Pitch

Who is your possible subject and why?

• Dr. Kiernan Gordon: I would like to interview Dr. Gordon because I have had him as a professor and will take his classes in the future. I’m a Sports Leadership and Management major, and he is the Associate Professor and Director for that program within UNE’s new College of Business. He focuses on sports venues and aspects related to those in which I am personally interested. I also find him to be a very interesting person as he has been involved in the sports world in many different ways. From Coaching division one basketball to publishing peer-reviewed journals on sports management, he has experience in many areas of the field. 

What is the angle or approach of the subject? What makes this interesting 

• I would take a positive/informative angle. I don’t think a lot of students know the different paths most professors have taken before deciding to teach. As I said before, he has experience in many different field areas, including coaching at a division one level and publishing peer-reviewed journals, and is an active member in many professional organizations. He mainly focuses on sports venues and related products. Although he now resides on the East Coast, he is originally from San Jose, California. Seeing the difference between sports on the coasts could be another interesting point of view.  

Based on your research, what questions might you ask?

• What made you come to the East Coast after living and attending colleges in California and Ohio?
• You have taught at UNH and Miami University. What influenced your decision to come to UNE?
• After coaching for multiple levels of NCAA and NAIA, what were your favorite experiences you took away from that period in your life?
  • Would you return to coaching?
• What inspired you to start writing for peer-reviewed journals?
• What does it mean to be a member of a professional organization?
  • What does each one do? Why are you involved?

200-word Outline/Draft

So far, I have scheduled a Zoom call with Professor Gordon for Monday, March 31. This week, I’ll start interviewing students to get some quotes for our early draft. As of right now, my thought process is to research Professor Gordon’s past and continue to base questions on his journey and current role at UNE. I think it’ll be an interesting format since he has bounced around quite a bit and has experience in different work environments. Last class, we discussed how the structure of this article shouldn’t be in chronological order. With that being said, I think I’ll have an introduction of who he is and why the article is being written about him and start from his current role here at UNE. Depending on the quotes I get from him and other students will help dictate how to break up the article and guide the rest of the structure. I don’t want to bounce around too much, but I was also thinking of using his education/background as the nut graf since it will give more context on how he got here and continue with his story from there. I’m also interested to see if he has any specific plans for the future and his role with UNE’s new College of Business. This article could take multiple different directions, deepening my final list of questions and the students’ opinions. As of right now, this is the direction I think it will go in, but we will see soon!

400-Word Draft

Kiernan Gordon’s Journey Through Sports 

A deeper dive into Dr.Gordon’s career that led him to teach at the University of New England and his lasting impression on students. 

April 1 2025 

Abby Anthony 

University Student 

Dr. Kiernan Gordon is an Associate Professor and Director of the Sport Leadership and Management program that is a part of the new College of Business at UNE. 

Gordon has had the opportunity to coach at multiple levels in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The motive behind this was to become “more marketable.” He participated in his division three college team at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which motivated him to start his coaching career at the division three level. 

“Coaching for better or for worse tends to assume that if you’re a really really good player that you would be a good coach. Sometimes, that is the case; very often, that is not the case, but in fact the opposite is true.” 

He explained that he “would love to coach again.” Nowadays, it’s uncommon for professors to teach and coach unless funding is down. Reflecting on his coaching career, Gordon explained, “ I didn’t appreciate it as much at the time; you’re so focused on winning or losing and recruiting players, but the relationships you make are awesome.” 

Coaching followed Gordon throughout his education. He received his Undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After applying to master’s programs, he landed at High Point University in North Carolina. He “liked that it has a holistic approach to sport, sports management, and a lot of exercise science, so I started studying exercise science, thinking it would give me an advantage relative to other job applicants at the small college level.” 

After Gordon completed his master’s program, he was “fascinated by having a PHD and having an academic career.” 

Living in Upstate New York at the time, Gordon was able to meet with a faculty advisor from Ohio State. “It was the most random thing ever. I had the most scholarly conversation at a Dunkin Donuts that I have ever had before.” This interview secured his spot, and he moved to Ohio with his wife. 

His first job out of college was a faculty position at Miami University in Ohio. This was only a one-year position, he explained. “It was a very exciting but a very stressful time because we had a baby on the way. I only had a job for a year, so I was applying everywhere.” Luckily, the sports industry is a growing field, some people get full-time jobs right after their PHD. This is what led him to the East Coast. 

800-1,000 Word Draft

Kiernan Gordon’s Journey Through Sports 

A deeper dive into Dr.Gordon’s career that led him to teach at the University of New England and his lasting impression on students. 

 

April 8 2025 

Abby Anthony

University Student 

Dr. Kiernan Gordon is an Associate Professor and Director of the Sport Leadership and Management program, which is part of the new College of Business at UNE. 

Gordon has had the opportunity to coach at multiple levels in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The motive behind this was to become “more marketable.” He participated in his division three college team at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which motivated him to start his coaching career at the division three level. 

