In the News
- University of South Carolina launching sports business program in Charlotte: Charlotte Business Journal (feat. HRSM)
- Camden appoints first tourism director to boost visitor numbers and local appeal: WLTX (feat. Rich Harrill)
- Fed food stamp cuts may cost SC over $100 million. How will it worsen hunger?: The State (feat. Scott Taylor Jr.)
- New boutique hotel coming to Columbia's Vista: WLTX and other outlets (feat. HRSM)
- Do you expect initial rewards bonuses on travel rewards credit cards to get better or worse in the next 12 months?: WalletHub (feat. Joohyung Park)
- Out-of-state enrollment at public colleges is at an all-time high. What that means for SC students: Post and Courier (feat. HRSM)
- Who should consider applying for a secured credit card?: WalletHub (feat. Mike Moody)
Faculty and Staff Notes
- Congratulations to the HRSM employees who completed their First Aid/CPR/AED certification on July 23: Tim Burke, Jasmine Carter, Kimberly Chamberlain, Sarah Davis, Emma Dickenson, Karen Edwards, Kiara Hare, Erica Lake, Georgia Petritsis, Stephanie Richards, Ashley Richardson, Stephen Shapiro, Kathy Smiling, Scott Smith, Sandy Strick, and Lys Wright.
- Brian Mihalik presented at the 12th Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing and Management (AHTMM) Conference in Faro, Portugal. His topic was “Utilizing sentiment, thematic clustering, and word cloud analysis to test the effects of experientialism theory via 360-degree virtual reality,” a paper authored by himself, Linda Mihalik and Jaron Coney.
- Armen Shaomian received an Excel Grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research. The Excel Funding Program was founded in 2022 to help faculty in liberal arts, humanities and social sciences pursue top-quality research, scholarly and creative projects.
- Karen Edwards and Armen Shaomian have been recognized by University Libraries with 2025 SCoer awards. The awards, given annually through a competitive application process, provide resources and support to assist faculty with the adoption of Open Education Resources (OER) for their classes. To date, use of these materials, which are freely available online, in place of traditional textbooks has saved USC Columbia students more than $3 million.
- The Feed the Flock Initiative has now sent more than 2,500 meals to the Gamecock CommUNITY Shop!! The food upcycling effort is led by Scottt Taylor, Jr. with the help and support of Key Kaiser, Robby Lybrand, Madison Jones, Emma Dickenson, Sydney Lynch, Emma Burton, Maggie Thrasher, Jessica Chavis and the Chavis girls, Carol Como and the Como girls, the Food Recovery Network, Sustainable Carolina, Carolina Food Co., Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Mu and Upper Crust Food Service. The meals provided by Feed the Flock are supporting USC students and their families who may be facing food insecurity or limited resources during the summer. We are hopeful that we can expand our work during the school year and develop additional partnerships across campus to provide ready-to-eat meals by recovering excess food from campus dining and other foodservice providers.
- Mark Nagel authored “Women professional athletes and their personal brands on social media: An analysis of 2020 and 2021 WNBA player photos on Instagram,” published in Sport, Business, and Management.
- Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana completed the Educate the Educators 2025 Workshop with Cotton Incorporated. Over three days, he and other educators explored the full journey of cotton, from the farm to the final product.
- Recent Ph.D. graduate Grace Kazmierski-Davie and Khalid Ballouli co-authored “Development and Transition in Crisis: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Division I College Athletes,” published in the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience.
- Nick Watanabe co-authored “Climate risks in motorsport: setting boundary conditions in Formula 1,” published in European Sport Management Quarterly.
- Haemoon Oh authored “Self-concept and theory of planned behaviour for pro-environmental behaviour,” published in Current Issues in Tourism.
- Jiyeon Kim and Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana authored “Exploring Socio-Psychological Drivers and Pathways of Sustainable Fashion Consumption,” published in the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology.
- Mark Nagel authored the chapter “Sporting goods and sport licensing” in Governance in Sport, 2nd Edition.
- Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana authored “Towards sustainability: a bibliometric study on advances in textile research” published in Sustainability Nexus Forum.
- Recent Ph.D. graduate Alex Arhin authored “Technology-induced sustainability paradox: A Marxist’s critique of water conservation in hotels,” published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
- Mark Nagel co-authored “High performance international student-athletes’ (ISAs’) career experience: Cultural intelligence (CQ) and transition to SEC schools,” published in the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience.
Student Notes
- Congratulations to the newest HRSM PhDs!
- Hospitality Management: Alex Arhin, Badr Badraoui, Hui Jiang, Lali Odosashvili, Damla Sonmez (advisor Scott Taylor Jr.)
- Sport and Entertainment Management: Deukmook Bae (advisor Stephen Shapiro), Grace Kazmierski Davie (advisor Khalid Ballouli), Chan Hyeon Hur (advisor Nick Watanabe), Suji Kim (advisor John Grady), Deokkyung Ock (advisor Yongjin Hwang), Kemardo Tyrell (advisor Khalid Ballouli)
- Richard Beane (Sport and Entertainment Management) interned this summer as assistant general manager for the Sanford Spinners of The Old North State League.
