Big Game, Bigger Award

By Patrick Bohn ’05, April 21, 2020

Ithaca College students recognized in international competition for their work on Cortaca Jug 2019.

Marco Fontana ’20 (far left) led a student team that coordinated on-campus ticket sales for the 2019 Cortaca Jug.

(Photo courtesy of Marco Fontana ’20)

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has selected Ithaca College’s School of Business as one of the 25 highlights of its “Innovations That Inspire” member challenge.

The award was bestowed for the student-led effort running the on-campus ticket sales operation for the 2019 Cortaca Jug.

When Annemarie Farrell, associate professor in the Department of Sport Management, heard that her students’ work had earned them an international honor, it didn’t come as too big a shock.

“Experiential learning opportunities like the Cortaca ticket sales operation, or the work our students did at the Super Bowl, are business as usual for us in the sport management program,” she said. “They’ve been such a big part of our curriculum for so long, it’s something the students expect.”

A total of 2,785 tickets were purchased during on-campus ticket sales. (Photo by Bob Wagner/Ithaca College)

But as the award shows, what’s “business as usual” for Farrell’s students is cutting-edge for the rest of the competition. More than 120 schools submitted entries to the international competition, which were reviewed by a team that included volunteers from AACSB member schools and the business community. Each submission was assessed on how inspirational, innovative and impactful it was.

Marco Fontana ’20 spearheaded the on-campus ticket sales, working with a team of students to help sell 2,785 tickets to IC students, faculty and staff — part of the NCAA Division III record 45,161 fans who attended the game. The game was also the largest-ever gathering of IC alumni. For him, this award is a testament to the quality of education students receive at Ithaca.

“From day one, we’re taught to do things others aren’t,” said Fontana, who will be working as an inside sales associate for the New York Mets after graduation. “Professor Farrell emphasizes curriculum to career; she wants what we do in class to help us in our future careers. And that’s what this was. We seized the opportunity, and it means so much that the student team was able to create something so special to IC and to the business school.”

A major reason for that is the trust Farrell places in her students to take charge of opportunities like this and execute them to perfection.

“The magnitude of this award is a reflection that we’re serving our students. We trust our students. We know them, and we know what they’re capable of. It reflects Ithaca College’s commitment to letting its students succeed.”

Annemarie Farrell, associate professor in the department of sport management

“During the meetings the college had leading up to the launch of the ticket sales, I’d get asked questions about how we were going to execute it,” she said. “And I just pointed at Marco and said ‘Ask him. He’s in charge.’ I’d sign my emails as ‘Marco’s assistant.’”

Fontana laughs at Farrell’s self-imposed title — because he’s got a different one in mind. “She’s really been a mentor to me,” he said. “She’s taught me everything I know.”

The 2019 Cortaca Jug game was the largest gathering of IC alumni ever.

(Photo by Steve Hockstein)

Ultimately, Farrell takes tremendous pride in the fact that her students were able to apply the skills they learned in her class to something bigger — and that those skills were recognized.

“The magnitude of this award is a reflection that we’re serving our students,” she said. “We trust our students. We know them, and we know what they’re capable of. It reflects Ithaca College’s commitment to letting its students succeed. We’re a place that will love you and test you in the same day.”