affiliates Convention week, my expectations were exceeded. Going into it, I knew I would meet a lot of great people and bring back lots of great information. I was not expecting to take away so many great ideas that I can use throughout my entire career. I can only hope that all Young Professionals that attend Convention will maximize their opportunities in meeting as many people as possible and staying connected with the people they meet at Convention. Being the NACMA intern has provided me a great experience and has allowed me to work with successful athletics administrators on a daily basis. I am a firm believer that to be the best you need to learn from the best. At NACDA, I know that I am learning from the best in the industry day in and day out. Looking into the future, I hope to be able to translate everything I have learned through Convention and interning at NACDA to a long and successful career in intercollegiate athletics, all of which started as an undergrad volunteer and intern at Montana.
Photos: © Photo by NACDA
NACDA.COM
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Important Benefits of Managing Sports Travel by: Erin Dengler, NACDA Managing travel for a collegiate athletics program can be both exciting and challenging. The travel manager may be “housed” in a number of divisions within the collegiate setting, such as university central administration or the athletics departments of finance, administrative or event management. In many collegiate programs still, team travel is handled by the coach, trainer, administrative assistant or even a graduate assistant, none of whom have travel backgrounds or education. This individual serves as the critical link between travel suppliers (commercial and charter air, hotel, charter buses, rental cars) and travelers (athletes, coaches, administrators, donors, fans and key stakeholders) and is often responsible for millions of dollars. The median travel budget for a DI FBS institution in 2012 was $3.4 million and right at $1 million for FCS. The travel manager’s role should be to find the logical balance between traveler safety and the prudent use of institution dollars with the desire to win. To a large degree, the current economic state has forced many university and conference administrators to explore more cost effective models. After grants-in-aid and salaries, travel is the third largest line item in the typical DI institution budget and thus can be the most targeted for cost saving measures. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) defines managed travel as a disciplined approach to manage processes, suppliers and data for transient and group travel spending. This approach strives to achieve measurable results and deliver value in the form of quantitative cost-savings, risk mitigation and achievement of business objectives. Since 2009, GBTA has sponsored a Sports Committee with the goal of bringing together travel professionals in the sports industry all faced with unique challenges related to all phases of travel. Special focus is given to establishing commonalities facing sport travel managers in both amateur and professional sport organizations. According to Ed Goble, the chief operating officer of the University of Texas athletics department, “the real success of the GBTA Sports Committee is that we have gotten travel industry suppliers to recognize sports travel as a viable, profitable and huge market that has been neglected. Suppliers are now making adjustments to better accommodate sports teams … from hotels, to airlines, land transportation companies … and even TSA is making changes in how teams are handled by airport security.” Kevin Maguire, the GBTA Sports Committee Chair and vice president of the GBTA Board of Directors, shares four key areas that collegiate business managers and sport travel managers can no longer ignore:
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Cost avoidance is an “apples to apples” comparison and takes into consideration that travel programs growth and spending may increase. It is different than cost savings, the actual dollar difference between current year and previous year. Cost avoidance measures the ability to get $200 worth of travel out of $150 spent and does not mean decreased service levels. Industry statistics show that cost avoidance measurement “begins” at 10-15 percent, and percentages of avoidance will vary with the size of the program and the destinations involved. The key to a successful managed travel program and avoiding cost is in how effective and enforceable the travel policy is. Unless the university CFO and athletics director(s) mandate the use of specific suppliers and enforce adherence to the policy, the compliance of the coaches and others is unlikely to change. Mandating preferred carriers is not necessary, but requests to support preferred programs often deliver the market share expectations airlines are looking for. Risk management is often neglected in sports travel programs, and usually the definition of “risk management” needs to be clarified. Risk management is not simply imposing safety and security measures. It is a complete analysis of all potential risks, processes, policies and standard operating procedures. For example, “What happens when a traveler doesn’t get his itinerary or his reservation is lost? How is that risk handled?” Or, has significant due-diligence been done on suppliers for safety and financial stability? Do we have the ability to track passengers in the event of an emergency? Additionally, travel managers should work collectively with government agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration and Homeland Security, to identify shortcomings to the U.S. economy and businesses, and support all efforts to ensure the safety of the travelers. Risk management continues to be a major issue for travel suppliers and they must carry the appropriate insurance and have proper security. Collective buying is an often misunderstood and misrepresented concept. However, it is a growing force in corporate travel management and it works very successfully if done correctly. Collective buying works when buyers bring a viable product to a supplier, e.g. hotel rooms, airline seats, bus trips, etc. and work with the supplier so every buyer receives a better rate and service structure as a collective group member than if they had negotiated independently. Buyers leverage the collective volume for better rates; however, it does not mean every buyer member gets the same rate, service requirements, etc. or that there is one umbrella contract.
