Former Bulldog Part Of Sports Speaker Series
Big Rapids, Mich. - A former Ferris State University
student-athlete and employee will return to campus for a special
speaking engagement on Monday (March 28) as the Sports
Communication Program continues its Sports Speaker Series with
three sessions in the next one-week period.
Ira Childress, who currently serves as the
National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Assistant
Director for Leadership Development at the national headquarters in
Indianapolis, will speak to sports communication students at Ferris
State about his role in the field.
Childress played football at Ferris in the late 1990's and was a
member of the school's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (GLIAC) Championship team in 1999. He later served
as the Associate Alumni Relations Director at FSU prior to his NCAA
appointment.
Monday's presentation will take place in Room 111 of the Business
Building on the FSU campus at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on Monday. It is
open to the general public along with all sports communication
students.
In his role with the NCAA, Childress is responsible for
administering the Future Football Coaches Academy, the NCAA and NFL
Football Coaches Academy, the NCAA and NFL Life Skills and
Professional Development Summit along with the NCAA Sports and
Entertainment Summit. Childress received his Bachelor of Science
degree in Applied Speech Communication and a Master of Education
degree, both from Ferris State University. His professional
experiences in broadcast journalism have allowed him to cover such
events as the NBA Finals, the World Series, and the Super Bowl.
Childress also oversees the Division II Coaching Enhancement
Grant, as well as the Diversity Education program, which conducts
on-campus diversity education workshops to member institutions
providing a positive learning environment that teaches the values
of diversity in maximizing team effectiveness.
The Sports Speaker Series enables students to learn about careers
in national sports organizations with helpful hints about entering
the field from a Ferris State University graduate. It is part
of Ferris' spring 2011 sports communication course, a 300-level
class taught by professor Sandy Alspach and the
capstone course for the university's Sports Communication
minor.
The course examines how participants and observers of sports
communicate. As part of their work, students of the course and the
academic minor break down how the sports industry has evolved and
how it grows as a cultural phenomenon. Students study how sports
organizations function through the integration of athletes,
managers and audiences through communication.
Prior to Childress' speaking engagement next week, the Sports
Speaker Series' continues this Wednesday (March 23) with FSU
alum Askia Allison ('99), an international kickboxing champion and
coach slated to speak at 4:30 p.m. (ET) in the IRC Building Room
115.
Additionally, Grand Rapids Press Sports Editor Mary Ullmer will
speak the following Wednesday (March 30) at 4:30 p.m. (ET) in IRC
115 with a special dinner to follow inside the private dining room
at The Rock on the FSU campus. Seating is limited for both
sessions in the IRC building.
"We are fortunate that so many staff, alumni and friends of Ferris
sports have stepped forward to participate in class discussions
with the students in the new Sports Communication course,”
Alspach said.
“I’m especially grateful to (Ferris) Athletics
Director Perk Weisenburger, who has worked with us
to identify and coordinate speakers,” she added.
“Together, in our first year, we are building a strong base
for this program to grow and provide a strong bridge between the
academic program and the athletic program at Ferris.”
For more information on the sports speaker series, please contact
Sandy Alspach at (231) 591-2779 or email alspachs@ferris.edu.