- Tonazia Benson (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations) completed Belk’s Sophomore Spree program.
- Kirstyn Dietrich (Services Management) started a new position as marketing assistant at the Charleston Pour House.
- Zoe Elwell (Sport and Entertainment Management) was accepted into the College Hockey South Internship Program for the 2025-2026 season.
- Maria Holevas (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations) completed an internship with the Greek brand, Selini.
- Ethan LaVarnway (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management) joined Chicago Fire FC as an inside sales representative.
- Sydney Lynch (Tourism Management) completed the Beverage Specialist Certificate through the Society of Wine Educators.
- Charlie Price (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a full-time position as events coordinator with the Charleston RiverDogs.
- Madi Schnepfe (Tourism Management) helped plan and execute the Talent Commerce Summit in Los Angeles as part of her internship with Celebrity Packaged Goods, and earned the Paul Gibson Scholarship from the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association for the second consecutive year.
Alumni Notes
- Taylor Abelman (Hospitality Management, ‘16) started a new position as senior operations manager at Rowing Blazers.
- Badr Badraoui (Ph.D. Hospitality Management, ‘25) started a new position as assistant professor at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
- Charlotte Basnight (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising, ‘14) started a new position as vice president of product at Shibumi Shade.
- Zach Bendheim (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘24) joined InProduction as a partnership development representative.
- Riley Blampied (Retailing - Retail Management, ‘24) accepted a new position as an assistant softball coach at Marshall University.
- Brittany Jones Brady (Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, ‘10) will serve as 2025-26 president of the North Carolina Economic Development Association.
- Ryan Brewer (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘23) accepted a new position as director of service with Peak Sports MGMT and The Citadel Sports Properties.
- Grace Clerk (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘22), now a law student at UCLA, will be joining BakerHostetler as a full time associate in the fall of 2026.
- Gabriel Cobb (Interdisciplinary Studies in Services Management, ‘24) accepted a new position as director of marketing with Coastal Carolina Athletics.
- Kylie Corbett (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘25) new position as partnerships intern at Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K.
- Lori Anna Varnadoe Davis (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘11) has been selected for the Leadership South Carolina Class of 2026 cohort.
- Marissa DelGado (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘19) started a new position as national events specialist with USA Swimming.
- Kristin Detweiler (Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration, ‘95) and her company, Savannah Destination Management, were featured in The Meeting Professional.
- Carrington Dirks (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘24) started a new position as a fan experience graduate assistant at Mercer University.
- Sophie Dragomire (Sport and Entertainment Management ‘25 and Dance Performance/Choreography ‘25) accepted an offer to join Cincinnati Ballet in the Professional Training Division for the 2025-2026 season.
- Micah Eargle (Hospitality Management, ‘23) started a new position as an associate with CHMWarnick Hotel Asset Management & Business Advisory.
- Morgan Edlin (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘13) started a new position as financial analyst at University of South Carolina Student Affairs and Academic Support.
- Tony Enriquez (Hospitality Management, ‘24) started a new position with Oak View Group as concessions/event manager for the food & beverage operations at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and the Township Auditorium.
- Amani Felton (Retailing - Retail Management, ‘24) started a new role as merch team lead with PepsiCo.
- Matt Garrick (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘08) completed his MBA at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- Abbey Hayes (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘25) will join IMG Academy in August as an event coordinator for their soccer and track & field teams.
- Tyler Heath (Hospitality Management '21, Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, '22) was promoted to sales manager with Signia by Hilton Atlanta.
- Lindsey Hendrix (Retailing, ‘10) began a new role as a business owner, opening Tampa’s first Little Gym.
- Hyunsu Kim (Hospitality Management Ph.D., ‘22) joined the Dept. of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management at the University of Macau as an assistant professor.
- Josh King (Sport and Entertainment Management ‘13, Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘14) started a new position as assistant athletic director/AD for engagement & athlete career development at Davidson College.
- Zach Lambert (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘24) will be joining the Baltimore Ravens Guest Services & Hospitality team for the 2025 season.
- Payten Martin (Sport and Entertainment Management ‘19, Master of Sport and Entertainment Management ‘21) started a new position as senior manager, brands at Wasserman.
- Neal Olsgard (Sport and Entertainment Management) started a new position as senior human resources manager at CMC.
- Whitney Policky (Retailing - Retail Management, ‘25) accepted a new role as marketing and communications lead for Pieces And Peaches and Rugged Refined.
- Wes Rowe (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘12) joined McConnell Golf to serve as general manager of Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina
- James Strickland (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘14) was promoted to senior corporate counsel at Compass Group.
- Jill Travetto (Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, ‘11) started a new position as regional vice president, revenue strategy at Aimbridge Hospitality.