Gary Bettman, the current commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), will be giving a lecture at UMass next Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Bettman was named as a Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management Executive-in-Residence earlier this month. As part of Bettman’s visit to the UMass campus, the NHL commissioner will visit classrooms, participate in roundtables with McCormack students and faculty and take part in the McCormack Collection Oral History Project.
Bettman will then speak at the Integrative Learning Center as part of the Mark H. McCormack Sport Innovator’s Lecture at 6 p.m.
“The Executive-in-Residence program continues to honor Mark H. McCormack’s legacy by bringing to campus Commissioner Gary Bettman, one of the most accomplished and respected leaders in the sports industry,” Matt Katz, chair of the McCormack Department of Sport Management, said in a statement. “Welcoming an active commissioner to campus to meet with our students is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all our aspiring sports industry leaders. Each year we learn so much from our esteemed guests and Commissioner Bettman’s perspective on fan engagement, international growth and the future of our industry will further strengthen the McCormack tradition of innovation and insight.”
Brian Burke, a former NHL general manager, will take part in the lecture as well, with Bettman.
Bettman has been the commissioner of the NHL since 1993.