Sport management founding director instrumental in program’s national reputation for academic rigor, experiential learning, social responsibility
Michael D. Veley, M.P.S., Director and Chair of the Department of Sport Management, was named the inaugural Rhonda S. Falk Endowed Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University’s Falk College. His strategic vision has played an instrumental role in the development and growth of the Falk College’s undergraduate and graduate degrees in sport management while elevating its Department of Sport Management to national prominence.
In 2011, Syracuse University alumni David B. and Rhonda S. Falk committed $15 million to SU—one of the largest ever single gifts to the University. As part of their visionary and purposeful commitment to academics as a path to success, the Falks established a series of endowed professorships. These professorships allow the Falk College to support internationally recognized faculty to advance its mission rich in teaching, research, scholarship, practice and service.
“Michael has been the driving force behind the success of the sport management program at the David B. Falk College at Syracuse since its inception eight years ago. His dedication to the students, his vision for the future and his passion for the unique experiential learning process has created a truly special environment for both faculty and students,” said Rhonda and David Falk. “He is most deserving of recognition, and we are proud that the Falk family name and his performance will forever be linked together by this honor.”
The founding director of SU’s sport management program, Veley joined the Falk College in 2005 and was named department chair and professor of practice that following year. He has provided oversight and curriculum development for 19 new academically rigorous courses, including a new master of science degree in sport venue and event management launched in 2012. Veley has fostered experiential learning and social responsibility as signature aspects of the sport management program, which have contributed to its reputation for excellence and best practices in sport management education across the country.