HIGHLIGHTS
Music Crowdfunding Project
SUNY Fredonia Music Industry adjunct professor and Buffalo-based singer and songwriter Alison Pipitone is excited to announce that her crowdfunding campaign has reached 60% of its goal with just six days left. If you are not familiar with Kickstarter, it is a platform for musicians and artists to fund their creative endeavors. People "pledge" at different levels, and when the band hits their goal, the funds are charged. For example, you have your choice of a t-shirt for $20, a 45rpm vinyl single for $15, handwritten - limited edition framed lyrics for $150, and many more options.
Alison Pipitone was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2017, she won the Jim Lauderdale Songwriter of the Year award in 2016, and she and her band have won more than 15 music awards. She teaches Music Industry Foundations, Freshman Foundations, and Special Topics - Podcasting for SUNY Fredonia.
This project is called "Yellow Is My Song." The band is raising money to record and promote a new single and new merchandise. The campaign is located here...
Note that if the band doesn't hit their full goal, then the project does not get funded. It's an all or nothing model. The project is currently 60% funded with only six days left (May 20 deadline).
Please see these links, please share on social media, please consider any pledge. Every bit - from $2 up to $3,000 (corporate partnership) is much appreciated by Alison and the band. Their friend Giorgio Tsoukalos (of Ancient Aliens fame) gave us a great boost when he shared this post with his 164,000 followers.
Professor Alison Pipitone featured in the Buffalo News!
Music Industry Students to Stage ‘Dog Walk’ to Benefit Autism Research
This year’s dog walk, a legacy of the Music Industry program at the State University of New York at Fredonia to help raise money for the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius College, will sport an Avengers’ theme, “Lend a Paw for Autism: K9 Avengers.”
The Sunday, April 14 walk will feature six Avenger-themed games that will challenge participants to collect all six infinity stones. A Captain America shield toss, Iron-man versus Captain Ameirca tic-tac-toe and a Marvel puzzle are among the games. Participants will also have the unique opportunity to meet and take photos with Marvel Avengers characters.
Registration will be held at the Lake Shore Savings Bank clock tower, near the Central Avenue entrance, beginning at 11 a.m. The walk will take place along Ring Road, beginning at noon. An after-party, offering food, games, raffle baskets and live performances by local artists, will be staged at the amphitheater, located between Reed Library and Maytum Hall, until 4 p.m.
“This event has been well anticipated, as it has become a favorite in the local community,” said Justina Race, events coordinator of HAIL! Fredonia Records, the Music Industry’s student-run record label.
“Lend A Paw for Autism” dog walks have raised over $8,000 for the Institute for Autism Research, an interdisciplinary collaborative research center dedicated to understanding autism spectrum disorder and enhancing the lives of those affected and their families.
“Every dollar raised from the walk will further fund research, treatments and education,” Ms. Race said.
The Music Industry program has put on a variety of charity events over the years, raising over $50,000 to benefit local organizations. In 2016, its record label released a single, “Not So Different,” featuring members of the Goo Goo Dolls and 10,000 Maniacs, which raised $25,000.
Students and community members can register for the dog walk at the Fredonia Ticket Office, located in the Williams Center on the Fredonia campus. Registration forms can also be found online on the ticket office’s website: www.fredonia.edu/tickets. Registration can also be completed by calling the ticket office, 673-3501.
Fredonia to Host Inaugural Women in Music Industry Symposium 
“Women, Business and Music,” the first seminar/mixer organized by the Women’s International Music Network in its #SheRocksIt series, will be held on Saturday, April 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the State University of New York at Fredonia.
Music industry professionals will share insight into issues of interest to women and men working or seeking to work in the music industry at a panel discussion, seminar and networking opportunity. The event in McEwen Hall 209 is free and open to the public.
Bringing the symposium to Fredonia is the result of a partnership between the Fredonia Music Industry program and the Fredonia Technology Incubator, with support from the New York State Incubator Program, to promote entrepreneurship.
