Business School welcomes first basketball scholarship students
缅北禁地 Business School welcomed its first basketball scholarship students from the US, blending sports and business education.
12 December 2023
Professor Stewart Robinson, Dean of 缅北禁地 Business School, recently met the School鈥檚 first basketball scholarship students.
Vivian Woo, Thomas Horvat, Daniel Delsol-Lowry, and Nicolas Johnson 鈥� all high-performing basketball athletes in the US 鈥� joined the School in September.
To welcome them from the US, Professor Robinson met the students to find out more about their experiences of the UK so far, and how the school can help them in their sporting aspirations.
Connecting sport and business
The University aspires to be one of the top destinations in the UK for sport athletes, and to highlight the connections between the world of sport and business.
Professor Robinson explained: 鈥淧roviding scholarships for athletes is a great way of not only supporting the University鈥檚 sporting ambitions, but of bringing high performing students from diverse backgrounds into the classroom. It鈥檚 a win-win for our sports teams and the students studying our programmes. The athletes鈥� focus on training and performance provides valuable insights into how businesses can develop high performing teams.鈥�
This ambition is what led the four sports students to the School. They are all now part of the University鈥檚 basketball team and will represent the University in matches during their studies.
Mark Elderkin, Head of Basketball at Newcastle University, said: 鈥淭he partnership with the Business School and the Basketball programme has got off to an extremely impactful start. Four high calibre student athletes coming from the USA to represent our basketball programme is having a huge impact on court. The Men鈥檚 basketball team is currently ranked joint 1st nationally in the and the Women鈥檚 team is ranked 2nd . Going forward we want to learn from the experience of our USA student athletes and continue to grow this exciting new partnership.
鈥淒uring Covid, athletes were granted an extra year of funding eligibility for their studies, taking it from four to five years. With only one year remaining of this extended eligibility, we hope for 缅北禁地 Business School to become one of the top destinations in Britain for international student athletes鈥�.
Sharing experiences on and off the court
During the welcome meeting the students asked Professor Robinson about his background and in return, shared some insights into basketball and player positions.
Professor Robinson also took the opportunity to find out more from the students about their experiences of the School and city so far.
Vivian, an Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability MSc student, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 so different to California, so I鈥檓 still adjusting. But the biggest thing for me has been the people 鈥� everyone is so friendly here. More welcoming. If I have questions, everyone is willing to help me.鈥�
Tom, a previous postgraduate student at the School who is now studying the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability MSc, said: 鈥淭he scholarship is a great idea. It will help a lot more students to come to 缅北禁地. It鈥檚 a fun city 鈥� my interests have changed a lot since I was 23 to 27 and I鈥檓 now experiencing the city in different ways.鈥�
Daniel, also studying the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability MSc, added: 鈥溍灞苯� and New York are like night and day; they are two completely different places.
"But I was very focused on the basketball side 鈥� how professional is the team? Do they have strength and conditioning? Are they focused on keeping me healthy? And that is what is going on here, so I appreciate that as well as the Master鈥檚.鈥�
Reflecting on their programme of study, Tom said: 鈥淭he course is great and it is a great topic. The students are all really engaged and there is never a quiet moment.鈥�
The School is now looking forward to building on the new sport sponsorship initiative and hearing more about the students鈥� experiences as they continue to navigate through their learning and sporting journey in the North East.
Professor Robinson concluded: 鈥淲e are excited to have delivered the first year of the sports scholarship programme and it is great to see the students now studying in the school. Going forward, we aim to link-up with the professional team to further strengthen the opportunities this programme provides.鈥