University of Iowa Sport and Recreation Management

We need your help! The Sport and Rec Mgmt program is currently in 15th place on the leaderboard during One Day for Iowa. Only the top 10 receive leaderboard bonus funding. We have until 11:59 p.m. CT tonight to move up. Everyone who makes a gift at the link in the comments below, no matter how much, helps us move up on the board. You'll be supporting student scholarships and reduced student fees for field trips and other experiences that help our students grow into industry leaders.

Join the UISRM community by making a gift today!

Our Sport and Rec Mgmt program recently awarded $37,000 in scholarships to 37 students in a variety of categories:
- Student Success
- Leadership & Innovation
- Incoming Students
- Field trip expenses
- Professional conference attendance expenses

One of those Leadership & Innovation scholarships went to Hanna Graham, a senior from Indianola, Iowa, who has made the most of her time in the SRM program. Hanna had this to say:

“I am so grateful for this scholarship and the experiences the SRM program has awarded me. The SRM program gave me a path to earning my coaching certification in the state of Iowa at the end of my freshman year. I knew I wanted to give back to the community that gave me so much growing up, and that led to me being hired as the head 8th grade softball coach, as well as an assistant varsity coach for the high school team in my hometown.

“Throughout my time participating in extra-curriculars at the University of Iowa, I have been able to hold multiple leadership positions on the executive board for the Women in Business student organization, including as President leading a team of 17 executive board members to set and accomplish goals throughout the school year. These opportunities not only helped me grow personally, but they also awarded me skills to advance my career goals.

“This scholarship will make a huge difference in my academic and leadership pursuits by helping me put more time and energy towards my current SRM internship, leading Women in Business, and working towards making the Dean's List for the third semester in a row!

“The SRM program has been a major part of my leadership and professional development throughout college. The SRM Symposium is one event that stands out when I reflect on my time at the university. Attending every year and participating in workshops and speaker sessions gave me the confidence to participate in the mock interview event my senior year. Because of the hard work and dedication that SRM professors put into the symposium, I was able to speak to Sam Bocken with the Chicago Fire FC that day and given the opportunity to interview and accept a position with the organization. This would not have been possible without the support from the SRM program!"

Congratulations, Hanna, and thank you for being a student leader in the SRM program and in your community! We're super-duper proud of you and the impact you're making!

If you want to support scholarships and experiences like the UISRM Symposium, please consider making a gift to the SRM program during One Day for Iowa, March 25, at the link in the comments below. Your support helps prepare student leaders like Hanna who are already helping to shape the next generation. Thank you!

Congratulations to our students that were part of college sports history! Our program's newest field experience course - "Championships: Planning and Presentation" - gave students event management experience during the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships held in the Iowa City area. During the semester, students learn about the unique aspects of preparing for and executing championship sporting events with hands-on experiences during iconic events such as an NCAA championship.

Ella Raef, a second-year SRM student, had this to say about her experience: "I served as the Volunteer Coordinator and also was selected to assist with the awards ceremony. I helped organize and prepare individual trophies, lined up athletes in podium order, and handed championship awards to head coaches. Being part of the first-ever championship was especially meaningful to me because of how passionate I am about supporting and advancing women’s sports. It made the experience even more special that this historic event took place right here in the University of Iowa’s backyard."

We're super-duper proud of you and all your classmates, Ella! And we're thankful to professors Kate Wakenight and Anna Jensen for developing and delivering this innovative new course to give our students real-world experiences that prepare them for the job market and that they'll talk about for the rest of their lives. Go Hawks!!

What a week! Our Sport and Rec Mgmt program went on the road to learn from and network with the Indianapolis sport and recreation community, including 14 Iowa alumni now thriving in the Circle City!

Organizations represented:
- Indiana Pacers
- Indianapolis Colts
- NCAA
- Indianapolis Indians
- Lucas Oil Stadium
- Downtown Indy Alliance
- MBSA Events

30 sport industry professionals total in two days, from top veteran executives at the VP level to young postgraduate interns just starting their careers, met with our students. Iowa students heard a wide range of experiences and advice, learned about internship programs and identified mentors they can return to as they continue their journeys. It was an inspirational trip for 56 Iowa students from across all academic programs on campus led by the SRM program. GO HAWKS!!

Good luck to the Seattle Seahawks and Mason Richman! Mason (B.S. '23, M.A. '24) is a double Sport and Rec Mgmt alumnus who will be in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks as an NFL rookie! Just two summers ago, Mason was a practicum student in our Business of Golf experiential learning class that gave him event management experience in the golf industry, including with a PGA Tour event!

No matter what happens, we're super-duper-bowl proud of you, Mason!

UI Sport and Rec Mgmt program Advisory Board member Stephanie Rogers is hosting a party this weekend! As Executive VP of Marketing for the SF 49ers, Stephanie is part of the action as she and her organization and stadium prepare to welcome the world to the Bay Area for the Super Bowl. Congratulations, Stephanie, on another milestone achievement in what has already been a career filled with highlights!

Stephanie is one of 29 sport industry executives on our program's Advisory Board, providing mentoring and support to our students and faculty throughout the year. We're so grateful for all that our Board members do for the UISRM program!

Welcome HOME, Patrick Sojka! Patrick (SRM M.A. '12) is rejoining the Iowa Hawkeyes as Executive Director of Athletics Annual Giving Programs & Donor Engagement.

Patrick started his journey in college athletics as a student worker in Iowa's Athletics Department. After graduating from our Sport and Rec Mgmt master's program, Patrick became Assistant Director of Athletics Communications for the Hawkeyes before transitioning to athletics fundraising for the Hawkeyes. In 2017, Patrick left Iowa City to grow his athletics fundraising career at the University of Arizona, Ohio State, UNLV and Illinois, and now he's returning to help grow Hawkeye Athletics in the NIL era.

We're super-duper proud of you and the steps you've taken to position yourself for this opportunity, Patrick! Go Hawks!!

Our Sport and Rec Mgmt program is a community. And that's why we hold an All-Majors Meeting at the start of every fall and spring semester to welcome students in the program or with an interest in SRM to join together for 60 minutes of announcements and bonding with peers and faculty/staff.

With frigid temps on the night of this spring's All-Majors Meeting, we had both an in-person and virtual option. Thanks to the hearty souls that joined us on campus, and thanks to everyone who viewed the meeting to learn about all the field trips, job fairs, certificate programs, experiential learning classes and more that the UISRM program has planned for the next six months...Go Hawks!!

Congratulations to our students that competed in the inaugural B1G Case Competition, an undergraduate sport marketing competition exclusively for students from Big Ten schools. Owen Parker, Taylor Ciabatti, Alina Davis and Matthew Pinion represented our Sport and Rec Mgmt program as one of six B1G schools entered in the competition. Thanks to P***y Moran for his faculty coaching and leadership of the team to Indianapolis where the competition coincided with the Big Ten Football Championship game. Check out their full story and photo gallery at the newsletter link down below 👇

We're super-duper proud of you, team! Go Hawks!!