New Study Away Opportunity for Athletes Will Be Offered in Los Angeles This Spring

Student-athletes will be able to take a new Maymester course in Los Angeles.

A new study away opportunity for student-athletes will be offered this year as a Maymester course in Los Angeles.

The course, Networking and the Art of the Pitch, was developed by Rachel Dubrofsky, chair of communication and rhetorical studies (CRS) in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), and Anna Proulx, director of VPA’s Los Angeles program, working with Tommy Powell, assistant provost for student-athlete academic development in the Department of Athletics.

The course was designed to help break down a common barrier faced by student-athletes who are interested in studying off campus.

“Student-athletes are often constrained by their training and game schedules, which means they do not have many opportunities for study abroad and study away,” Dubrofsky says. “Tommy mentioned that student-athletes would love an opportunity to study away, and that a perfect time for it is Maymester, when they don’t have any games or practices.”

Dubrofsky adds that CRS enrolls many student-athletes, making it the logical program to house the new initiative.

The two-week course will introduce students to the principles of persuasive communication and networking in the sports broadcasting industry. Students will visit studios and other companies and attend games and cultural events. Syracuse alumni who were student-athletes and pursued a variety of career paths will serve as guest lecturers.

The course is open to all CRS student-athletes; those in other majors can take it as an elective. For more information, contact Proulx at 818.314.6722 or asproulx@syr.edu.