James Rollison (’25), studied abroad during his spring break in 2024 in England, studying “The Business of Football” with UMW professors David Henderson and Ken Machande.
James toured London, Blackburn, Manchester, and Liverpool with a group of other UMW students. While there, he attended two Premier League, one Championship, and one Champions League soccer matches as well as toured numerous stadiums, including Old Trafford, the stadium of Manchester United. They also visited the National Football Museum and they had a special a session with the UCFB (University Campus of Football Business), a university that offers degrees that all involve soccer, and took a behind-the-scenes tour of Blackburn’s stadium and training facilities.
Not only did this experience fit in perfectly with James’ business administration-marketing major and minor in sports management, but it also resonated with him as a varsity soccer player for UMW:
My abroad experience was amazing. As a soccer player, there’s nothing that I love more than watching and playing the sport and this trip offered the perfect opportunity to mix my passion with my major.
The Beyond the Classroom Endowment provides scholarships and grants to help students achieve transformative experiences “beyond the classroom” in research, internships, and study abroad. Keith Mellinger, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, began raising money for the endowment in the fall of 2020, with a goal of $1,000,000. In fall 2023 the endowment started generating funds for distribution, and to date has supported nine student internships and six students studying abroad. As the endowment grows, and generates more funds annually, the BtC Endowment will support even more students like these in their adventures in learning abroad!
Leave a Reply