During Sunday’s game versus the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center, the Buffalo Sabres honored the first graduating class of Niagara University’s Sabres Scholars program. Since the program began three years ago, Niagara’s College of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management has selected 10 applicants in each class for a career-focused partnership with the Sabres. The Sabres […]
During Sunday’s game versus the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center, the Buffalo Sabres honored the first graduating class of Niagara University’s Sabres Scholars program.
Since the program began three years ago, Niagara’s College of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management has selected 10 applicants in each class for a career-focused partnership with the Sabres. The Sabres Scholars meet, learn from and, in some cases, intern for industry professionals with the Sabres, Bandits, Bills and LECOM Harborcenter – opportunities that launch or advance their pursuit of careers in sports.
“It has worked out wonderfully,” said Dr. Timothy Ireland, Niagara’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, who worked with the Sabres in creating this program. “It’s a program that I’m incredibly proud of, because it helps students from the local community, it helps the Sabres get access to a talented potential workforce, and everybody benefits.”
Selected students receive a $1,500 scholarship and embark on a four-year progression. As freshmen, they’re introduced to employees across the Buffalo organizations’ front offices. In their second year, they participate in a case-study project and present their hypothetical solutions.
“We got to meet a variety of staff through the program,” said Sabres Scholars junior Evan Blatner. “We’ve met staff in marketing, legal, PR, social media – a wide variety, which has given us a great experience to hear everyone’s background. And (it’s) given us a little bit of a head start on what we may want to study in college and do after we graduate.”
During their junior year, Sabres Scholars are encouraged to apply for an internship with the Sabres. Accepted or not, they’re still paired with a front-office mentor to continue identifying career goals and familiarize themselves with that mentor’s job. And seniors, preparing for post-graduate careers, receive continued mentorship and job interview training.
Marc Barnat, one of 10 in this year’s graduating class, joined the Sabres in December as a business development intern. Sabres Scholars programming had piqued his interest in brand partnerships and, as it turned out, given him a leg up in that internship selection process.
“Making those connections really ended up paying off – having those familiar faces on a Microsoft Teams call,” said Barnat, who’s also done unpaid brand partnership work with Niagara’s athletic department. “There were three people on that call that I’d met before, so they were already familiar with my path.
“Ever since then, it’s been great working on the business development team. It’s me and three other interns, all in college, and we work great together.”
Corporate partnership, fittingly, is the foundation of the Sabres Scholars program. The Sabres benefit from, in Dr. Ireland’s words, “a group of highly motivated, talented young students who want to work in sports.”
Niagara University, meanwhile, can reach additional markets full of potential future students; Ireland listed Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City and Southern Ontario as areas comprising large chunks of Niagara’s student body.
“When the Sabres skate in Ottawa, we get digital advertising either on the glass or on the boards,” Ireland said. “It’s just highlighting, here’s an institution of higher education in the Buffalo market. We get on radar screens of hundreds of thousands of families in a region where we’re really interested in drawing students. From my perspective, that’s a huge win. And if we pick up students in that market who are interested in sport management, I think it’s great.”
The program helps Niagara stand out to those sports-interested students as they consider school options. Sabres Scholars, once accepted and enrolled, enjoy early-college opportunities to explore those interests and decide if they do, in fact, want to pursue them; the returns have been positive, to date.
“My understanding is that every student that has jumped into the Sabres Scholars opportunity has had a really good experience and would love to stay in the arena of collegiate or professional sports,” Ireland said.
Indeed, Sabres Scholars has confirmed both Blatner and Barnat’s desire to work in sports. The former, from nearby Wheatfield, appreciates his exposure to a variety of departments and has applied that learning as a student manager for the men’s hockey team at Niagara – a role involving marketing, ticket sales, sponsorships and more.
“In the sports industry, getting involved hands-on, whether it’s with a team or program such as Sabres Scholars here, is essential,” Blatner said. “It’s had a great value to my career so far.”
Barnat, from Syracuse, will be returning home after graduation to intern with the Syracuse Mets. He initially chose Niagara because of its proximity to major-league sports organizations and wound up working for one in the Sabres. With a jump start through Sabres Scholars, Barnat now feels equipped for a successful career in the industry.
“I think the scholarship program is a great way to gain experiential learning,” he said. “The growth I’ve seen is pretty cool – being a shy kid at first. Now I’m more outgoing and willing to do more, just thanks to going out in the industry, making myself uncomfortable and growing from those scenarios.”
