Event management minor students work on Boston Marathon, Cannes film festival through unique RSO
The event management minor in the recreation, parks and leisure services administration program is the fifth-largest minor on campus and the fastest growing.
The minor attracted 25 students when it was first approved in 2007. That number doubled by spring 2008, and today there are more than 300 students with an event management minor at Central Michigan University, according to university records.
Students involved with the degree contacted Meeting Professionals International, an organization focused on event planning, to ask how they could participate. They formed the Beyond Hands On registered student organization and established working partnerships with Carnival Cruises, the Country Music Awards Festival and the Boston Marathon.
Lorie Tuma, an advisor and instructor in the RPL program, said the CMU chapter of MPI is the only active student-run chapter in the world.
“I sit in amazement and watch students turn into pros on their own initiative,” she said.
Tuma said students called MPI members across the country looking for events and offering assistance on their own initiative.
She said she is proud of the students for all they have done with the group..
“They do it all,” she said.
Christian Matthews, a Rochester sophomore, said he did event planning in high school. When a friend told him about the event management minor and RSO on campus, he knew it was for him.
The experience is invaluable, Matthews said.
“Every interview I’ve been to, they ask ‘who do you know?” he said.
He has made many professional connections that will benefit him in the future, he said.
Through Beyond Hands On, students volunteered for the CMA Music Festival 2010 and were invited back to work the CMA music awards that fall. Members also helped to launch the first- and second-annual Louisville's International Festival of Film.
Through connections the group has made, they have been invited to help launch the Cannes Film Festival May 8. A group of 12 students will also travel to Boston to work on the Boston Marathon in April.
Marine City senior Lindsay Ostin encouraged students to check out the minor by speaking to an adviser.
“It’s worth giving it a chance,” Ostin said.
Tuma said the interdisciplinary minor is a popular choice for many recreation and hospitality students. Other common pairings are with the integrative public relations and secondary education programs, she said.
The minor requires two credits of field work which equates to 80 hours of planning a non-profit event with an organization. Students can choose whether they want to focus on planning meetings and conferences or special events like the Super Bowl halftime show.
Tuma said the students in the minor also act as ambassadors for the new Events Center. They give tours, provide security and act as ushers.
