FOX Sports President Eric Shanks and Mark Cuban Discuss Value of Lifelong Learning at Indiana University

On February 18, FOX Sports President Eric Shanks and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban returned to their alma mater Indiana University for "The Future of Sports and Technology Panel," a conversation about trends in the sports business and the value of education. More than 400 students and faculty attended, including the university's current participants in FOX Sports University, a unique program giving college students hands-on experience in the sports industry. Dr. Galen Clavio, an Associate Professor and Director of the university's National Sports Journalism Center, moderated the discussion, which posited education as a lifelong pursuit.

"You've got to realize you have to keep on learning," Cuban told the students. "I think one of the biggest mistakes people make after they graduate is, 'OK, I'm ready, world; here I come,' and when I sit and interview [them], they're not demonstrating that they are continuing to learn. Go out and add to your résumé, building a feature set for yourself as a free agent that you can use going forward. That's a big step forward."

Shanks offered the students similar advice, telling them the key to career success is to never stop looking toward the future.

"When we're in school, a lot of our learning is learning about what's already happened and learning how to do something that someone has already done," said Shanks. "And that that might get you a job, if you can impress upon the right employer that you have a good work ethic... But, literally, from that point on, your job is to look forward."

FOX Sports has a long history of engaging with the country's top colleges and universities, primarily through the FOX Sports University program. Launched in 2008 by current Fox Networks Group President/COO Randy Freer, the initiative allows college students to work on marketing and communications campaigns addressing a real-world industry challenge, giving them the chance to hone their skills in an applied professional setting. These student-generated campaigns have earned impressive recognition, including Emmy, Telly, Addy, Golden Matrix, and Promax Awards.

"The goal for all of us is to further bridge the gap between academia and the sports industry," said Kaitlyn Beale, senior manager of strategic partnerships at FOX Sports. "We're trying to continue to come up with new ways to do that and provide these types of experiences so that students are geared for success as soon as they graduate."

The program is currently in place at 35 universities across the country and expects to reach 50 by the end of 2017. FOX Sports U students at Indiana University are currently developing integrated campaigns and social media strategies to promote this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game. More than 120 IU students have participated in the program in the past two years.