Read the entire article in the Campus Report.
Fredonia Grad Harrington Part of GRAMMY Nominated Album
Music enthusiasts can look forward to hearing more from Patrick Harrington, a 2013 Fredonia graduate, following the GRAMMY Award nomination received by his band, Victor Wainwright and the Train.
Being acknowledged at the 61st annual GRAMMY Awards for their inaugural album was a complete surprise to the band. “It wasn’t on any of our radar as far as being a possibility,” Mr. Harrington remembers. “When we made it, we just wanted to make a good record of music that was true to all of our hearts. To be recognized on the level of the GRAMMYS for making a completely honest record like this is such a high honor.”
The gold-plated statue for Best Contemporary Blues Album went to Fantastic Negrito’s “Please Don’t Be Dead,” but Buffalo News music critic Jeff Miers figures the bump to Wainwright and the band’s profile will be “notable.”
Remarkable comes close to describing the hurdles band members had to clear so they could attend the actual ceremony. Victor Wainwright and the Train was in the midst of a gig on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise with 20 other bands that week in the Caribbean, and their ship docked in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on the morning of the GRAMMYs. The lone flight to Los Angeles landed just 30 minutes before the GRAMMYs began. The Wainwright contingent arrived 45 minutes late, but just in time to hear their category being announced.
Harrington’s fiancée, Lydia Biernat, who received a B.S. in Business Administration: Marketing at Fredonia in 2014, joined all four band members and their producer at the GRAMMYs.
“It was so hectic and crazy but wow, what an experience,” recalled Harrington, who has a B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Music Industry. “We had a great time partying at the GRAMMYs and at the after-parties, etc., and then the very next morning all caught a flight back to Florida to finish our tour out. Crazy!”
Read the entire article in the Campus Report
Fredonia Students Chalk up Big-League Internship Experience at Super Bowl
In Super Bowl jargon, it’s “one for the thumb” for Fredonia!
That’s the number of times Fredonia students have scored real-world experience in the national sports industry through internships at the Super Bowl, undoubtedly the premier sporting event in the world. Super Bowl LIII, in which New England defeated Los Angeles, 13-3, on Feb. 3, brings the Fredonia tally to five.
Severe Arctic-like temperatures and heavy snow in Western New York sacked the scheduled Jan. 30 flight out of Buffalo, but this year’s contingent made alternate travel arrangements and was able to make the most of their three days in delightfully warm Atlanta, home of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the game was played.
The 2019 Super Bowl internship went well and the students, all majoring in Sport Management, learned a lot, reported Penny Hite, assistant professor and coordinator of the Sport Management program. This year’s Fredonia contingent included: Joseph Alessi, Xavier Arjune, Justin Axelrod, Quinn Bankoski, Elaina Brownell, Ryan Cervola, Kayla Connolly, Soban Faisal, Brandon Haase, Ryan Langhorne, Kaitlyn Melendez, Zachary Sierra, Kaitlyn Valenza, Christian Villafane and Logan Warren.
“This is the fifth year that we’ve gone, and it seems like each time the experience gets better and better,” added Jason Becker, adjunct lecturer. “We were still able to do two events that we were assigned to on Friday and Saturday. It was a great experience, and the weather was great.”
The full article can be read in the Campus Report.
Music Industry Veteran Petri Stresses Confidence, Innovation and Hard Work
Initiative and self confidence, innovation and hard work. These were the fundamental keys of success Armand Petri, professor of music industry at SUNY Fredonia, stressed at his Arts and Business Luncheon presentation Friday. 
OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward Armand Petri gives a presentation on the modern era of the music industry on Friday at the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator.
Initiative and self confidence, innovation and hard work. These were the fundamental keys of success Armand Petri, professor of music industry at SUNY Fredonia, stressed at his Arts and Business Luncheon presentation Friday.
