In only its fifth year, the master of arts in business with a specialization in intercollegiate athletic administration (MAIAA) program at Nebraska has made a name for itself amongst its peers in collegiate athletics. The NCAA recognized the program’s growth and recently selected four MAIAA students to attend its annual Emerging Leaders Seminar (ELS) at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) headquarters in Indianapolis.
 
The ELS is a three-day professional development event that provides leadership, educational and transitional training for 200 graduate assistants and interns from NCAA member schools. As one of the event’s top goals, it facilitates networking opportunities for its attendees while increasing the likelihood for career progression within collegiate sports.
 
“The Emerging Leaders Seminar was extraordinary because I was able to meet and learn from people at every level of the NCAA,” said first-year MAIAA student Summer Horowitz. “The Division I, II and III athletic administrators were all so generous with their time and willing to share their personal stories and advice. These three days in Indianapolis were extremely valuable for my professional development.”
 
NCAA membership committee members selected first-year students Sullivan Bortner of Hershey, Pennsylvania; Ryan Christy of Orange City, Iowa; James Frey of Meriden, Connecticut; and Horowitz of Briarcliff Manor, New York to represent the MAIAA program. Each attendee explored topics such as self-awareness and group decision making, attended breakout sessions and got to act as consultants to plan a weekend of homecoming festivities for a fictionalized university.
 
“We were immediately immersed in working together with a group of new team members to create a homecoming experience for a theoretical university,” said Christy. “We divided the responsibilities in different functions of the athletic department. As someone interested in development, I got a chance to plan fundraising events with another peer interested in the same area. We then gave our pitch to NCAA officials who offered feedback.”
 
ELS attendees got to hear from a plethora of notable leaders in college athletics including Oliver Luck, the father of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and the executive president of regulatory affairs with the NCAA. MAIAA Advisory Board Members Kathy Sulentic, associate director of enforcement for the NCAA, and Rob Heuer, assistant athletic director for compliance at Southern Methodist University, spoke with the students in attendance as well.
 
The admittance of these four students to the Emerging Leaders Seminar marks the second consecutive year the MAIAA program participated. For more information on the MAIAA program, visit: http://business.unl.edu/maiaa. Published: February 23, 2018