Because it’s the right thing to do
No one would call Dr. Titlebaum’s approach conventional.
For over 30 years, he has challenged his students (and occasionally his peers) to question the status quo, their pre-conceptions and their comfort zone. Most of the time he is focused on their professional development as much as their current class requirements. The intent is clear: he wants what is best for his students and is steadfast in his support of their pursuit of that goal.
His reasoning behind that goal was consistently selfless. He did it because he believed it was the right thing to do. For many of us who were in his class, this made us uncomfortable, skeptical and unsure of his approach, which was categorically different from any other college professor on campus.
For me, as I look back more than a decade removed from my last class with Doc T, I can confidently say he is a primary reason I’ve enjoyed many successes to this point in my career. His leadership, friendship, unvarnished and frequently blunt feedback — all hallmarks of how he operates — have led me to continue developing both professionally and personally.
But don’t just take it from me. This is an opinion shared by many of his former students with whom I’ve been in touch with for the past several years. The story we all tell is starting to sound like a beautiful, broken record: Doc T was the one who helped me understand the importance of… Doc T was the one who challenged me to think outside the box and explore… Doc T told me I was completely wrong, backwards and misguided, which has led me to this successful career…
To memorialize the mission Doc T has been on for the past 30+ years, Dr. Corinne Daprano and I have established the Keep Playing the Game Scholarship. Dr. Daprano originated the idea and shared with me her desire to create this award, while Doc T was still teaching, to honor his legacy in real-time. Dr. Daprano went on to say:
“I’ve been colleagues with Peter for 20 plus years now and I often say to him ‘you’re a good man, Peter Titlebaum’. Why? Because like Charlie Brown, Peter has a big heart, doesn’t give up easily, and always finds a way to make things happen especially when others say ‘that can’t be done!’ Let’s celebrate all that he’s done for others by doing this for him. I can’t think of a better way to honor him than to ‘pay it forward’ with this award!!”
The short-term goal of the fund is simple: provide a $1,000 award annually to a University of Dayton alum who graduated with a Sport Management major within the last 10 years. The funds are to be used to help advance their career, learn a new skill or offset continuing education costs. These are formative, important and challenging years for many young professionals. And the ability to challenge the status quo by awarding funds to worthy graduates, instead of soliciting donations during a time of staggering student debt, aligns nicely with Doc T’s aforementioned mission.
This award launch is also sparking a longer-term goal: to harness the collective knowledge, power and network of his former students to help us share career opportunities, learn from one another and build relationships. The recurring goal of bringing alumni together to both advance their career aspirations and the Sport Management program is a paramount consideration.
For the last 30+ years, Doc T has worked tirelessly to empower others to be successful — raising over $400,000 for Sport Management scholarships and various charitable organizations, setting up 80+ projects locally and nationally for his students to be immersed in real world experiences before graduating, connecting alums with his network to help them advance their career aspirations, among many other accolades.
His efforts deserve to be acknowledged, commended and celebrated.
Why?
Because it’s the right thing to do.
