SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University trustee Andrew Berlin has donated $1 million to the school’s David B. Falk College and Human Dynamics for a “number of student-focused initiatives” in sport analytics.
Falk College launched its degree program in sport analytics in 2016, “responding to the sport industry’s need for trained professionals able to process and analyze ever-increasing amounts of information to guide data-driven decision-making,” the school said in a news release.
Berlin, who graduated from Syracuse in 1983, is chairman and CEO of Chicago, Illinois–based Berlin Packaging, a global supplier of glass, plastic and metal containers and closures. He is also described as a “partner owner” of the Chicago Cubs and its minor-league affiliate, the South Bend Cubs, per the release.
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“Syracuse University has played a very significant role by providing the foundation for my business success, and this gift is my way of making a commitment to help ensure that students will have the resources to make sport analytics the best program in the country,” Berlin said. “I believe this cutting-edge program — the first of its kind in the country — will shape the direction of the sports industry for years to come.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the job market for various data-analyst disciplines is growing at 27 percent annually, “far exceeding” the national job growth average of 11 percent.
The sport industry is the fifth-largest economic sector in the U.S. economy, generating slightly less than $500 billion in 2014-15, Syracuse said.
About the initiatives
The Berlin donation will provide scholarship and financial assistance to “select” undergraduate sport-analytics students, along with support for faculty research; participation in academic symposiums; and “student-focused,” sport-analytical competitions.
The school will select Berlin scholars, as they’ll be known, based on academic proficiency, research skills, and “experiential engagement.”
In addition, “outstanding” upper-level students interning with professional teams or sport-analytics companies will be eligible for participation as Berlin senior research associates to mentor younger classmates and conduct seminars on analytics techniques. Associates will also support sport-analytics faculty research that may include co-authoring journal articles and presenting research findings at domestic and international sport analytic and economic academic symposiums.
Plans for a lecture series and creation of an on-campus program for high-school students interested in sport analytics are also under development. An annual symposium featuring leading innovators in sport analytics will be hosted across the country, with the inaugural event taking place in Chicago to feature a panel of local industry executives and Syracuse sport-analytics professors. Over time, the symposium will incorporate graduates of the sport-analytics program, including Berlin scholars and Berlin senior research associates.
The future Berlin Sport Analytics Academy at Syracuse University will include guest speakers, projects, lectures, and activities for high-school students. Participants will gain first-hand knowledge presented by sport analytics faculty and students while enhancing their analytical problem-solving and presentational skills.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Photo credit: Syracuse University news website
