A contest in the School of Information Studies could bring students face to face with executives from Major League Baseball, as well as provide opportunities for future internships.

 

Students taking iSchool courses have the opportunity to participate in the MLB.com University Challenge, a contest in which teams of two to five members propose innovative ideas for areas in need of improvement on MLB.com, said Julie Walas, the coordinator of the contest. 

 

‘We’re really hoping to inspire creativity and inspiration,’ Walas said. ‘We’re hoping a student can do anything, from design a new database to design a new element to their website.’

 

The idea for the contest stemmed from a conversation between iSchool alumnus John Frost, Walas and a current MLB.com employee about reaching out to college students and connecting students with employers, Walas said. Joe Kanakaraj, a 2001 iSchool alumnus, and Mike Hoffman, SU graduate of 1993, also helped organize the contest alongside Frost, Rubin and Walas. 

 

On Sept. 17, the deadline to enroll in the competition, each team will receive a problem it must solve. Over the course of two months, each group will draft proposals based on three criteria: creativity, practicality and professionalism, according to the MLB.com University Challenge website. 

 

In mid-October, teams will have a teleconference with representatives of MLB.com to ask questions and clarify case studies. 

 

‘Students will have the ability to play the role as a consultant,’ Walas said. 

 

Final proposals will be submitted Nov. 12. Later that month, selected members of each team will have a chance to travel to New York City and pitch their ideas to MLB executives who will be judging the contest.  

 

The winning team’s idea could potentially become a stepping stone to improve MLB.com, Walas said. 

 

‘While we’re hoping to see a direct implementation of student ideas, it could just be the beginning, and it could develop into something different,’ she said. 

 

Members of the winning team will also receive a subscription to MLB.TV Premium Yearly for the 2011 MLB season and merchandise from the MLB shop, according to the website. 

 

Participating in the contest gives students a chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life situations, travel to New York City and visit MLB.com facilities, meet staff members and Syracuse alumni, and learn about job opportunities. 

 

‘If they take it seriously, this could lead to internships and full-time jobs when they graduate,’ said Jeff Rubin, a professor at the iSchool who helped organize the contest. 

 

Eight teams of two to four members have entered the contest so far, and contest organizers hope to see 50 to 75 participants by the Sept. 17 deadline, Rubin said.

 

If the contest is a success, Walas said she hopes it can expand to the university as a whole, rather than just the iSchool. Although other companies are not currently being considered for contests, they could be involved in the future.  

 

‘Forces from other corporate companies might be interested in the future,’ she said. ‘It has a lot of potential right now.’ 

 

lgleveil@syr.edu