“Coaching for better or for worse tends to assume that if you’re a good player that you would be a good coach. Sometimes, that is the case; very often, that is not the case, but the opposite is true.” 

He explained that he “would love to coach again.” Nowadays, it’s uncommon for professors to teach and coach unless funding is down. Reflecting on his coaching career, Gordon explained,  “I didn’t appreciate it as much at the time; you’re so focused on winning or losing and recruiting players, but the relationships you make are awesome.” 

This coaching mentality is still evident in his interactions with students at UNE. Ella Chagnon (she/her), a Business Administration major with a Sports Leadership & Management major, had Dr.Grodon for Introduction to Sport Management. She explained, “he always checked in with how club soccer is going and tried to make a personal connection with me.”

Coaching followed Gordon throughout his education. He received his Undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After applying to master’s programs, he landed at High Point University in North Carolina. He “liked that it has a holistic approach to sport, sports management, and a lot of exercise science, so I started studying exercise science, thinking it would give me an advantage relative to other job applicants at the small college level.” 

After Gordon completed his master’s program, he was “fascinated by having a PHD and having an academic career.” 

Living in Upstate New York at the time, Gordon was able to meet with a faculty advisor from Ohio State. “It was the most random thing ever. I had the most scholarly conversation at a Dunkin Donuts that I have ever had before.” This informal interview secured his spot, and he moved to Ohio with his wife. 

His first job out of college was a faculty position at Miami University in Ohio. This was only a one-year position, he explained. “It was a very exciting but a very stressful time because we had a baby on the way. I only had a job for a year, so I was applying everywhere.” Luckily, the sports industry is a growing field, some people get full-time jobs right after their PHD. 

The University of New Hampshire was a research-based program that offered him a job, which led Gordon back to the East Coast. He explained, “Although I really enjoyed research and do really interesting stuff, I was feeling separated from the campus community, and that was not enjoyable for me.” This made him reconsider the choice of a large Division 1 school.

When a job at UNE opened up, Gordon took the opportunity to make the change. “I loved the idea of seeing someone in a different discipline and being able to say, ‘Hey, I saw that you published a paper on this topic, ‘ or ‘Hey, I just met a student who has you for one of your classes. I love that.” 

These interactions have created a lasting impression on students at UNE. Sydney Bishop (she/her), a Sports Leadership & Management major with a minor in Business Administration, has taken  Dr.Gordon’s Sports Finance class. Bishop explained, “I feel like he did try to make a connection. He would reach out if he felt I wasn’t understanding things as well as out and about on campus he would always be very kind, he always would be like ‘hey, how you doing’ and if im liking class. It felt like he was there to help us, not to impede us in our education.” 

Bishop also touched on Dr.Gordon’s help in furthering her professional career after UNE. “I went to a networking event, and he essentially helped me network with a couple of different people and tried to teach me the proper networking techniques to ensure I got the most out of the event. This was nice and refreshing because it was a very anxiety-inducing endeavor.” 

As Gordon continues his time at UNE, he is able to reflect on the impact he has made on the students. I was talking to some of my seniors in a seminar, and I was trying to remember who had me for intro. One of them remembered that we had this same classroom. For them to remember that and see their growth, you know, remembering them as first year students and seeing how much they have matured and gotten better and now im at UNE long enough to have kids that are in the port industry and have come back to speak to my classes and they have really matured.”

Revised Draft

From the Sidelines to the Classroom: Dr. Kiernan Gordon’s Lasting Impact on Students

A deeper dive into Dr.Gordon’s career that led him to teach at the University of New England and his lasting impression on students.  

April 18 2025 

Abby Anthony

University Student 

Dr. Kiernan Gordon is an Associate Professor and Director of the Sport Leadership and Management program, which is part of the new College of Business at UNE. 

Before arriving at UNE, Gordon had the opportunity to coach basketball at multiple levels in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The motive for pursuing coaching roles was to become “more marketable.” He played on his division three college basketball team at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which motivated him to start his coaching career at the division three level. 

“Coaching for better or for worse tends to assume that if you’re a good player that you would be a good coach. Sometimes, that is the case; very often, that is not the case, but in fact the opposite is true.” 

He explained that he “would love to coach again.” Nowadays, it’s uncommon for professors to teach and coach unless funding is down. Reflecting on his coaching career, Gordon explained,  “I didn’t appreciate it as much at the time; you’re so focused on winning or losing and recruiting players, but the relationships you make are awesome.” 

This coaching mentality is still evident in his interactions with students at UNE. Ella Chagnon (she/her), a Business Administration major with a Sports Leadership & Management major, had Dr.Grodon for Introduction to Sport Management. She explained, “he always checked in with how club soccer is going and tried to make a personal connection with me.”

Coaching followed Gordon throughout his education. He received his Undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After applying to master’s programs, he landed at High Point University in North Carolina. 

“I liked that it has a holistic approach to sport, sports management, and a lot of exercise science, so I started studying exercise science, thinking it would give me an advantage relative to other job applicants at the small college level.” 

After Gordon completed his master’s program, he was fascinated by having a PHD and pursuing an academic career. 

