By: John Beisser, Feature Writer, Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office

It hasn't taken long for the Global Sports Business Graduate Program (GSB) at Rutgers University to make its mark. In just its eighth year of existence, the program has been ranked as the 18th-best sports management program in the nation by SportBusiness while also has being ranked seventh in the world, and third in the United States, in average starting salary.
 
Established within the School of Arts and Sciences because of the required strong interdisciplinary approach, the 15-month program features classroom work in the fall, spring and summer followed by an Executive Residency. It's a program that produces graduates who are fully prepared to enter the competitive business world of sports, often directly with the company at which they interned.
 
Two of the more than 150 students who've completed the master's program are former Scarlet Knight women's lacrosse player Kelsey Cuje-Walker and former member of the RU men's golf team, Ryan Rose COM'17, each of whom earned their undergraduate degrees in 2017.

GSB is led by Executive Director Mark Beal, who has more than 30 years of leadership experience in sports business, including at Taylor where developed award-winning strategic and creative public relations campaigns centered around such major sports and entertainment platforms as the Olympic Games, Super Bowl, World Series, US Open, New York City Marathon, NASCAR and the Rolling Stones.
 

"I absolutely loved the program. It really shed light on a bunch of different areas within the sports world," said Cuje-Walker, who now serves as an Integrated Marketing & Sales Manager for ZIYNX, a company that supports student-athletes in their transition from sport into the workforce by treating NIL more like a micro-internship than a transaction.

"The sports community is so vast, there are so many different aspects to it. And so many different ways you can get into it. So I feel like this program at Rutgers is able to really give a full scope of the sports industry," Cuje-Walker continued. "And then within that you were able to find what you liked which I found really important. The guest speakers who our teachers brought in were really great for us to be able to be like 'ok, this person made it, so can I.'"

Rose, meanwhile, began his career right out of college at Endeavor, a global sports marketing company where he worked for three years on a team that led Allstate's sports partnerships portfolio, including college football. In 2020, he returned to Rutgers for a two-year stint as an assistant golf coach for the Scarlet Knights and served in this capacity while earning his master's at the same time.
 
"I think pursuing a master's degree in the Rutgers Global Sports Business Graduate Program was an incredible experience," Rose said. "Just getting to know the professors along with the course curriculum, it was really eye-opening in terms of what all was out there. And so I am super glad that I went through and did it. I really enjoyed Sam Caucci's sales and revenue generation class. I never thought of myself as a sales-oriented person but the class did end up tying into the skillset that I had developed in the sponsorship space. We had some fun projects. Professor Caucci was awesome and engaging."

"Another course I really liked was organizational strategy with Professor (Jason) Belzer," Rose continued. "I really enjoyed his teaching style. He's direct and to the point and he always asks and calls on students with great, engaging questions. I think just hearing his insights and his experience working across a few different parts of the sports world was really beneficial. This was another course that I felt just had really engaging projects and assignments to where we could sort of put our skills to the test which was really enjoyable."
 
GSB is led by Executive Director Mark Beal, who has more than 30 years of leadership experience in sports business, including at Taylor where developed award-winning strategic and creative public relations campaigns centered around such major sports and entertainment platforms as the Olympic Games, Super Bowl, World Series, US Open, New York City Marathon, NASCAR and the Rolling Stones.
 
"Our program has 13 courses that cover all aspects of the sports business," said Beal in the same passionate and enthusiastic delivery his students have come to know since he first became an adjunct professor in the Rutgers School of Communication and Information in 2013. "So, there's a sports law class, a sports finance class, there's a sports marketing class, there's a sports media class, there's a sports administration class where you learn how to run a professional sports team."
 
The pride in Beal's voice is palpable when he highlights the accomplishments of those who've gone through the program and the many who will go on to big things in the sports industry going forward.

"We have approximately 20 students in the program at a time so the students learn alongside their cohort," said Beal. "They're at Major League Baseball, they're at the NFL, they're at the NBA. There are now alums who are certified agents, they're NFL agents. Some are working for leading agencies. There are alums who are working at universities and at sports entities like Fanatics. It's pretty impressive where they all are and where they've evolved to in their respective careers."
 
As the program grows in stature, it's now attracting students from all corners of the globe and Beal is proud of the diversity of the students who come through the program.

The pride in Beal's voice is palpable when he highlights the accomplishments of those who've gone through the program and the many who will go on to big things in the sports industry going forward.

 "There are Rutgers undergrads who enter the program but there are also students from Kenya, India, and Ireland," he said. "And some, but not all, are former student-athletes whether if they're from Rutgers or not. For example, there's a former student-athlete from Dartmouth who played on the women's lacrosse team and is completing her executive residency at NFL Films. Two current Rutgers women's basketball players are studying in the program. Chyna Cornwell and Jo Jo Lacey, who just transferred in from Boston College. I had both of them in class this summer. So, it's a real interesting and diverse mix."

What sets the program apart from others is that the professors, each of whom has his or her own wide network of contacts, who are not just teaching theory out of a book. They are current leaders themselves in the sports industry, sharing their first-hand knowledge and real-life experiences.
 
"As an example, our sports finance course is taught by the individual who led finance for Major League Baseball for years. She reported directly to the commissioner of Major League Baseball," Beal exclaimed. "The sports administration course where they teach you to run a professional sports team is being taught by the president of the Jersey Shore Blue Claws who used to be the president of the Staten Island Yankees. And so our students, in their very first semester in the program, are being taught how to actually run every aspect of a professional team.
 
"The Global program was truly a Godsend," says Cuje-Walker. "I'm very grateful for the connections I've made through the program. It's just so great to be a part of this network because you're never ever going to lose that. So being a part of Rutgers and being a part of this program is something that you can really wear on your chest and people respect that. You truly feel connected and will take the phone call or reach out to anyone who came through the program.
 
"How important was the Rutgers University Global Sports Business Master's program to me?," asked Cuje-Walker. "It completely changed my life."

Learn more about the Communications Department on the Rutgers School of Communication and Information website. 
 
This article was originally posted on Rutgers Today on December 18, 2024 and the Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office on December 12, 2024.

Photos: Top credit: John O'Boyle; middle: former golfer Ryan Rose, former Lacrosse player Kelsey Cuje. Courtesy of the Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office.