Graduating students Mike Levine ('09) and Keller Taylor ('09) present the Class of 2009 gift of $16,000 to Gary Neiman and Jim Kahler ('81). From left to right: Neiman, Levine, Taylor, and Kahler.
by Taylor Wood, Class of 2010 President
The 2009 Ohio University Sports Administration Symposium was blessed with wonderful weather, plenty of active alumni, and a great atmosphere for personal and professional development. For the very first time, the weekend started on a Thursday with the five-year panel from the class of 2004, including Jeff Handler (GMR Marketing), Jim Harris (Indiana University), Lori Ruane (NCAA), Jennifer Surgalski (Miami Dolphins), Chad Swofford (Raycom Sports). These recent graduates shared stories about the start of their careers, where they see their next steps, and some of their best stories from Athens. The night ended with an excellent speech on the current state of intercollegiate athletics from the Duke University Director of Athletics, Dr. Kevin White.
Friday started with an early swing of the clubs at 8:30 a.m. at the Ohio University Golf Course. The event had wonderful weather and wrapped up in the early afternoon. Later that evening, a BBQ dinner and Poker Tournament was held on the indoor tennis courts. Golf prizes were awarded and Peter McGeoch ('06) was crowned the 2009 Poker tournament champion. Afterward, everyone headed up to Court Street for more networking and fun.
Saturday included a packed line-up of speakers, with the ten-year panel of Shelley Binegar (Northern Illinois University), Jon Kaplan (Google, Inc.), Jarrod Keely (Zimmer-Midwest, Inc.), Andy Wengerd (TBS, TNT, and TruTV), and Ward Wyatt (LSU Properties) kicking off the morning. After hearing their stories and industry advice, Alice Petzold ('91) spoke to the crowd about the many aspects of Wasserman Media Group. After a short break, the Legends Panel arrived, where Dr. Charles Higgins, Dr. Andrew Kreutzer, Dr. James Lavery, and Dr. Owen Wilkinson all gathered together to speak about the founding of the Sports Administration program. Their stories about the beginning years, the interview process, and how the program evolved were a treat for everyone in the crowd. After a quick lunch, the crowd was quizzed on their sports sponsorship knowledge by the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus, Len Perna ('90; Turnkey Sports & Entertainment), adding a bit of audience participation to the afternoon.
The banquet dinner in Walter Hall Rotunda was a fitting send off to the Class of 2009, where Perna spoke to the group of the challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship. The class gift of a $16,000 donation to the annual fund to sponsor two graduate assitantships was announced shortly thereafter by Mike Levine (’09) and Keller Taylor (‘09). The check was received by Gary Neiman, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services, and Jim Kahler ('81), Executive Director of the Center for Sports Administration.
The whole weekend was a tremendous success. A special thanks to the alumni who were able to join us in Athens for Symposium 2009.
