Shenandoah University partners with Linfield College to send students to College Football Playoff

Shenandoah University will be teaming up with Linfield College in Oregon to take part in the College Football Playoff in January.

Six Shenandoah University students and one faculty member will be teaming up with two students and one faculty member from Linfield College. The partnership between the two schools began when Miles Davis, former dean of the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Business School, was named the president of Linfield in January 2018.

“Linfield College is in the process of building a nationally recognized program in sport business management,” said Fritz Polite, Shenandoah University assistant dean of student affairs, Ph.D. “Shenandoah University is honored to partner with them as we also strive to gain national exposure. It is a great example of teamwork and synergy focused on students and experiential learning.”

All Shenandoah students attending the College Football Playoff are members of the Sport Business Association. Each student was required to apply with a cover letter, résumé and business card, followed by an interview. Through an extremely competitive process, these six students were chosen from a field of nearly 20 applicants.

Students will not have to pay for food or lodging.

Shenandoah’s College Football Playoff group will be leaving from Dulles International Airport on Jan. 2 and returning on Jan. 8. The group will be working hand in hand with the operations team for the College Football Playoff. Three members of the group, Jared Lowry, Michael Nguyen, and Kit Gould, will be working as Spirit Squad Team hosts/liaisons for the winner of the Orange Bowl game between University of Alabama and Oklahoma University. This job entails providing any assistance or logistical support needed for the respective band and cheer squad from the participating school. The remainder of the team attending will be handling various assignments, all of which will be given by the Santa Clara Host Committee.

Six Linfield students applied for the chance to be “on the job” with professionals at the College Football Playoff game and went through a rigorous screening process. The two Linfield students, Taylor Cole ’20 and Brooke Snyder ’20, will also be enrolled in Linfield’s popular January term career exploration course in sport management as part of the experience.

Students will learn and gain knowledge of event operations and what it takes to put on a major sporting event. The group will learn the behind-the-scenes details that make up the days leading up to the game as well as game-day operations with the College Football Playoff operations team and the Santa Clara Host Committee. The goal is to come away with experience that students can use to separate themselves in the competitive job world through resumes, career building and experiential learning.