It’s who – and what – you know.
Support our sport management students
on their road to building networks and scoring jobs.
NIU’s Sport Management Experiential Learning Opportunities Fund serves to put our students “in the game” – transporting and exposing them to sport-centered cities where they can see their future career possibilities in action and meet the right people.
In the process, these students gain a better and more thorough understanding of the sport industry and its job market.
They can demonstrate their ability to transfer skills learned in the classroom to applicable situations in the sport environment. They can network with current professionals (many of whom are in hiring positions) and attend conferences, learning in the moment how such experiences foster development of skills and careers and make them more competitive to employers.
Why is this important?
First, the experiential learning opportunities we provide allow our students access to employment in their fields of interest.
NIU Sport Management is establishing itself as the educational leader not only in the Chicagoland area but in the state and region as well; some of our previous road trips have taken our students for behind-the-scenes looks at operations of the NCAA, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Purdue University’s athletic and recreational sport facilities.
Ultimately, our vision for the Sport Management Experiential Learning Fund is to establish an endowed fund that will support future students of NIU’s Sport Management program for years to come.
How will your generosity advance this cause?
The goal of $4,000 will promote continued success of our students and programs by covering costs of transportation, food, lodging, registration and other entrance fees.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack! The sport management discipline offers many potential conference opportunities for our students. A gift of $10 will help cover food or snacks for at a conference for a sport management student.
Double down on some NIU pride! What better way to rep NIU than with some swag! Your $25 gift will help cover apparel, including an embroidered NIU Sport Management polo, to be able to professionally represent NIU at networking/professional development events.
Hit the road, Jack! Help provide access for a sport management student to attend a career fair and professional networking panel! Your $50 gift will help cover registration and transportation to a panel networking discussion and career fair with an organization such as the Chicago Bulls.
You’ll hit it out of the park with your $100 gift! Your gift will cover a student conference registration fee at conferences such as the Applied Sport Management Conference or the College Sport Research Institute Conference.
WOW! Your gift of $250 will get fans on their feet! Your gift will help provide air travel to or lodging at an academic or professional development conference for a sport management student.
You’re a walk-off hero! Wooohooo, enjoy that standing ovation! Your $500 gift can have a lasting impact for a sport management student. This gift can help sponsor an experiential learning opportunity for sport management students. Whether it is funding a professional conference, helping organize a student career fair or planning a professional networking panel, you have really made a difference!