May 26, 2010

Story courtesy of Farmer School of Business External Relations Office

In the recent past, Miami's hockey program has accomplished some remarkable feats: Miami's first "Frozen Four" appearance, then its second; maintaining a national number-one ranking throughout much of the past two years, and winning CCHA Championships. The team has rallied both the university and the community, making hockey fans out of folks who didn't know a hat trick from a hook check.

Some of the team members' most impressive work, however, is done in the classroom. Although some Miami hockey players may have pro careers in their sights, faculty members say that they exemplify the concept of student-athlete, the ideal that Miami promotes in its intercollegiate athletics program.

This year's hockey team included four seniors, three of whom are Farmer School students: Dane Hetland (finance), Jarod Palmer (interdisciplinary business management), and Brandon Smith (finance). All three have earned GPAs well above 3.0; Hetland and Smith graduated with academic distinction.

"I've had Brandon, Dane and Jarod in class and they've all been model students," said Terry Nixon, a member of the finance faculty. "They contribute in class and are on top of things when they're going to miss. From what I've seen in my ten years at Miami, I would categorize the hockey team as one of the nicest and hardest working groups I've had the privilege to teach."

Palmer came to Miami with two goals: to excel in hockey and to learn how to launch and run a business. He enrolled in the entrepreneurship track within the interdisciplinary business management major and says has found his studies in that area "fun and inspirational."

"The professors in this field each contributed something significant to my learning experience. For example, Kevin Connor provided critical guidance on how entrepreneurs can thrive inside of corporations. Mark Lacker gave me a list of entrepreneurial marketing tools; Dr. Kayne taught me how to explore the endless angles to every problem. I now feel not only prepared but also excited about starting my own business."

"Jarod took his studies seriously, often e-mailing me assignments from the road," Kayne said. "He will be missed as a presence in the entrepreneurship program as much as he will be missed on the ice next year."

Lacker agreed, characterizing Palmer as "humble, balanced and purposeful." He added, "Jarod applied his extraordinary hockey skills in our entrepreneurial marketing class by being a great teammate to his project team and by creating a winning marketing approach for his own future business idea." Palmer's immediate priority, however, is playing professional hockey. He has signed a one-year free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild NHL team.

Hetland and Smith are equally complimentary about their Miami experience. Hetland, who hopes to start his career in consulting and move into venture capital, said, "It is great to be able to represent a school athletically that has a reputation as a great academic institution."

Smith said that he felt lucky to come to Miami, where he could study and compete at the highest level. "Preparation was key in my time on the ice and in the classroom," he said. "There were days when all I could do was hockey, which meant that I had to work beforehand or afterward to stay on pace in the classroom."

David Shrider got to know Smith when the hockey player took his Principles of Investment & Security Markets course.

"Although Brandon took Finance 401 from me during the hockey season, he did everything I asked and more," Shrider said. "He was always in class and participated in a meaningful way. He was also a team leader on projects, resulting in top marks from his teammates on the peer evaluation."

Printer-friendly format	Email this article