In the News
- Here’s how much folks in these SC cities can spend on the holidays before going bust, report says: The State (feat. Mike Moody)
- LOVB Houston brings professional volleyball to the Bayou City, with a twist: Houston Chronicle (feat. Nick Watanabe)
- South Carolina lawmakers to discuss sports betting bill again: WSPA and other outlets (feat. Mark Nagel)
- Best Travel Credit Cards: WalletHub (feat. Darron Kirkley)
- New Orleans tourism economy hopes for stability after terrorist attack: Louisiana Illuminator (feat. Lori Pennington-Gray)
- Adding Menswear Staples To Your 2025 Wardrobe Just Got Easier: Essence (feat. Donald Pollard)
Faculty and Staff Notes
- Terry (Haekyung) Kim received the Kim Johnson Best Doctoral Student Paper Award (Doctoral Level 1st Place) at the 2024 International Textile and Apparel Association conference.
- Richard Southall and Mark Nagel received the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport’s prestigious Outstanding Book Award for The NCAA and the Exploitation of College Profit-Athletes: An Amateurism That Never Was.
- Rich Harrill served as a keynote speaker at the 8th international online Conference on Contemporary Studies in Management.
- Erica Lake presented on "Career Tracks: Empowering students with mentors who represent various underrepresented backgrounds" at the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers annual conference in Orlando.
Student Notes
- Rory Bennett (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted an internship with the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame for spring semester.
- Margaret David (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted an event marketing internship with Gamecock athletics for spring semester.
- Samantha Brown (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a field manager internship with Perfect Game.
- Lauren Frasier-Jeffries (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted an internship with the Gamecock football recruiting staff for spring semester.
- Reilly Kelley (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations) accepted a new position as a site merchandiser with Crate & Barrel on their digital team.
- Bella Larson (Sport and Entertainment Management) served as the show runner for the Darius Rucker Southern State of Mind show at the Township Auditorium.
- Junior Saint Juste (Sport and Entertainment Management) represented the University of South Carolina at the 2024 Southeastern Conference Career Tour.
- Nicole Tognetti (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a position with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars as a promotions intern for the 2025 season.
- Jaime Torres (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management) interned with the Houston Texans and the Texas Bowl over winter break.
- Nicole Wasserman (Hospitality Management) interned with the Palmetto Club over winter break.
Alumni Notes
- Mackenzie Albrecht (Hospitality Management, ‘24) accepted a position with PGA of America as the volunteer operations coordinator for the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
- Sara Wingate Bako (Retailing, ‘04) was featured in Women in Retail’s “10 of Our Favorite Women in Retail Quotes From 2024.”
- Jessica Hubert (Hospitality Management, ‘24) accepted a position in the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Management Development Program. She will spend the next year rotating through and training with every department at Marriott's Crystal Shores resort in Marco Island, Florida.
- Elizabeth Jenkins (Hospitality Management, ‘21 and Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, ‘22) started a new position as front office manager at Waldorf Astoria Orlando.
- Corey Jones (Hospitality Management, ‘14) received the Google Atlanta Citizenship Award.
- Courtney Mauldin (Hospitality Management, ‘16) was named Manager of the Year for Lakewood Camping Resort Inc.
- Noko Nashville, founded and owned by Jon Murray (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘05), was named one of OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants for 2024.
- Alyssa Odell (Hospitality Management, ‘24) accepted a position with the United States Golf Association (USGA) as a 2025 U.S. Open Mid-Term Volunteer Administration Intern.
- Ellie Schlesinger (Sport and Entertainment Management, '24) was promoted to account executive with the Carolina Panthers.
- Jaclyn Yost (Tourism Management, ‘16) started a new position as senior manager, event sponsorships at Dotdash Meredith, supporting the Travel+Leisure brand.
- Jiaxin Zhang (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘21) founded and is leading Flying Stars Sport, a diversified sports company based in Chengdu, China, that integrates an all-English sport academy, community sports services, school sports service, and sports study abroad.