Bob Heere, Director Of Sport Management At University of North Texas, Provides Advice For Being An Effective Student

1Tell us about your role as the Professor & Director of Sport Management at University of North Texas.

As a professor and program director, it is my role to conduct research in sport management, teach coursework in that subject, and direct both our BBA and MBA programs in Sport Management.

Directing the programs takes up most of my time, as it involves maintaining our relationships with our official partners, the Dallas Cowboys and the PGA of America on behalf of our students, as well as the many sport organizations that host our students for internships and class projects, and/or provide guest lectures.

As we are located in one of the most attractive sport markets in the United States, we try to take full advantage of that and provide as many interaction points between industry and students as possible.

While we were relatively well prepared for something like COVID-19, since most of our classes were already hybrid, using the flipped classroom approach, COVID-19 has made networking opportunities for our students more challenging, and we devote considerable resources providing exclusive online sessions in which our students can interact with industry executives.

2What does a typical day look like for you in your role as a Professor & Director of Sport Management?

Email, zoom call, email, email, zoom call, zoom call, email, email..etc.

This is a bit of an exaggeration, but a lot of time is devoted to communicating with students, professors, or instructors, and the industry.

The time that is left is spent on class preparation, actual teaching, and/or writing.

3What are your biggest takeaways from your PhD in Sport Management? How did it prepare you for your current role?

That is a tough question. The PhD Program at FSU prepared me for a life as a scholar, which is what a good PhD program should do.

Less time is spent on leadership and/or directing a program, which means that while my PhD at FSU did help me get to this point, it did not prepare me specifically for this position.

For that, I had to make many mistakes at previous institutions, and/or I am relying on other (work) experiences in life.

4What do you think are the most three most important traits of an effective Sport Management student?

Generally, I would say:

• Intelligence
• Ability to connect with people
• Determination

but more specifically, I would say it is less about traits and more so about behavior. Many students make the mistake that they rely on their coursework to prepare for the future, while so much of their success is decided by what they do outside the classroom.

If you want to be an effective sport management student: engage, engage, engage.

Engage in volunteering opportunities, do as many unpaid/paid internships as possible, get a part-time job in sports if at all possible, and network with other students and industry as much as possible.

Figure out which faculty member has the strongest industry network and impress that faculty member!