Petri, an industry veteran, with over 40 years of experience as a musician, sound man, record producer, songwriter and now educator, talked about how the old models of being discovered and then signed by a label are dead.
“Record companies gave up on developing artists in the late 70s’, they rode the wave of seeing a successful act and then signing a band/artist in the similar vein,” Petri said. “Currently major labels right now make their money off catalogue sales (collections of an artist’s works).”
So the big question is of course, how does someone today make a living in the music industry?
“You have to have, as an artist, someone interested in what you’re doing, an image that draws people in and lots of hardwork,” Petri stated. “It never ends, the music industry is 24/7, eight days a week. You can’t give up, you can’t lay back, you can’t wait for somebody to come to you. It’s not being in the right place at the right time, it’s putting yourself in the right place at the right time.”
Initiative and self confidence, innovation and hard work. These were the fundamental keys of success Armand Petri, professor of music industry at SUNY Fredonia, stressed at his Arts and Business Luncheon presentation Friday.
Petri, an industry veteran, with over 40 years of experience as a musician, sound man, record producer, songwriter and now educator, talked about how the old models of being discovered and then signed by a label are dead.
“Record companies gave up on developing artists in the late 70s’, they rode the wave of seeing a successful act and then signing a band/artist in the similar vein,” Petri said. “Currently major labels right now make their money off catalogue sales (collections of an artist’s works).”
So the big question is of course, how does someone today make a living in the music industry?
“You have to have, as an artist, someone interested in what you’re doing, an image that draws people in and lots of hardwork,” Petri stated. “It never ends, the music industry is 24/7, eight days a week. You can’t give up, you can’t lay back, you can’t wait for somebody to come to you. It’s not being in the right place at the right time, it’s putting yourself in the right place at the right time.”
In a small city or town many find it difficult, but Petri pointed out, quite quickly, that it’s not as hard as it seems. A platinum selling record producer, he’s based his whole career from Silver Creek where he’s worked with groups such as the 10,000 Maniacs, The Goo Goo Dolls and Six Pence None the Richer just to name a few.
Petri explained that to become successful “you get involved with your community, any way that you possibly can.”
He went on to share examples of what his classes have done with their student run record label, HAIL! Fredonia Records, where they put on charity events, most notably for the Institute of Autism Research (IAR) at Canisius College.
The first was the story of a New York based artist named Cassandra Kubinski, who wrote a song called “Not So Different”. Petri learned of the track from a former student and was stunned by the lyrics, however, he didn’t like the way it was produced. He contacted Kubinski to rerecord it, and after getting in touch with her he brought in Mary Ramsey of the 10,000 Maniacs and John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, to collaborate on the recording with all the proceeds of a download to go to IAR.
Building on that, he then got the idea of using Record Store Day to do a special pressing and release of the song; they then added a show into the mix. The show sold out in an hour. At the end of the entire event, they had raised $30,000 for IAR and the students in his classes were involved with this process every step of the way.
“The students learned you can do an event from a small town as long as you are there helping people and using your community to benefit the community,” Petri added.
He next shared an idea his class in 2016 had of using a dog walk to raise money.
“I said… okay… let’s go with it, let’s see what you do,” Petri said. “It took us three months to organize it. We got donations from everybody and they raised $3,500.”
In 2018 the students built on this endeavor with the theme Star Paws.
“People love dogs, people love Star Wars, you combine the two and you get a lot of people interested.”
The one thing he asked the students was to get their social media together. They did. They had their dog walk, contacted some Star Wars people from Buffalo that do charity events, there were donations of food and baskets and because of the topic combinations they received 1.6 million followers including Mark Hamill.
This year they will be doing Canine Avengers.
“We’ll be doing Marvel characters. I told the students I want 10 million followers, I want credit card stuff together. The goal this year is $10,000 for IAR.”
In short, it takes self confidence and initiative to stand out in this business.
“It’s all about your innovation. How hard you want to work, how innovative you’re going to be and how unique what you’re trying to do is,” Petri said. “Remember you also need a team of people, nobody can do anything on their own.”