Living in Upstate New York at the time, Gordon was able to meet with a faculty advisor from Ohio State. “It was the most random thing ever. I had the most scholarly conversation at a Dunkin Donuts that I have ever had before.” This informal interview secured his spot, and he moved to Ohio with his wife. 

His first job out of college was a faculty position at Miami University in Ohio. This was only a one-year position, he explained. “It was a very exciting but a very stressful time because we had a baby on the way. I only had a job for a year, so I was applying everywhere.” Luckily, the sports industry is a growing field, some people get full-time jobs right after their PHD. 

The University of New Hampshire was a research-based program that offered him a job, which led Gordon back to the East Coast. He explained, “Although I enjoyed research and do really interesting stuff, I was feeling separated from the campus community, and that was not enjoyable for me.” This made him reconsider the choice of a large Division 1 school.

Although the research-based program wasn’t for him, it allowed Gordon to write peer-reviewed journals, some of which are displayed on the door to his office. These are pieces of academic writing that have been evaluated by experts or peers in the same field before being published. 

When a job at UNE opened up, Gordon took the opportunity to make the change. “I loved the idea of seeing someone in a different discipline and being able to say, ‘Hey, I saw that you published a paper on this topic,’ or ‘Hey, I just met a student who has you for one of your classes. I love that.” 

These interactions have created a lasting impression on students at UNE. Sydney Bishop (she/her), a Sports Leadership & Management major with a minor in Business Administration, has taken Dr.Gordon’s Sports Finance class. Bishop explained, “I feel like he did try to make a connection. He would reach out if he felt I wasn’t understanding things as well as out and about on campus, he would always be very kind, he always would be like ‘hey, how you doing’, and if I liked class. It felt like he was there to help us, not to impede us in our education.” 

Bishop also touched on Dr.Gordon’s help in furthering her professional career after UNE. “I went to a networking event, and he essentially helped me network with a couple of different people and tried to teach me the proper networking techniques to ensure I got the most out of the event. This was nice and refreshing because it was a very anxiety-inducing endeavor.” 

As Gordon continues his time at UNE, he can reflect on the impact he has made on the students. 

“I was talking to some of my seniors in a seminar, and I was trying to remember who had me for intro. One of them remembered that we had this same classroom. For them to remember that and see their growth, you know, remembering them as first-year students and seeing how much they have matured and gotten better is amazing. I have now been at UNE long enough to have kids who are in the sport industry and have come back to speak to my classes, and they really have matured.” 

WorkShop Experiance

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the workshop due to illness. Even though I was not there, I was able to receive feedback based on journal number eighteen. Both of my peers enjoyed using student quotes since it added credibility to the article and confirmed Professor Gordon’s character and attitude. Especially with backing up the argument of his lasting impressions on students. Both peers also liked the way I used the quotes and how I let them lead the story. Some critiques I got were to be more specific about Professor Gordon’s coaching background. I mentioned he also played a sport in college, which was basketball, and he later ended up coaching basketball as well. I thought this was a good point to add since it is an important detail that I overlooked the first time. Both of my peers also critiqued the size of my paragraphs. I was finding it difficult to shave them down due to the quotes I wanted to use, but I will make sure to keep it in mind while I edit my final draft. Although they liked the way my quotes led the story, at some points, they felt it was a little quote-heavy, and I could summarize them instead of quoting them directly, which I agree with. I also need to work on a more intriguing headline. At the time, I was trying to get something that fit well with the story, and now that I have gotten the majority done, I can work on making it more interesting to intrigue people. This week, I will make sure to keep these critiques in mind as im making the final touches to my article. I will also be getting a picture of Professor Gordon’s office to use with the headshot he sent me, since we were unable to meet in person. Overall, this feedback is very helpful since the little things that I may not have been able to pick up on.

Profile Story Reflection

Overall, I enjoyed the process of this profile project more than our feature creature project. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I was more familiar with the steps and what needed to be done. I also understood the format and what content was expected. This project also allowed me to create a closer relationship with one of my professors that I will continue to have throughout my time at UNE. As the writer, I found it easier to create the layout and find quotes that led the story. After our discussions in class, I knew I wanted to let Dr. Gordon have the last say with one of his quotes. I also found that I didn’t have to do as much editing as I did in our previous project. Understanding the format and the purpose of the project helped the writing and editing process. One thing I struggled with was getting my picture. Unfortunately, for me to meet the deadlines, we decided to do the meeting on Zoom, which eliminated the option of getting a picture. After talking with him, he agreed to let me take a picture of his office, but unfortunately was not around when I went by, so it was shut. This ended up working out just fine because of his peer-reviewed journals being posted on his door. It allowed me to incorporate more of the information we talked about in the interview. As I explained earlier, I was unable to attend the workshop, but was still able to give my peers feedback and receive critiques from our journal exercise. It was helpful seeing what others were doing and receiving helpful feedback. All in all, I felt this project went a lot smoother, and I felt more confident writing it from previous experience.