Innovision Spring 2019

SPRING 2019 | 31 NEW FACULTY Where were you before accepting your position here at KU? What was your role there? Prior to coming to Kutztown, I was an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Keystone College where I also served as the chair of both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Why did you say yes to KU? There are multiple reasons why I said yes to Kutztown. First and foremost, coming to Kutztown was a “step up” for me in terms of academic setting and rigor. Knowing that the College of Business maintained AACSB accreditation and that the Sport Management department maintainedCOSMA accreditationwas verification of that. As well, the members of my search committee made it very difficult to say anything but yes. It was an incredibly welcoming department that acts as a whole to serve the students. And for a more personal reason, my wife and I lived in Canada for four years while I earned my Ph.D., then in Scranton while I worked at Keystone. Accepting the job at Kutztown finally puts us right down the road from family which was important to both of us. What do you like the most about KU? Is it cliché if I say the students? Regardless, that is the truth. Faculty members are expected to teach, serve, research and publish. I enjoy doing all of those. Students are the driving force behind what I do. I enjoy walking into the classroom every day and interacting with my students. There are outstanding students here at Kutztown. What is different about KU from where you were before? The biggest difference is the size. The total on-campus student population at Keystone was just about 1,000 students. When you divide that among all the potential majors, the sport management program at Keystone was a small fraction of the size of the program here at Kutztown. What are some words you would use to describe the students at KU? I would describe the students as engaged and lively. They are also not afraid to debate and defend their opinions. How did your first day go? It consisted of a mix of excitement and nervousness – though, I’ve heard senior scholars with decades of experience say that feeling never really goes away. It helped me to consider that, perhaps, the students were just as curious about me as I was them. Approaching the first day with that mentality helped create some dialogue about my background and experiences which helped the students get to know me as somebody other than the “new faculty member.” Tell me the story of how you got here. After I graduated with my M.Ed. in Sport Management from Millersville University, I accepted a job as a Director of Athletic Communications for a NCAA DII school. I was not there long before deciding to pursue my Ph.D. I ended up moving to London, Ontario for four years after deciding I wanted to study under the tutelage of a specific faculty member at the University of Western Ontario. After that, I spent four years on the tenure track at Keystone College. Before I received my tenure and promotion decision from Keystone, I accepted the offer from Kutztown. Could you summarize your first semester here at KU? Tell me about any significant events you participated in or attended. I’ve been through the “first semester” twice – when I hired at both Keystone and Kutztown. They’re always the same: frantic and tiring. My first semester at Kutztown was filled with what seemed like never-ending class prep and lecture writing. It was nice to culminate that crazy first semester by attending the December commencement ceremony. I have always found those invigorating – the pomp and circumstance and student pride always reminds me of the reasons why I decided to become a faculty member. BRAD CONGELIO PROFESSOR OF SPORT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STUDIES