The original article can be on the Obeserver's website.
Insight into how the music industry has evolved over two decades will be shared by Armand Petri, an award winning independent producer and coordinator of Fredonia’s Music Industry program, at the Arts and Business Luncheon at the Fredonia Technology Incubator on Friday, Feb. 1, at noon.
Intellectual property ownership (copyright), how the industry has changed in the last 20 years, marketing intellectual property and true stories about the Goo Goo Dolls and Sixpence None the Richer will be addressed by Mr. Petri, a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.
“This series continues to provide unique insights on the relationship between arts and business,” said Incubator Director Chuck Cornell. “A well-known artist like Armand Petri is an ideal presenter who can share his unique experience and vision with our community and students.”
Petri has a M.A. in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo and has experienced nearly every facet of the music industry: artist management, live sound, recording and composing. He’s worked with artists such as the Goo Good Dolls, 10,000 Maniacs, Sixpence the Richer and John and Mary.
“From the valuable business experiences Mr. Petri has obtained, students gain insight into the complex obstacles faced in the music industry,” Mr. Cornell said.
The luncheon, the 15th in the series, is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Go online to https://ftipetriluncheon.eventbrite.com.
For more information, contact FTI at 716-680-6009 or incubator@fredonia.edu.
The incubator is located at 214 Central Ave., Dunkirk.
Meet Professor Renta Barneva
1. What courses do you teach? Since I have come to Fredonia 17 years ago, I have taught over 20 different courses in computer and information sciences. When I joined the School of Business three years ago, I started teaching technology- related courses to business students. Currently, I offer digital marketing and data analytics.
2. If you could teach a new course, what would it be? The computer and communication technology plays a crucial role in our life. I would love to develop and teach a course on the impact of technology on the society.
As a short term goal: we proposed and got approved a Freshman Seminar for the Department of Applied Professional Studies. It will start being offered in Fall 2018. I would be very happy to teach this course. It prepares the students to be successful at Fredonia, acquaints them with the information systems that they can use, the policies and procedures, teaches them how to take notes, prepare for exams,
reduce stress, think critically, and familiarizes them with the various student services. Most importantly, it helps build the sense of community and belonging to the place.
3. Tell me a little about your teaching style. My teaching style depends on the type of the course. Some courses require more lecturing; others are taught in labs and the students solve problems using computers. In general, I like to teach the course in interaction with the students.
This year I got involved with the Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative, which tries to eliminate the requirement of expensive textbooks offering courses with low- to no-cost teaching materials. I proposed the course Digital Marketing for Music Industry to become an OER course and it got approved. This approach is not only saving money to
the students, but provides the most current information. On the other hand, it requires constant updating of the teaching materials.
4. What suggestions do you have for students to be successful in your courses? I do not check attendance in my courses, but I encourage active participation through questions, answers, and attendance of related events. Participation is part of the student grade.
Read more in the Spring Edition of Business Matters.
The "Lend a Paw for Autism: Star Paws" dog walk hosted April 22 by students from the Music Industry program’s Hail! Fredonia Records raised approximately $4,500 from registration, basket raffles, food sales and online donations for the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius College.
Participation included over 1.5 million people through social media, and a turnout of nearly 500 people at the dog walk. In addition, the group promoted awareness of autism throughout the community and received extremely positive feedback from those in attendance.
Mark Hamill, "Luke Skywalker" himself, engaged with the group’s posts on social media after becoming aware of the event through its promotional partnership with @Dog_Rates on both Twitter and Snapchat (6.5 million followers). Read more in the Campus Report.
The Soultice Jam, organized by the Music Industry Club, was held on April 21st. There were about 100 people in attendance throughout the day and the students raised about $150 that are donated to the Fredonia High School Music Program. There we were student artists in attendance, who got the opportunity to showcase and sell their art to students that may never have got the chance to see it. The students received all positive feedback on the event from other students, asking it to happen next year as well.
