November 9, 2016

Hackettstown, N.J., November 9, 2016 – On Friday, October 21, 2016, Centenary professors Dana Benbow and David Perricone were presented with a Bright Idea Award on behalf of the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University and the New Jersey Policy Research Organization (NJPRO). Benbow, an Assistant Professor of Finance, and Perricone, an Assistant Professor of Sports Management, were honored for their scholarly research entitled “What Do Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and the NFL Have to Do with Finance: Creating an Integrated Sports Finance Class.” As one of the top manuscripts of 141 total submissions, the piece was selected for the fifteenth annual volume of the Publications of New Jersey’s Business Faculty, a collection of research works that were published in 2015.

Professors Benbow and Perricone collaborated to design a cross-disciplinary course in Sports Finance focused on demonstrated and practical application of finance across the sports management industry utilizing multiple experiential projects including a simulation game where students own and run a Fantasy Football franchise. The teaching note discusses the genesis, construction, and results of an approach to course development for a deeper, cross-disciplinary understanding of applied finance in the sports industry.

“Dana Benbow and David Perricone are tremendous innovators who are dedicated to the art of teaching,” says Cheryl Veronda, Professor of Business and Chair of the Business Department at Centenary University. “Their decision to develop and co-teach this course brought the best of two worlds together. It allowed their students to gain a wealth of knowledge from their expertise that they will be able to bring to the business world. The Bright Idea Awards are very competitive among the hundreds of business professors across New Jersey.”

Benbow has been a professor at Centenary University since 2011 following an extensive career in the Employee Benefits Insurance industry with assignments in both domestic and international operations. Benbow’s experience includes roles in risk management, finance, product development, operations management, and business unit leadership with P&L responsibility. He has served on the New Jersey Individual and Small Group Insurance Reform Boards and on committees of the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP) and Americas Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) including a leadership role on the AHIP Long Term Care Committee. Benbow has also served on the boards of The Family Afterward and Freedom House, which are not for profit substance abuse programs operating in the State of New Jersey. He currently serves on the Mount Olive Township Ethics Committee.

Prior to joining Centenary University in January 2011, Professor Perricone was with the New Jersey Devils Hockey Club for two decades. He started as an intern and worked his way up to Senior Director of Merchandising.  He received his BS in Business Administration from Robert Morris University in 1990.  He has been a leader with Robert Morris University Sports Management Alumni efforts by contributing to the Sports Management Newsletter, and serving as founding member of the RMU Sports Management Alumni Board.  Professor Perricone is a member of the Sports Marketing Association and is Co-Chair for the Social Media Web Site Committee and a member of Students Research & Development. In addition, he earned an MBA in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickenson University in 2002.

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.

Centenary University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary University School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in two locations: Parsippany and Edison, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey. The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad.

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