Pat O’Connor, CEO of Minor League Baseball will visit Florida A&M University today, March 31, as part of his Diversity Initiative.
The Minor League Baseball’s Diversity Initiative was announced during the 2008 winter meetings in Las Vegas. O’Conner has vowed to “recruit, hire and advance minorities, as well as develop an open market program to entice minority-owned business participation in the commerce of Minor League Baseball.”
A speaker series at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is one implementation for the initiative. The tour is designed to inform students of the opportunities available within the baseball industry. Accompanying O’Connor will be Darryl Henderson, of MLB operation and Jesse Simms, grandson of Jackie Robinson.
The visit will begin at 8:45 a.m. starting with a campus tour, which will be conducted by the Office of New Student Orientation. The first student session will be held in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communications Gallery at 9:45 a.m. After the student session there will be a FAMU athletics department meeting with Michael Smith, the interim athletics director.
There will be a second student session at the School of Allied Health, room 113, at 11:45 a.m. The tour will also feature FAMU Black Archives as a significant part of the visit. Concluding the visit will be a panel discussion on sports management and business in the School of Business Industry room G12 at 2:45 p.m.
“O’Conner’s Diversity Initiative is a great opportunity for students, faculty and staff to gain valuable insight about career opportunities within the Minor League Baseball organization which is headquartered right here in Florida,” said Angela Suggs, marketing director for the FAMU athletics department. Everyone has been working diligently to plan a successful and empowering event.
“For the CEO of Minor League Baseball to consider FAMU as a vital stop on the HBCU Tour is a big deal,” said Geremy Cheeks, marketing assistant for the FAMU athletics department. Students from all majors can benefit from this speaker series.
If you would like more information about the HBCU tour, contact the FAMU Athletic Department at (850) 599-3413 or follow on Twitter @FAMUAthletics