When Amanda Ruthman, director of Sports Information and promotions specialist at Texas A&M International University, was looking to hire an assistant, she knew where to look.
Back to her alma mater - halfway across the country.
The 2014 graduate reached out to Penny Hite, Sport Management coordinator, who routinely posts job openings for her students. “I knew there had to be a great pool of candidates amongst those who were in the program, so sending the link to her was an obvious choice. The idea behind it was to allow someone with similar interests, who was qualified, to have an opportunity with TAMIU Athletics,” Ms. Ruthman explained.”
Tim Fairhead, who’s on deck to graduate in May with a degree in Sport Management and minor in Athletic Coaching, was among applicants from across the country who vied for the position.
“He was so excited about the position, indicting the job description included so many tasks he was very familiar with either through his internship experiences or class work,” Dr. Hite remembered. “We were able to work out a schedule that would allow him to finish his undergraduate degree online and graduate in May.”
Email exchanges between the two Fredonians led to on-site interviews, with TAMIU flying Fairhead from Buffalo to Laredo to meet Ruthman and the school’s associate athletics director. The official job offer made on Dec. 21, 2015 was promptly accepted, and Fairhead began his new job on Jan. 7.
Adding a new member to the TAMIU sports team who progressed through the same academic program as Ruthman did was an “extremely strong factor” in the evaluation process, Ruthman explained. “I knew he had been tested to his limits in the Sport Management program at Fredonia, and that he would be ready to take on the challenge. On top of that, we are easily able to reflect on the experiences that we had in the same classes when brainstorming in our office now,” she explained.
Though they shared majors, Ruthman and Fairhead didn’t know each other and their classes never overlapped; Ruthman completed her degree in just three years, graduating in 2014, so she was two years ahead of Fairhead.
“While he was working in the Fredonia Sports Information office, I was interning with the Erie Otters hockey club,” Ruthman said. The Ontario Hockey League franchise based in Erie, Pa., produced Connor McDavid, the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2015 National Hockey League draft. “Our paths never crossed directly on campus, but the mutual connection of being a member of the Sport Management program at Fredonia was enough to put us in the same network.”
In a nutshell, Ruthman said Fairhead “sold himself” because they spoke the same language. “He knew what I was talking about, sports information, or even Fredonia-related,” she explained. The Livonia native also brought a strong work ethic plus added depth in baseball that Ruthman welcomed.
“I came to learn that he was a hard worker, and that he completes his responsibilities with precision and expertise. All of these attributes complement my abilities as well, and (his hiring) became an obvious choice,” said Ruthman, who oversees TAMIU’s website content (statistics, schedules, rosters, game broadcasts, etc.), “Dustdevils” social media and athletics-based marketing – everything from game day presentation and promotions to graphic design and the school’s athletics brand licensing.
Ruthman joined TAMIU, part of the massive Texas A&M system, in 2015. She was seeking a position that involved game presentations, promotions/marketing or public/community relations. That Texas sits in the south - and the Buffalo native was “ready for warmth and sunshine” - was a bonus.
Fairhead credits Fredonia’s Sport Management program’s variety of classes for delivering insight into various aspects of careers in athletics. He also believes Fredonia Athletics Department internships – which spanned the second week of his first semester to the end of the Fall 2015 term - were also a strong selling point.
The Athletics trio of Sports Information Director Jerry Reilly, Assistant SID and Baseball Coach Matt Palisin, and Mike Kozlowski, who assists with events management and other department duties, gave Fairhead, who will also minor in Athletic Coaching, the opportunity to ratchet up responsibilities each semester and ultimately build an impressive resume.
Another strong factor was the interest that Department of Applied Professional Studies’ professors Mary Bolo, Dr. Sungick Min and Jason Becker showed in his future. “Each professor knew that I was driven and what my goals were, if I ever needed anything they were there to help me.” Resume building and career advice were also offered by Hite.
At TAMIU, Ruthman, who also has a minor in Athletic Coaching and Business Administration from Fredonia along with a M.S. in Sport Management from Niagara University, helps to plan promotional events for all home sporting events, develop website and press releases, report scores and statistics and contribute to public relations and marketing/fundraising projects.
The Fredonia duo has already developed promotional strategies for several basketball games and is in the midst of assembling a marketing/promotions plan for baseball and softball. “The office is run much like a team and we work together on almost every aspect of our daily job duties,” Fairhead said.
Both also work closely with 2010 Fredonia alumna Teresa (McCarthy) Renn, associate director of Student Orientation Leadership and Engagement. Though she’s in Student Affairs, they coordinate many events together.
Sport Management Coordinator Hite said she “couldn’t be happier for Tim and Amanda. “They were both outstanding students with outgoing and pleasing personalities. I stress to my students the importance of making themselves known to their professors through class discussions and exceptional outputs. Anyone who had Amanda and Tim as students knew them and knew they were both gifted and driven.”
Early on in their education, Hite said both were engaged and engaging. “They pursued high quality internships that were instrumental in securing positions that they now enjoy.”
