Media releases

• Sports journalist, mental health champion Michael Landsberg to be recognized at Brock alumni day

  Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA ADVISORY: 28 February 2017 – R00044

  One of Canada’s most recognized sports broadcasters and an advocate for mental health issues will be the guest of honour at the 20th anniversary celebration for the Department of Sport Management at Brock University.

  Michael Landsberg will be recognized with an Industry Award while Erin Mathany (BSM ’05), Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Kojo Mensah (BSM ’04), Senior Policy & Issues Co-ordinator in the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, will be honoured with Alumni Awards during the event Thursday, March 2 at Amici’s Banquet Centre in Thorold.

  Landsberg, Mathany, Mensah and three Department of Sport Management employees are being honoured as part of the first-ever Brock SPMA awards.

  For the inaugural Industry Awards, the department wanted to recognize someone “who has significantly and positively impacted the Canadian sport community,” which Department of Sport Management Chair Lisa Kikulis said describes exactly what Landsberg has done.

  “He has made a tremendous contribution to mental health advocacy through his significant roles in the Bell Let’s Talk and #SickNotWeak campaigns,” she said. “As a leading sports journalist in Canada, he has been able to break barriers and heighten communication on an extremely important topic for our students, our faculty and staff, and the sport industry as a whole.”

  The anniversary dinner will wrap up the Sport Management department’s annual Alumni Day, which includes a series of eight panel discussions at Brock University where alumni will return to the Niagara campus to discuss various industry issues.

  “Brock’s SPMA program is the best in Canada with Brock alumni in some of the biggest professional, amateur and community sports organizations in Canada, as well as abroad,” said Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Dean Peter Tiidus. “The SPMA program provides students with many practical opportunities and experiential education placements to help them translate what they learn in the classroom to real world application.”

  Established in 1996, the Bachelor of Sport Management (BSM) program remains the only specialized four-year sport management degree program in Canada. In it’s 20-year history, it has grown to become internationally recognized. In 2015, it was ranked fourth in the world for sport business programs by an industry publication.

  With more than 1,000 SPMA graduates, Brock University alumni are now working in some of the most high-profile roles in the Canadian sports industry such as:

  •    Kyle Dubas (BSM ’07) Assistant General Manager, Toronto Maple Leafs
  •    Alyssa Gordon (BSM ’07) Director, Commercial PPV & Content, Ultimate Fighting Championship
  •    Andrew Tinnish (RECL ’99, BSM ’01), Assistant General Manager, Toronto Blue Jays
  •    Darren Yorke (BSM ’08), Assistant to the General Manager / Video Scout, Carolina Hurricanes
  •    Brent Rossi (BSM ’01), EVP of Marketing & Brand Strategy, Pegula Sports & Entertainment
  •    Stephanie Jones (BSM ’05), Events and Sport Operations Manager, INVICTUS GAMES Toronto 2017
  •    Kris Hagerman (BSM ’11), Football Operations Co-ordinator, Edmonton Eskimo Football Club
  •    Alyson Schmidt (BSM ’11), Sponsorship & Event Activation Specialist, MEC
  •    Jordan Bean (BSM ’14), Video Analyst, Toronto Maple Leafs
  •    Brooke Arthur (BSM ’07), Venue Ticketing Specialist, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation

  The SPMA Anniversary events are open to Brock staff, students and faculty. Registration is available here.

  What: Brock University Department of Sport Management 20th Anniversary
  Who: Michael Landsberg, TSN Broadcaster; Erin Mathany, Canadian Olympic Committee
  When: Thursday, March 2, 6:30 p.m.
  Where: Panel Discussions at Brock University; Anniversary dinner at Amici’s Banquet Centre in Thorold

  Members of the media are invited to attend. Interview opportunities before and following the event can be arranged.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
   
  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Research examines what Niagara employers look for in young job seekers

  Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 24 February 2017 – R00042

  At the same time Brock University helps prepare graduates to be contributors to the Canadian economy, it is also conducting research that examines what employers are looking for in their new hires.

  A new policy brief set to be released by Brock’s Niagara Community Observatory
  sheds light on Niagara employers’ expectations of young job seekers.

  The brief — “Is there a skills gap? Understanding what Niagara employers are looking for in recent graduates” — will be released Tuesday, Feb. 28 in a discussion at Brock. The document addresses questions such as how important soft skills and technical expertise are and if there’s a skills gap related to young workers in Niagara.

  “This policy brief was based on a study that involved in-depth interviews with a wide variety of Niagara employers,” says Brock researcher and brief author Kate Cassidy.

  “We wanted to get a deep understanding of their perception of what it means to be career-ready today and if they see a gap in the skills and credentials young people are bringing to the workforce.

  “The goal of this project was to help identify what, if anything, is needed to improve the career-preparation of young people and what stakeholders are in the best position to be part of this process,” says Cassidy, who is also director of Brock’s Youth University.

  Cassidy will be among those at a presentation and discussion of this research, co-sponsored by Youth University and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.

  What: “Mind the Gap” panel discussion on the research brief, “Is there a skills gap? Understanding what Niagara employers are looking for in recent graduates”

  When: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 9 – 11 a.m.

  Where: Pond Inlet, Brock University

  Who: Kate Cassidy, director, Community Learning and Youth University at Brock University and author of the research brief. Panelists include: Mario De Divitiis, CEO of Niagara Workforce Planning Board, and Rachel Crane, chair of NEXTNiagara.

  WHY: to help young job seekers, employers, educators, families, the community and others address the “skills gap” common in today’s job market

  The NCO event is open to the public and media.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
   
  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases