Inside Education and Health Sciences
Keep Playing the Game
Peter Titlebaum, professor for the sport management program in the Department of Health and Sport Science, has worked at the University of Dayton for nearly 30 years. Known to his students as "Doc," he's challenged them to question the status quo and stretch their comfort zone. He has made a lasting impression on many of his students, and a number credit him for helping them achieve professional success.
Enter the Keep Playing the Game Scholarship, named after a catchphrase familiar to any of Titlebaum's former students. The scholarship will annually award $1,000 to a University of Dayton Sport Management program alumni who graduated within the past two years. The funds are to be used to help offset the cost of professional development or continuing education.
The inaugural recipient of the Keep Playing the Game scholarship is Abagail Tharpe.
Tharpe is in the Class of 2023 and is attending Ohio University in the fall to get dual master's degrees in business administration and sports administration.
"It's an honor to win," Tharpe said. "Doc has completely changed my life and made me look at what I do in a different way."
Limiting the scholarship eligibility to alumni of the sport management program who are within two years of graduating is intentional. The first year out of undergrad is a formative, important and challenging year for many young professionals.
The winner is determined by a selection committee from a pool of self-submitted applications. The scholarship application will be made available starting in December and winners are selected in the spring.
Corinne Daprano, professor in the Department of Health and Sport Science and associate dean for the School of Education and Health Sciences, has worked with Titlebaum in the sport management program for over 20 years. Daprano and UD alumnus Drew Formentini '08 worked with the Dayton Foundation to start the scholarship.
"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!’," Daprano said. "I can’t think of a better way to honor him than to ‘pay it forward’ with this award."
If anyone is interested in contributing to the Keep Playing the Game fund, donations can be made through the Dayton Foundation website.