NIAGARA COLLEGE
NC's sport symposium will connect students with sports leaders

NC's Athletics and Recreation department will host a Sport Symposium for students. Two panel discussions featuring a host of big names in sports will be held at The Core in the Welland campus from 9 a.m. to noon. The first match of the championship games will follow at 1 p.m.

"Niagara College is not only proud to host the CCAA women's volleyball national championship, but also concurrent events like the sport symposium that will be a draw for students and the larger campus community," said Michele O'Keefe, associate director, Athletics and Recreation at NC.

The first panel will feature Jonathan Chang, NBA Canada director; Cheri Bradish, Loretta Rogers research chair in sport marketing; Mark Eckert, Volleyball Canada CEO; and Doug Smith, sports journalist with The Toronto Star. Topics will include sports business, sports marketing, and sports communication.

In light of the upcoming 2021 Canada Summer Games (CSG) hosted in Niagara, the second panel will discuss opportunities for NC students to get involved in the national event.

"With the Niagara region being the host of the Canada Summer Games, there will be many opportunities for NC students to represent the region and the College. We want to leverage this panel to explore avenues for collaboration and experiential learning for our students at the games," said O'Keefe who sits on the CSG board and is chair of the CSG 2021 Legacy Committee.

Panelists will include Nick Snow, CSG director of Sport and Athlete Services; Erin Edwards, CSG venue management and overlay manager; Sandro D'Annunzio, associate dean of NC's School of Justice and Fitness Studies; Dina Fox, NC associate director of Student Engagement; Vincent Shaikh, dean of NC's Media, Trades & Technology division; and Sandra Murray-MacDonell, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.

Tickets to the Sport Symposium are free on Eventbrite but seating is limited. Staff and students are encouraged to register online.