Newcastle Business School has become the home of three unique students thanks to a new partnership with the Mobilx Newcastle Vipers professional ice-hockey team.
New Canadian students Ben Storey, Mark Gouett and Derek Campbell have all enrolled on Newcastle Business School's MBA programme and although they might look like any other business students during lectures and seminars, come the weekend they are representing the North East in the national elite ice-hockey league, combining their studies with one of the countries fastest growing professional sports.
Ben Storey, Mark Gouett & Derek Campbell at
Newcastle Business School
For former Canadian international Ben Storey, this is a new chapter in his career after he spent four years at the acclaimed Harvard University in the United States on an ice-hockey scholarship combined with studies in sociology.
"Harvard has an outstanding reputation world-wide and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there playing hockey and studying. The facilities offered at Newcastle Business School are also world-class and the new City Campus East provides great surroundings for studying in", says Ben, who has spent the last three years of his career playing between Germany and Austria.
"There is great vision at Northumbria University and at the Vipers ice-hockey team and I am excited and proud to be associated to both organisations. I was looking for a unique move after spending the last three years in Europe and the offer to study and play in Newcastle was unique and not offered by any other teams."
Ceridwyn Bessant, Associate Dean for Postgraduate Programmes at Newcastle Business School, commented on the new partnership:
" I'm delighted the Vipers players have decided to continue with their personal development whilst here in Newcastle and have chosen the Newcastle Business School MBA. Ben, Derek and Mark are studying with over 100 part-time students, all of whom are business practitioners from the region, so as well as obtaining an MBA, they'll also learn all about business life here in the North East."
"As an organisation we value the relationship between education and sport and look forward to working with the Vipers and continuing this unique relationship."
Vipers General Manager Jaimie Longmuir said: "Our partnership with Newcastle Business School has allowed the Vipers to bring in a much higher calibre of player to the organisation that was not possible in the past. The facilities and courses offered by Northumbria University will not only attract the best students from around the UK, but as has been proven with Ben, Mark and Derek, from all over the world."
Newcastle Business School's new state-of-the-art building at City Campus East forms an integral part of the unified ongoing re-development of Northumbria University's city centre sites in Newcastle.
Date Posted: 16 April 2008