The Business of Stevens Athletics

School of Business staffer Lindsay Hartelius is known for assisting prospective Stevens student-athletes to combine their academic goals with GOOOAAALS on the field.

As the Associate Director of Undergraduate Outreach for the past eight years, Hartelius represents the business school at events, conducts alumni outreach, oversees SSB’s high school events and serves as a point of contact for potential students and student-athletes and their families during the admissions process.

“We recruit the whole U.S. across our different teams,” she explained. “I meet with the families and tell them about all the wonderful things that are happening in the business school, including our graduates’ outcomes. I spend at least an hour with each prospective student and family.”

Her ability to help the Ducks’ coaches tell the Stevens story earned her the Edwin “Doc” Farrell Award. The honor has been given annually since 1990 to the member of the Stevens community who best exemplifies integrity, service, conduct and dedication to the athletics program.

“The Doc Farrell Award is descriptive of someone who is a valuable contributor to the athletic department in a variety of ways,” Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Russell Rogers. “Some of the qualities that stick out are loyalty, dedication, commitment and just a real care for our student athletes and Stevens athletics. That is such an important part of the overall experience here, and we're excited to award this honor annually to colleagues across campus that mean a lot to us and our athletic program.”

Head Men’s Soccer Coach Dale Jordan nominated Lindsay for the award, noting her care and professionalism as contributors to the program’s multiple MAC Freedom regular-season and tournament championships and NCAA Championship appearances, including a trip to the national semifinals in 2022.

“She understands we're trying to excel,” he said. “We're trying to compete for national championships, trying to dominate the MAC and be a national powerhouse athletically. When we connect her top-end recruits, she delivers top-end results in terms of the care factor, the follow-up and the information that she delivers to them. It makes them feel special and recruited, so when they compare us to other institutions, the work that Lindsay does ensures that we're separated from all of those other schools.”

“Her record now is three All-Americans, six MAC titles, and she has an NCAA Final Four trophy,” Jordan continued. “She may not have the actual trophy, but she was a part of it. At the end of every season, we thank those people because it’s a collaborative effort. You might see one of our guys score a goal, but there is team that around the program that worked to make that happen. That's why I felt so compelled to put her forward. I looked at my roster and realized she's responsible for the vast majority of those guys.”

The relationship between the School of Business and athletic department has been mutually beneficial, widening the recruiting pool for both and spurring curriculum development to better meet the needs of business students.

“The athletic department is huge for the business school in a lot of ways,” Hartelius explained. “In our incoming class, we had about 270 students last year and about 70 were student-athletes across 15 teams. We’ve incorporated sports into our curriculum because every prospective student that I was meeting with, especially the student-athletes, were asking if we had any sports marketing classes, sports economics or any concentrations in sports. I'm happy to say we have a new sports business concentration, we have four sports classes, and that was really driven by meeting with student-athletes.”

Rogers, who has led the athletic department for more than 20 years, long before the School of Business was established, has seen the impact firsthand.

“It's really diversified our recruiting pool,” Rogers added. “I remember when business first started here, and it added such a depth to the number of prospective student athletes that we could get to visit campus and engage with them. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say bringing business here has been one of the most important factors in how we've been able to progress and succeed as an athletic program. It's been a monumental happening, and we certainly enjoy working with Lindsay and her entire team at the School of Business.”

Working mostly behind the scenes, the honor was especially meaningful for her and reinforced why her hard work and commitment are an important contribution to the community.

“It made my week, my month, my year,” she said. “I feel like I try, and I work really hard here at Stevens. I’m involved in a lot of different types of events and to get recognized by the athletics department made my year. It’s really special because we spend a lot of time here as student-facing staff, working with students, student-athletes and the coaches. To be recognized was really special. It's quite an honor.”