Reneta Barneva, professor and chair of the Department of Applied Professional Studies in the School of Business, delivered a talk that explored ethical and legal aspects of big data analytics at UP STAT 2018, the seventh annual conference of the Upstate Chapters of the American Statistical Organization, held April 20 and 21 at the University of Rochester. Read more in the Campus Report.
Prof. Stuar
t Shapiro, teaching music industry contracts and copyright, has been selected by the Thomson Reuters group Super Lawyers publication for inclusion in their Super Lawyers list of the top 5% of Attorneys in New York State for 2018. The list will be published August 13th.
"Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations." Read more in the Campus Report.
The Sport Management faculty member Prof. Jason Becker and a group of six Sport Management students traveled to volunteer at the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn. The Campus Report interviewed him.
Q: What is it that you and your students did at the Super Bowl?
A: We were considered host committee volunteers during the five days we were there (Jan. 31 to Feb. 5). We took part in activities ranging from marketing, event planning, promotions and game-day operations.
Q: What do your students do and learn while there?
A: Most importantly, students get to experience real-world situations in the sport industry, especially during the biggest sporting event in this country, the Super Bowl. Students get to see how an event is put together, how it's marketed, etc.
Read the whole interview here.
Prof. Jeff Meredith, adjunct faculty teaching Ice Skating and Advanced Conditioning, was named 2017-18 SUNYAC Men's Hockey Coach of the Year. In a season which saw him surpass the 400-win plateau, Meredith guided the Blue Devils to a 13-11-4 final record, including road wins in the SUNYAC Tournament over Plattsburgh and Oswego before falling to Geneseo in the March 3 championship game. More information is available in the Campus Report.
The Department of Applied Professional Studies cares about the student book expenses. We were one among the thirteen departments on campus that had a course approved for Open Educational Resources. The course MUSB 351 Digital Marketing for Music Industry was reorganized to provide students with access to high-quality, affordable educational content. Read more about OER courses in the Campus Report.
Sport Management Senior Damone Brown from Haverstraw, North Rockland is a runner-up at Spire meet. Together with Justyn Haines they scored at the second place on January 20, 2018 at the Carnegie Mellon Spire Institute Division III Invitational. Each was worth eight team points toward Fredonia's eighth-place finish.
Brown, a thrower, was second in the shot put with a toss of 14.47 meters (47 feet, 5 3/4 inches) in a field of 50 men. He also earned two points for finishing seventh out of 46 in the 35-pound weight throw -- 13.96 meters (45 feet, 9 3/4 inches).
His success was featured by the Campus Report.
Reneta Barneva, professor and chair of the Department of Applied Professional Studies, was invited to give a talk at the Data Science Research Group (DSRG) Seminar on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
The talk, co-authored with SUNY Buffalo State Mathematics Professor Valentin Brimkov, was devoted to some ethical and legal aspects of big data analysis. Every minute millions of Google searches are performed, hundreds of thousands of emails are sent, Twitter and Facebook posts are posted, and hundreds of hours of video recordings are uploaded. According to estimates, 90 percent of the recorded data in the world today has been created in the last two years alone.
Scientists from various disciplines – computer science, statistics, mathematics, and business – combine their efforts to exact useful information from this data. In her talk, Dr. Barneva, examined some ethical issues related to data analysis. In particular, she outlined the principles of laws that already exist in Europe and Japan.
“Dr. Reneta Barneva’s lecture to DSRG was extremely well received by the audience, so well indeed that Dr. Barneva is being strongly considered for an RIT campus-wide extended version of the very same phenomenally successful lecture,” said Dr. Ernest Fokoué , who founded DSRG nearly four years ago and continues to serve as its director and coordinator.
