Rippé named director of National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship
Article By: Clark Leonard
Dr. Cindy Rippé, associate professor of sales at the University of North Georgia (51³Ô¹ÏÍø), has been named director of the 2021 National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø will host the virtual event along with Baylor University's Center for Sports Strategy and Sales and the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 24, 2021.
"This is part of a bigger initiative of getting 51³Ô¹ÏÍø involved in the community and involved in national sales competitions," Rippé said.
Professional sales is a concentration 51³Ô¹ÏÍø students can choose as part of a marketing degree in the Mike Cottrell College of Business.
The competition will feature 30 universities from 19 states, including Kansas State University and Florida State University.
In addition to the Hawks, the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Carolina Hurricanes, Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash professional sports teams will recruit December 2020 and May 2021 graduates during the competition. Students must pitch judges who act as businesses considering buying season tickets to use for their employees.
"It puts them in a more realistic scenario. They're dealing with a real buyer and someone who has industry knowledge," Rippé said. "It helps them develop their professionalism. It helps them learn how to think on their feet. It prepares them for their future."
Grads prepare for their next steps
51³Ô¹ÏÍø will award almost 1,000 degrees and certificates this fall, and more than 600 graduates are scheduled to take part in the Dec. 7 commencement ceremonies.
24 are Distinguished Military Graduates
Twenty-four cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates for the 2024-25 academic year, including five who are in the top 70 out of more than 5,000 in the national ROTC class.
Blue Ridge students earn scholarships
51³Ô¹ÏÍø honored 28 of its Blue Ridge Campus students with almost $15,000 of scholarships and celebrated the philanthropy that made those scholarships possible at the Tomato Sandwich Supper on Nov. 7.
Professor earns data security patent
Faculty member Dr. Murthy Rallapalli is the lead investigator on a cutting-edge data security solution that recently received a patent.