Passing it on
09/13/2024
In his new position, former student-athlete Kenny Schneider ’24 will work to raise financial support for athletic teams and strengthen the university’s relationships with community partners.
Learning and growing
Kenneth Schneider ’24, MBA ’26, will serve as development associate for athletics and community relations. In this role, Schneider will work with athletic teams and community partners to help our student athlete’s Bluffton experience.
What was your undergraduate degree in? What are you getting your master’s in?
I graduated in May 2024 with my undergraduate degree in accounting. I am currently
working on receiving my Master of Business Administration (MBA) and will graduate
in May 2026.
What led you to Bluffton?
When I first came on a visit to Bluffton, my parents gave me the freedom to do the
visit on my own. My parents wanted me to have the full-on feel of what the college
experience would be like. I really enjoyed the campus and the baseball coaching staff.
I could tell everyone I met with on my first campus tour genuinely cared and wanted
me to have all my questions answered and make the most out of the visit before I left
campus.
What does your new job entail and what are you most looking forward to?
My new job is development associate for athletics and community relations. I will
be working with our coaches to fundraise for our athletic teams. This will significantly
help our athletic teams out while sticking to the university’s mission. I will also
be working to strengthen the university’s relationship with its community partners.
I will be going out into our area communities to work with our local business on how
we can mutually support each other.
How did being a student athlete impact your Bluffton experience?
I was a four-year member of the baseball team, and my experience was phenomenal. Being
a student athlete allows you to build your confidence on and off the field and helps
you build relationships from the moment you step on campus. I would say the biggest
thing athletics has taught me is consistency and perseverance.
What are you hoping to accomplish in this role?
I am really looking forward to finding ways to support and improve the athletic facilities
here at Bluffton. I want to be able to help our athletic department fundraise for
needs they have to operate. Personally, I had to pay some out-of-pocket costs as a
student athlete, so in this role, I really want to work to alleviate as many out-of-pocket
costs for our student athletes as possible.
What is your favorite thing about Bluffton?
Although it may be cliché, my favorite thing about Bluffton truly is the people and
the relationships you are able to build during your time here. During my time as a
student, my professors, specifically Jason Swartzlander and John Burkhart, really
helped me succeed.
Being a student athlete, you typically do not complete an internship because of how much you have going on. Swartzlander and Burkhart really pushed me to do an internship and if they didn’t push me to do it, I likely would not have. Bluffton is an environment in which you can learn and grow.