The collaboration between Barneva and Fokoué has gone from strength to strength since Barneva’s intervention in the Data Science panel at UP-STAT 2016, the 5th Annual Conference of upstate New York chapters of the American Statistical Association. Her lecture on Sept. 29 opened new vistas in the collaboration, with prospects for Fredonia students and faculty to complete joint research work with the members of the Data Science Research Group for UP-STAT 2018 and beyond.
DSRG is at the forefront of modern Data Science, with activities such as weekly research seminars and colloquia given by world class experts, in Statistical Machine Learning and Data Science, from prominent institutions from around the world like Facebook, Microsoft, Princeton, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford and the University of Paris, among others. It is also engaged in ongoing research by group members ranging from consulting on and off campus to methodological and applied research for publication in top international peer-reviewed journals. Workshops and conferences to disseminate state of the art findings in Data Science are also organized by DSRG.
More information is available in Campus Report.
Two faculty members in the School of Business, Drs. Lisa M. Walters and Reneta Barneva, co-authored the paper, “Prioritization of Process Improvement Using Risk Evaluation in the Manufacturing of Biologics,” that appeared in Quality Management Journal, a Cabell's white-listed journal published quarterly by the American Society for Quality.
Their paper considered how a biologics manufacturer took the lagging data expressed in nonconformance data to build a system of analysis with the aim of prioritizing improvements in terms of risk management to facilitate meeting the challenges of a consent decree.
A 5-by-5 risk matrix was developed to merge the performance of the process to risk indicators. A color schematic was applied to the risk matrix to facilitate the actions warranted to assigned risk priorities within the matrix in terms of process performance and risk indicator. To date, the risk matrix has assisted the organization under study in allocating resources to specific higher-risk areas to minimize the possibility of regulatory censure.
Dr. Barneva, a professor and chair of the Department of Applied Professional Studies, has served over 30 years in academia. Dr. Walters, an assistant professor of Operations Management in the Department of Business Administration, has spent a majority of her career in the biomedical arena with particular emphasis on data analysis for biomedical regulatory compliance.
More information is available in Campus Report.
Two faculty members in the School of Business, Drs. Lisa M. Walters and Reneta Barneva, co-authored the paper, “Prioritization of Process Improvement Using Risk Evaluation in the Manufacturing of Biologics,” that appeared in Quality Management Journal, a Cabell's white-listed journal published quarterly by the American Society for Quality. Their paper considered how a biologics manufacturer took the lagging data expressed in nonconformance data to build a system of analysis with the aim of prioritizing improvements in terms of risk management to facilitate meeting the challenges of a consent decree. Read more in the Campus Report.
On Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, Dr. Reneta Barneva, professor and chair of the Department of Applied Professional Studies, was invited to give a talk at the Data Science Research Group (DSRG) Seminar, at the Rochester Institute of Technology, co-authored with SUNY Buffalo State Mathematics Professor Valentin Brimkov. “Dr. Reneta Barneva’s lecture to DSRG was extremely well received by the audience, so well indeed that Dr. Barneva is being strongly considered for an RIT campus-wide extended version of the very same phenomenally successful lecture,” said Dr. Ernest Fokoué , who founded DSRG nearly four years ago and continues to serve as its director and coordinator. Read more in the Campus Report.
Fredonia students put together a video about their Fredonia experience. The video features Prof. Katie Pucci-Schaefer and her Zumba Sentao class!
Following the success of its 2016 autism awareness event and launch of the single, "Not So Different," HAIL! Fredonia records organized a second event in April 2017 with a "Lend a Paw" dog walk.
The event started at 1 p.m. on the Fredonia campus. Students, faculty, and townspeople were encouraged to bring their dogs and participate in the event. Over 300 people took part in it. Tickets bought prior to April 16 included an autism awareness t-shirt. The walk took place along Ring Road until 2 p.m. Water was provided along the way for both dogs and their owners. Sanitary bags were also provided to keep the campus clean. All participating dogs were leashed. Following the walk was a reception at the campus amphitheater including a BBQ, 50/50 and basket raffles, food and bake sales, live acoustic performances, and remarks from President Virginia Horvath and Canisius College faculty member Dr. Marcus Thomeer of the Institute for Autism Research (IAR).
