{"id":9073,"date":"2010-08-06T08:18:08","date_gmt":"2010-08-06T12:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=9073"},"modified":"2017-11-13T12:59:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T17:59:42","slug":"kick-off-fall-football-opener-marks-return-of-tailgating-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2010\/08\/kick-off-fall-football-opener-marks-return-of-tailgating-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Kick off! Fall football opener marks return of tailgating fun."},"content":{"rendered":"

When Alberto Padron<\/strong> (EMBA \u201909) was working on his master\u2019s degree in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU), he thoroughly enjoyed his classmates in the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) group.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom that first getting-to-know-each-other event in the Florida Keys, all through our intense collaboration, it was a great group,\u201d Padron said. \u201cI wanted to keep those relationships going, even after graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has found a way.<\/p>\n

For the FIU Panthers 2009 football season, Padron encouraged his fellow students to get season tickets, and then he hosted a tailgate party for them in the stadium parking lot before each of the five home games.<\/p>\n

\"Padron
Padron got the tailgating effort underway on September 26, 2009 before the FIU-Toledo game. He and Frank Pena (BBA \u201999) prepared roast pig Caja China style.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"First
First \u201cEMBA \u201909ers and Friends Tailgate\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He\u2019s repeating the tradition this season, starting with the September 11th<\/sup> opener against Rutgers University.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s music, great international food and a chance to stay connected,\u201d he said. \u201cSure, there\u2019s networking, as we get caught up on our lives. But fun takes precedence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"On
On July 21, 2010, Padron organized an event so that EMBA alumni and other guests could meet Mario Cristobal, the FIU Golden Panthers head football coach, see the facilities and get a preview of the upcoming season.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Head
Head FIU football coach Mario Cristobal with a group of Golden Panthers fans, guests of Padron<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of the 32 in Padron\u2019s EMBA group, 22 bought 2009 season\u2019s tickets and attended the tailgate events. People buy tickets as singles, couples and families. Padron reported that response to this year\u2019s season is going very well.<\/p>\n

The director of integrated marketing at Zubi Advertising, Padron has long been a Panthers fan.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut tailgating and going to the games isn\u2019t just for die-hard fans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As a result of his efforts, Padron is now on a member of the FIU Alumni Association Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

Opportunities abound for other alumni groups. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud that it\u2019s us from the business college who began this idea at FIU,\u201d Padron said, \u201cand I hope it catches on with other groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FIU
At the July 21, 2010 event, from left to right: Caridad Valdes(EMBA \u201905); Larry Speaker (EMBA \u201905); Sarah Perez, EMBA program director; Maria Sierra, senior program manager, Executive and Professional MBA programs; Raymundo Varela (EMBA \u201909), Jason Barrett (EMBA \u201909); Elizabeth Sheridan (EMBA \u201909); Robert Garcia (EMBA \u201997); Jim Bussey (EMBA \u201999); Judith Gallo (EMBA \u201909); David Healy (EMBA \u201909); Mario Cristobal, FIU Panthers head football coach; Padron; Jorge Mastrapa (EMBA \u201909); Maria Pieiga (EMBA \u201909); and Roland Sanguino (EMBA \u201909)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAthletics is one of the great ways to stay connected with the university,\u201d said Michelle R. Joubert<\/strong> (MBA \u201910), assistant director of alumni relations for the college. \u201cAlberto’s way to bring together other EMBA graduates for tailgating and football is an inventive and fun plan, and should inspire\u00a0other alums.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to continue the camaraderie,\u201d Padron said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Alberto Padron (EMBA \u201909) was working on his master\u2019s degree in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU), he thoroughly enjoyed his classmates in the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) group. \u201cFrom that first getting-to-know-each-other event in the Florida Keys, all through our intense collaboration, it was a great group,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[763,828,1899],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9073"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9073"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29725,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9073\/revisions\/29725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}