In the past, collective buying has not worked because it was structured incorrectly and the antiquated idea that coaches simply will not change habits or suppliers based on the historical patterns or superstition has limited worth now. With cost avoidance and risk management being the focal points, collective buying does not prevent a coach’s “preferred supplier” from being part of the mix. This strategic practice has led to discounted pricing options and better service levels provided to all of the schools and teams. A collective umbrella of schools in a conference, a region or even in an organization like the NCAA can greatly increase buying power, while maintaining their independence. It is no secret that sports brings considerable economic benefits to the hospitality community. The hotel, airline, ground transportation, food and beverage, retail and other service businesses generate
guidelines suggested by the Olympic Committee in London. We have to get rational or events will price themselves out of the general publics acceptable price range. This allowed hotels to honor their long-term contracts maintaining strong partnerships with key stakeholders. Maguire went on to state, “In today’s environment, it is critical — now more than ever — that sports travel professionals share best practices in travel management and collegiate business managers create an effective, enforceable travel policy reflective of the university’s culture and business objectives and focused on cost reduction and mitigating risk.” CABMA has partnered with GBTA to bring you this full-day workshop to share effective best business practices in navigating the ever-changing waters of the travel and hospitality industry. The pre-conference workshop, sponsored by Anthony Travel and
significant revenues in the destination where they are taking place. Collegiate sport teams bring games to a city; games bring fans; fans bring dollars that benefit the suppliers and the community. Yet, the teams, the event sponsors and their fans are penalized by suppliers who have done little or nothing to bring the event to a specific location. Because event pricing is an increasing concern, the sports organization must communicate the long-term benefit to providing competitive pricing to drive repeat business to the properties. Price gouging in the short term (to the very sports organizations driving the event) will not result in long-term benefits for suppliers. Inflated pricing for events is a problem not only for sport teams but for organizers of concerts, traveling entertainment shows, conventions and others. During the 2012 London Olympics, the city used an effective model whereby hotels set aside a percentage of their room blocks for previously contracted travel from local and local buyers, and then agreed to sell the remaining rooms under rate
Doubletree Hotels, will be offered June 9-10, at the World Center Marriott Resort. Learning objectives for the session include: � Recognize the value of a consolidated travel program � Discover the basics of the vital travel policy � Develop a strategy to optimize the value of your travel vendor partnerships � Use data to measure and report on your travel program’s performance Join the conversation, hear from subject matter experts, take away tangible tools to drive efficiencies within your program and explore best practices in sports travel management. Register today at http://www.nacda.com/convention/nacda-convention. html. Registration is limited to 75 attendees so be sure to register right away! For additional information regarding the workshop, please contact academy@gbta.org or call +1-703-684-0836. NACDA.COM
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NCCA | CORNER by: Lindsey McDonnell As the NCAA strives to reduce the size of the manual, eliminate rules that are unenforceable or incon sequential and implement a new regulatory culture, compliance administrators are scrambling to protect against unintended consequences and update campus policies and procedures. With information available 24 hours a day on social media sites and seemingly endless updates through listservs, the burden of managing the change may seem insurmountable. While change is constant, so too is the value of developing relationships and sharing face time with colleagues. There is no better place, and no better time, to network and share ideas than at the 2013 NAAC Convention in Orlando, Fla., on June 12-13. Quite simply, this year’s Convention — its attendees, speakers and diverse programming — is the most effective way to prepare and improve your compliance office, and advance integrity on your campus. The People On the first day of the 2013 NAAC Convention, guests will be treated to a keynote address by bestselling author and former student-athlete Jon Gordon. Gordon’s message about building positive relationships will be echoed throughout the Convention. This will be obvious on Wednesday evening when all NAAC guests are invited to a complementary Welcome Reception. Nearly 300 compliance professionals will share food, drinks, tips, anecdotes and business cards. Individuals who wish to be more involved in our Association will have the opportunity to meet board members, committee members and presenters. Are you interested in purchasing compliance software? Convention sponsors will be available through out the Convention in both formal and informal settings to introduce themselves and demonstrate the most up-to-date compliance solutions. New NAAC members can register to attend the off-site “New Member and New Professional” dinner outing, which will take place after the Welcome Reception. What better way to advance your career than by meeting a mentor?
The Program The only thing that rivals the quality of the people you will meet at the 2013 Convention is the quality of the information that you will take back to your campus. NAAC is committed to providing its members with practical applications of legislation and best practices for compliance offices. Four general sessions will be dedicated to issues that impact all levels and divisions of the NCAA. Speakers will include compliance professionals, athletics directors, members of the Division I Rules Working Group, NCAA staff members and outside consultants. Nine breakout sessions will provide the opportunity for leaders in our field to share a behind the scenes look at how they are preparing for the change on their own campuses. Presenters will share specific information that you will be able to put into use immediately upon returning to your campus. To learn more about specific sessions and presenters, visit www.nacda.com and view the Convention agenda. The Process The 2013 NAAC Convention is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to advance your campus operations and your career. Register now at www.nacda.com. Scholarship opportunities are available to first-time attendees. I look forward to seeing you on June 12, in Orlando! Lindsey McDonnell is the Director of Compliance Certification, NAAC.
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