Treats were provided for canine companions. Puzzle pieces were available for sale in order for walkers to donate money and show their support of autism awareness. The reception lasted until 5 p.m.
HAIL! Fredonia Records had worked with the Institute of Autism Research previously with the release of the single, “Not So Different,” featuring singer/songwriter Cassandra Kubinski, Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs and John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls. The single was released on iTunes and Google Play, All purchases of the single go to the IAR. The single will be available for purchase on both CD and digital copy during the autism walk event.
HAIL! Fredonia Records is a student-run record label that provides opportunities to students to gain real-world experience. The record label is guided by well-known producer and Fredonia faculty member Armand Petri.
On April 7, 2017 a group of students of the Sport Management Club accompanied by Dr. Sungick Min and Prof. Jason Becker traveled to Ohio to attend Cleveland Cavaliers game. The students were able to see first-hand the aspects learned in class, such as promotional incentives, marketing strategies, event management and facility management all coming together for an NBA game in today's sport industry.
A club trip like this puts into perspective what it takes to put on a sporting event, especially a professional basketball game. Some students who have an interest in marketing were able to see the marketing objectives that were used toward fans within the sport industry.
Students who are interested in event management were able to see first-hand the planning and organizing of a professional sporting event and the preparation it takes. Students also were able to see in-game promotional strategies that were used throughout the game to engage fans.
Marcus Ortiz, a Sport Management senior, has landed a job as a professional ice hockey player even before graduating this May. Mr. Ortiz has joined the Rapid City Rush minor-league hockey team in Rapid City, S.D.
The Rapid City Rush play in the East coast Hockey League (ECHL), and is currently affiliated with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. Ortiz found out that his contract would be signed the night that the Fredonia Blue Devils Men’s Ice Hockey team lost the SUNYAC playoff game against Buffalo State. He caught the next available flight to Rapid City.
Ortiz has always seen himself playing professional ice hockey since he learned how to skate when he was 3 years old. “This is a dream come true, and the money is just a bonus,” Ortiz said. Since he was signed to the team in late February 2017, he has played forward right wing in five games and will continue to play throughout his time at Fredonia until the season ends.
Ortiz is just one out of over 40 Fredonia alums who have or are currently playing professional ice hockey since the program started in 1988. “Anytime one of our players has the opportunity to play professional hockey, at whatever level, it is a tremendous opportunity that very few are afforded and we are always excited for them” says Men’s Hockey Coach Jeff Meredith.
Fans can follow Ortiz and his new teammates by going online.
Dr. Stuart Shapiro, assistant professor in Applied Professional Studies and a Buffalo attorney, applied for sponsorship by the Carnahan Jackson Humanities Fund of the Fredonia College Foundation to invite as guest-speaker Mr. Tom Rizzo Jr., a highly successful West Coast musician, arranger and producer.
On Thursday, April 6, 2017, he gave a talk “Independent Musicians, Career and Money Management: Music, Artistry and Money.” “The Music Industry program consistently brings to campus industry professionals from whom students learn true life lessons that correspond to their future aspirations in the industry,” said Armand Petri, coordinator of the Music Industry program in the Department of Applied Professional Studies. "Tom Rizzo presents the unique opportunity to learn from a speaker who is not only a successful professional musician, but also heavily involved in the business side of the profession."
Read more in the Campus Report.
Fredonia’s Sport Management Club members returned to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, but Super Bowl LI – won by the New England Patriots in a stunning comeback over the Atlanta Falcons – was the first year they were issued “game day” assignments at the premier sporting event.
At NRG Stadium in Houston, the Fredonians helped to direct fans and celebrities while also handling additional tasks they took on at other Super Bowls that are designed to enhance the fan experience at the iconic game between the AFC and NFC champions.
