Dear SM7100 student.

Hello and welcome to class! I am looking forward to working with you and am ready to
provide active communication and guidance for you to be successful during our time
together in SM7100-8 Development of Human Resource Strategies in Intercollegiate
Athletics. In this course, we will develop strategic staffing and retention strategies for
intercollegiate athletics. Also, we will formulate a logistical plan for organizing and
managing human resource issues within an intercollegiate athletic department. Your
start date is: 4/10/2017.
At Northcentral University, we are very concerned about communication and getting to
know each other as this is a very unique teaching style that is used with the one on one,
learner - mentor model. I would like to set up a telephone conversation with you
sometime in the near future before we start the class. This will give me a chance to
better know you and for you know me. My cell phone number is 724-880-0973. Please
read section in yellow below.
First, let me tell you a little about my background. I’m a retired U. S. Coast Guard
officer with over 26 years in administration and operations. I personally began my
career in higher education by starting the Sport Management program at Liberty
University, (Lynchburg, Va.) in 1980- 1994. I developed one of the first four nationally
recognized Sport Management program in North American. I gained my Ed. D. from
the University of North Carolina- Greensboro (1986) in the area of Sport Management,
Higher Education Administration and Oral History. I have also, created two other
nationally recognized Sport Management programs at Neumann Univ. (PA) and
California University of PA. At all schools I have taught at the undergraduate as well
as the graduate levels, and have authored a book on History of College and University
Mascots and Nicknames. The writing has earned me the title of “Guru of Mascotology”
by ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
A few suggestions for success:
Critical and creative thinking is very important in your coursework. As you read the
text and articles,

1. Spend time in reflection, thinking about what you have read and developing
personal opinions on the subject.
2. The quality of your writing should reflect your graduate status. Spelling, grammar,
word choice, and organization are essential. The Northcentral University Writing
Center has numerous resources to help you develop your academic writing skills.
3. Providing supporting evidence for your writing with the body of literature you can
find using Northcentral University’s online library, the Internet, and your local
public library.
4. Each syllabus contains a prescribed format for written submissions. Remember to
use it so your activities will be consistent in all of your courses.
5. I run papers through TurnItIn to check for plagiarism. Be sure you know the
Northcentral Academic Integrity policy. Unintentional plagiarism is still
 plagiarism; make sure you properly cite your sources. Please find helpful
information at the APA’s website and blog.
6. Students who fall behind often have difficulty catching up! Please don’t let time
management problems get in way of your success! Northcentral has partnered with
a professional time management program to give you every advantage in learning
how to plan your time efficiently. You will notice in the course room a list of the due
dates for each assignment. Activities are to be submitted by each Sunday, no later
than 11:59 pm AZ MST. Each day an assignment is late, 10 points will be deducted
from your grade. Per University policy, no assignment will be accepted after the
Saturday past the due date. Any assignment submitted after this date will receive an
automatic failing grade of zero points. Should there be extenuating circumstances
which will prevent you from submitting an assignment on time, please contact me
and your academic advisor immediately.
7. By policy, bulk loading, submitting one or more assignments before receiving
feedback on an earlier assignment is not allowed. I hold firmly to this policy. I will
do my part and grade your assignments in a timely manner. I urge you to plan your
time well and leave time to receive my feedback on one assignment before
submitting the next.

If you do “bulk load,” I will grade and give feedback on the assignment appropriately
submitted and ask you to redo and resubmit the next assignment after reading my
feedback. If you bulk load near the end of the course, I will grade the one assignment
appropriately submitted and ask you to redo and resubmit the next assignment after
reading my feedback. If there is no time for you to resubmit an assignment, I will give
you a 0 for all assignments.

8. If you have received academic accommodations in the past through Disability

Services or believe you may qualify for accommodations, please contact your
Advisor immediately for assistance.
9. Please carefully read the companion document to this welcome letter:

How to Benefit from Feedback and Critiques of Your Work: Tips on Enhancing
Your Learning and Empowering Yourself as a Student. It offers great advice on how to
get the most from feedback on your work in this and every other Northcentral course.
I will be using the Teaching through Feedback model to provide you with further
instruction. I will attempt to get your assignment back to you within 24 hours. Once
each graded assignment has been returned to you, it is my desire that the learning will
continue. Hopefully, the feedback I provide you will serve as part of an ongoing
conversation that you and I have throughout the course. In my position as mentor, I will
give you feedback that not only informs you about the quality of your work, but that
also guides you to do even higher quality work on future assignments. In this process, we
will never forget that the ultimate goal is for you to succeed in your graduate school
program. If you ever need to get in contact with me, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Again, my cell phone number is 724-880-0973. My office hours are noon – 2 PM daily.
If I do not answer the phone, I will get back to you, usually within the hour. Your call is
very important to me. Areas of interest is studying Mascotology and coining.
8-week course format:
Weekly assignments are due on Sunday at 11:59:59 pm (Arizona time), and remember
that bundling of assignments will not be permitted. Students frequently ask me how I
like to be addressed. Feel free to call me Doc Y, or anything that makes you comfortable.
Lastly, use a Cover Page and a Title Page for each assignment. Outlining your
assignment by using heading is very helpful. Examples: Introduction/ Conclusions.
Please submit assignment as LAST NAME / FIRST INITIAL SM7100-1 (or current
assignment). All assignments need to be in: 12 point -Times New Romans font.
I have attached the cover page sheet and title page that must be present with each
assignment.
Please complete the Pre Course Survey located on your Course Page. This allows me to
know more about you before the course begins.
Sincerely,
Roy E. Yarbrough, Ed. D.
Drmascot1@gmail.com / 724 880-0973
Guru of Mascotology
"The greatest use of my life is to spend it on things (people) that will outlast me. It is
better to begin each day thinking victory, and not defeat; to awake to grace, not
shame." Roy E.
Office Hours: Noon – 2 PM - Daily