The last few weeks have been exciting for students in the Rawlings Sport Business Management Program at Maryville University. Nearly 100 first-year students assisted in set-up and operations for both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Chase races held at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Il.

By design, Rawlings Sport Business Management students don’t just study the business of sport — they live it, and as raceway crew, they logged about 600 hours on-site during two set-up days, plus another 300 hours during event days. For many, this was their first opportunity to work in the industry.

Their impact on the success of the motor sport events did not go unnoticed.

“Rawlings Sport Business Management students are excellent, and we appreciate having them assist us with these national events,” said Declan O’Neil, vice president of partnership marketing at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Through such important experiential learning opportunities, students develop a wide range of industry skills. They also see how knowledge gained in the classroom plays out in the real world, said Daniel Schmidt, 10′, MBA ’16, instructor in the program.

“Their work at World Wide Technology Raceway involves corporate sponsorship, activation, event management and operations as well as ticketing and customer communication,” he said. “They also get exposed to motor sports — a part of the sports industry they’ve probably never considered before.”

Student Experiences

Students appreciate the opportunity to practice skills, expand their resumes, build professional networks and discover first-hand what it takes to host a successful major event.

First-year student Karli Dean learned that being adaptable and paying attention to details is important. Student, Parker Medina, agreed. “The little details really go a long way when setting up these events,” Medina said. “Putting so much time and effort on the small things really shows how much the hosts care about their events as well as how much it means to the consumers and sponsors.”

Charlie Phillips, discovered the ticketing department involves much more than just selling tickets. “Ticketing covers a lot more to make sure fans are happy and have a great experience — so they’ll come back again and again,” said Phillips, a Rawlings Sport Business Management student.

Andra Alexander helped lead her team of fellow students as they hung scrim along fences on the racetrack as well as near fan engagement areas. “This really made me realize how much work gets put into any kind of event and is going to make me appreciate my experiences even more, whether I’m behind the scenes or in the stands,” Alexander said.

Erick Gates, who will enter the job market when he graduates in spring, understands the value of such opportunities. “Diversifying my resume with experiential experiences has been key,” he said.

Deepending Partnership

The partnership with World Wide Technology Raceway has continued to deepen over the past seven years, says Schmidt, including both onsite and project-based learning opportunities as well as in-classroom sessions with executives of the raceway.

“Because of this partnership, we’ve had numerous students serve as interns and others hired as employees,” he said. “Our World Wide Technology Raceway opportunities are unique learning experiences specifically tied to the Rawlings Sport Business Management program, and we’re grateful for the confidence and trust they have in our students.”

About Maryville University
Founded in 1872, Maryville University is a comprehensive and nationally ranked private institution with an enrollment of well over 9,000 students. Maryville offers over 90 degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, as well as several certificates that align with the undergraduate and graduate education levels. Maryville is recognized as the third fastest-growing private university in the United States by The Chronicle of Higher Education, serving students from 50 states and 56 countries. More than 50,000 Maryville alumni globally, many of whom work and live in the St. Louis region.