Fifteen current students who were joined by one alumnus and two faculty members earned internship credits by taking part in hands-on sport industry experiences during the week leading up to the game day.
They were able to apply what they learned in the classroom to real-world sport management aspects and concepts that included marketing, event planning, promotions, game day operations and facility management, according to Sport Management Assistant Professor Penny Hite. Providing security at autograph signing stations, interacting with fans at the combine and games, as well as working other fan experience events, were among individual tasks taken on by students. (Read more in the Campus Report.)
On October 20, 2017 the department hosted a program concerning the fact that women register far fewer patents and trademarks than men.
The Keynote speaker, coming in from Washing-ton, D.C., Mindy Bickel, is the Associate Commissioner for Innovation Development at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She addressed the gender gap in women protecting their rights in their inventions and trademarks, and also spoke about the outreach program developed by the USPTO to encourage women to invent and to take credit for their inventions.
Dr. Jeffrey Iovannone, was also on the program, speaking about some of the theories underlying the lack of participation in Intellectual Property protection by women in our current culture. Dr. Stuart Shapiro spoke on the legal issues concerning work for hire and women in the workplace.
The program sponsored by the Department of Applied Professional Studies, the Women’s Student Union, and the College of Arts and Sciences took place at the recently opened Science Center on the SUNY Fredonia campus, and was free and open to the public.
The Sport Management Club traveled to the New Era Field in Orchard Park on two occasions to participate in a fund raiser and to volunteer for the Buffalo Bills Foundation. On September 13, 2016, club members and advisors installed seat cushions under the direction of FSU Sport Management program graduate Andy Levulis (’14). Andy is currently a Customer Service Representative in tickets sales and service within the Pegula’s organization. The students, Anthony Colquitt, Keith Ruiz and Andrew King along with club advisor Jason Becker installed premium seat cushions for patrons interested in a more comfortable experience. The proceeds from this event will be used for the annual trip to the Super Bowl in February.
On September 15, 2016, the Bill’s home field was buzzing with the excitement that surrounds any home opener, but this was a Thursday night game and nationally televised. The atmosphere in the stadium and surrounding areas was electric! The Sport Management club was excited not only to be at the game but also to aid in the mission of the Buffalo Bills Foundation by volunteering to sell 50/50 tickets. The FSU crew which consisted of club members Anthony Colquitt, Zach Earle and Mike Dineen, and advisors Drs. Hite and Min helped the Foundation sell more than $100,000 in tickets which broke the all-time Buffalo Bills record for 50/50 ticket receipts. The money will be used to support organizations that are committed to improving the quality of life in Western New York. (The event was featured in the Campus Report.)
Reneta Barneva, professor and chair of Applied Professional Studies, co-chaired the 5th International Symposium CompIMAGE’16, “Computational Modeling of Objects Presented in Images: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications,” held Sept. 21-23 in Niagara Falls.
The invited speakers from Cornell University, University of Rochester, IBAI (Germany) and the University of Shizuoka (Japan) gave thought-provoking talks on the historical development and relationship between computer graphics and computer vision, on applying deep learning techniques for video content recognition, on Image Mining and Knowledge Discovery and on printed codes for augmented interaction environments.
Symposium participants were from three continents and included countries such as Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Taiwan and the United States. (More can be found in the Campus Report.)
Sport Management Assistant Professor Sungick Min of the Department of Applied Professional Studies served as the lead author of two articles that have been accepted for journal publication.
The first paper, “A Delphi Method Analysis of Management Strategies for Taekwondo Centers in the United States,” used the Delphi Method to determine management strategies that might enhance the operations of Taekwondo training centers in the United States and also induce management to implement the strategies based on that forecast.
The second paper, “Sport Culture Influences among College-age International Students,” explores the behavior and tendencies of international students participating in American sports and athletics to determine if America’s sports culture influences their sport participation. It is to be published in a future edition of the Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. (Dr. Min's achievements were published in the Campus Report.)