BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College Assistant Field Hockey Coach Bethany Vincent was one of 200 athletics administrators and coaches at the beginning of their careers that were selected to participate in the 2014 NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar in Indianapolis, Indiana from January 28 to 30.
The Emerging Leaders Seminar provides educational and transitional programming for NCAA graduate assistants and interns who have shown a profound interest in pursuing a career in college sports. After attending, participants bring back to their schools industry knowledge, leadership awareness and a broadened perspective of intercollegiate athletics. Participants gain valuable insight that helps them structure the next steps for their careers.
"The Emerging Leaders Seminar is a wonderful opportunity for young professionals working in athletics to come to the national office, form a network of like-minded peers and develop knowledge of the college sports industry at all levels," said Bernard Franklin, NCAA executive vice president of education and community engagement and chief inclusion officer.
Over the seven years of the program's existence, the Emerging Leaders Seminar has welcomed nearly 1,000 athletics professionals to the NCAA national office for this engaging education and networking opportunity. This year's group of 200 included 40 from the NCAA Division III level including Vincent, who was one of two attendees from the Landmark Conference.
Vincent was selected after completing her first season with the Greyhounds this past fall. She is 2014 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College ad originally from Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
"I am happy that Bethany was selected to participate in the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar," commented Head Field Hockey and Assistant Women's Basketball Coach Amy Endler. "She is a bright young woman who is eager to learn and expand her knowledge in this field. Bethany has been an asset to our staff and I am confident that the knowledge she will gain from this experience will enhance our field hockey program and the Moravian Athletic program as a whole."
The seminar focused on many aspects of a career in collegiate athletics. The attendees discussed personality profiles through the DiSC assessment, how to relate to other personalities in the work environment, how to effectively network and conduct a job search, as well as learn more about their current athletic roles and other position responsibilities.
"The topic that stood out to me the most was how to network," stated Vincent. "The world of collegiate athletics is a small one and most likely there is 2-3 degrees of separation between you and the person you are talking to. The guest speaker, Glenn Sugiyama, and others, made sure to underline that networking is primarily relationship building and you should never approach an opportunity wondering what you can gain from that person."
At different points during the seminar, the attendees were broken into small groups.
"I really appreciated the diversity of professions and divisions that were represented at the seminar and in my small group," explained Vincent. "I was not only able to learn so much about what other people did, but I was also able to see how critical all these jobs are in order to have a functioning and successful athletic department and institution. I gained an appreciation for those who know how to market, fundraise, enforce NCAA rules because, first, I am not good at any of those, and second, it allows me as a coach to really focus and invest in my team. This was most evident when we did our group project; I was thankful that someone in my group interns in the Facilities and Event Management department and someone is an athletic trainer, because they were able to make sure the team schedules and AT assignments were in place while I organized team events."
The small groups were each given an operations plan to work on.
"As a small group (Team Northwest), we were instructed by our "Athletic Director" that we were in charge of organizing and planning homecoming week," Vincent said. "There were many tasks that we had to address, such as: sports practices and games, alumni events, a fundraising goal of $15,000, a community service project, marketing a new academic center, a SAAC talent show, a professional development opportunity, etc. We were scheduled two hours Thursday night to work as a group to come up with our plan and then had 15 minutes to present our plan to a panel on Friday morning.
"My group delegated tasks based on our current roles, worked individually or in pairs to come up with our plan, and then came back together to make sure it worked before putting it in a PowerPoint," she continued. "We worked really well together to be efficient and productive and completed our task within the two hours. I was in charge of Student-Athlete Development and the planning of a community service project for homecoming week and I was inspired by what Moravian does with Habitat for Humanity, so that was the project I presented. The panel loved it."
The seminar also included a number of guest lecturers who spoke on a number of topics.
"I learned a lot from Glenn Sugiyama, who is the Executive Vice President and Global Practice Leader at DHR International," stated Vincent. "He taught us about efficient networking and relationship building and making sure that we continue to nurture those relationships because you never know who you might run into.
"Our keynote speaker, Meg Stevens, really inspired me," she continued. "Meg is the Athletic Director at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. In her short amount of time there so far, she has instilled a "3-2-1" philosophy where all teams aim for a 3.0 GPA, to finish second in the conference, and the athletic department works together as "one team." She contracted a partnership with both Nike and BSN sports and is now overseeing the construction of a $6.5 million sports complex. Her energy, enthusiasm, and candor were refreshing and inspiring. She really ended the seminar on a high note by encouraging us, as future leaders, to know our values, act on them, be authentic, and to never ask anyone to do something that we would not do."
Vincent feels that the seminar was one of best experiences of her career to this point.
"I am extremely grateful to Moravian for giving me the opportunity to go to the Emerging Leaders Seminar," Vincent finished. "I appreciate their investment in me as I take these steps post-grad and continue to learn about and experience careers in collegiate athletics. It was very humbling being in that room with 200 other up and coming leaders and knowing that all that applied were not sitting in that room, but that I was chosen based on my past and current experiences to represent Moravian College. I learned so much and met incredible people in Indianapolis and I am excited to see where it takes me."
NCAA leadership development and members from the Association selected the participants for the 2015 Emerging Leaders Seminar. The group, which is located at the NCAA national office, coordinates and facilitates cutting-edge education and customized training for student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators from NCAA membership institutions, conference offices and the national office. The staff annually hosts more than 20 programs at little or no cost to the membership, with expert curriculum designed to enhance the well-being and personal development of NCAA student-athletes, and provides ongoing education and topical training to athletics professionals who identify and serve student-athlete needs. For more information, visit ncaa.org/leadershipdevelopment.
