Home » Executive » New EMBA program prepares athletes and artists for second careers

New EMBA program prepares athletes and artists for second careers

Executive | Aug 16, 2018 |

By Claire Curry

Note: This excerpt was originally published in the Fordham Newsroom and was re-published here on GabelliConnect.

Photo by Chris Taggart

Throughout his childhood in Fort Worth, Texas, Jason Fox was an all-around athlete who dreamed of making it to the NFL one day. After the University of Miami recruited him, he achieved that goal and played in the NFL for several years with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. But after a series of injuries, he began to plan for the future.

“As much as you think your career is going to last forever, eventually one day it’s going to end,” Fox said. “I wanted to be prepared for life after football.” Fox enrolled in an Executive MBA program designed for athletes at the University of Miami and eventually retired from football. He said that the advanced degree provided the foundations for him to become an entrepreneur. “It gave me the tools and network to launch a tech startup,” he added. After a year in the making, Earbuds, his new social music platform, will go live this fall.

A similar version of the EMBA program Fox completed is coming to the Gabelli School of Business. The program, which caters to athletes and artists, was introduced at an August 2 event at the Gabelli School, which included panel discussions by top CEOs and athletes-turned-business professionals.

“Overall, this segment is looking to reinvent themselves and reinvention is oftentimes arduous,” said Associate Dean Francis Petit, who will oversee this niche Executive MBA. “This program will provide the necessary tools.”

The first cohort is expected to begin in winter 2019, following a curriculum similar to the existing Executive MBA program. Modular in format, it will include team projects, career coaching, presentations, and site visits to companies in the New York area, along with a capstone project.

“In essence, they will travel this academic journey together, similar to their team experiences throughout their playing days,” Petit said, adding that the program will eventually include artists, celebrities, and other creative professionals. 

The new EMBA program is the result of a collaboration with Jack Brewer, who launched the Miami program Fox attended after a career in the NFL playing for the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

For more on the program and launch event, see the story in Fordham News.

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