While members of the MSU hockey and men’s basketball teams were unable to say they are going to Disney World this year, the Magic Kingdom is coming to them instead.
The Walt Disney Company, in conjunction with the university’s School of Hospitality Business, is sponsoring a celebration tomorrow in room N100 at the Eli Broad Business Complex to commemorate both team’s accomplishments throughout the 2000-01 season. The event will run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Both the men’s basketball and hockey programs won their respective conferences and reached the semifinals in the NCAA national championship tournaments.
“It’s very exciting for us,” said Russell Heigl, a member of the Walt Disney College and International Marketing Team. “The sports teams had such a successful season, so we wanted to do something for them.”
Authella Collins Hawks, director of the Eli Broad Student and Industry Resource Center, said the celebration is just part of a long-standing partnership between the School of Hospitality Business, a branch of the Eli Broad College of Business, and Disney. The company sends representatives to MSU every semester to recruit students for its internship programs.
“They actively recruit our students and students of all majors,” Collins Hawks said. “Many of the executives at Disney are MSU grads, so they wanted to come back.”
“It’s really a big deal.”
Scheduled to attend the celebration are some players and coaches from both teams as well as Sparty and the Disney character Goofy. Students will have the opportunity to meet and take pictures with the mascots, players and coaches during the event.
Free pizza and pop will also be provided for those in attendance.
“We almost never do anything like this,” Heigl said. “And we very rarely bring a character out.”
However, men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo will not be attending due to previous engagements, Collins Hawks said.
The event is also an opportunity for MSU students of all majors to inquire about internships with the company’s Disney World location, Collins Hawks said. A presentation providing information on Disney’s internship programs will begin at 5:30 p.m.
