Colgate University Athletics

Complete Bio

Get to Know Faculty Liaison -- Chad Sparber

The Colgate faculty liaison program provides Colgate student-athletes with the opportunity to develop working relationships with Colgate faculty members outside the classroom or formal advising environment in an effort to enhance the academic and athletic experience.
 
The faculty liaison can function in many roles, including providing additional academic guidance for student-athletes and coaches, educating student-athletes about educational expectations and policies, and providing a link between academic faculty and the Colgate athletic program. The program also establishes a formal connection between each head coach and at least one member of the academic faculty.
 
This collaboration can provide an additional level of assistance for student-athletes in developing a positive and productive balance among academic, athletic, and co-curricular commitments. The faculty liaison program is administered jointly by the offices of the Dean of the Faculty and the Vice President/Director of Athletics.
 
Name and Liaison to What Team
Chad Sparber, Volleyball
Associate Professor of Economics
 
What I Like About Being a Faculty Liaison
Colgate is the best school for student-athletes who want a high quality undergraduate education while playing Division I sports. I like teaching our student-athletes, and I am happy to do whatever I can to help them navigate through college life.
 
Influential Person in My Career
I can point to a half-dozen specific moments when someone intervened and fundamentally altered my life toward a positive direction. But without a doubt, my graduate school advisor has had the largest direct influence on my career. I am forever indebted to him.
 
Idea or Invention I Wish I Had Thought of…
Any time someone in my field of research comes up with a really clever idea or insight, it makes me wish I had thought of it first!
 
Favorite Hero
James Bond, or John McCain, or Ronald Reagan ... I'm an odd academic.
 
Favorite Possession
A flat cap my wife bought me after our first trip to Ireland in 2004. I wore it long before others took it over as their preferred style, and I'll wear it long after they abandon it.
 
Favorite Sports Memory
Watching: I was at Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS when the Mariners beat the Yankees, and I knew then that I would never see a more exciting baseball game. To add to its significance, it was a pivotal game for me personally. I was a Yankee fan who grew up outside of Seattle. This was my favorite player's (Don Mattingly's) last game, and it was the first time I rooted for my home team to beat New York.

Playing: I pitched 5-innings for a win in 8th grade, my last year of baseball. I had the arm-strength of an 82-pound second-baseman, so I really had no business taking the mound. I have fond memories of opposing batters whiffing on my 40 MPH fastball.
 
Favorite Memento
I've taken a lot of pictures from high school on... they remind me of some really good times.
 
Favorite Magazine, Hard-Copy or Online
Officially: The Economist. Secretly: Entertainment Weekly.
 
Favorite Music Genre, Singer or Group
Growing up outside of Seattle in the 1990s, my tastes are predictable: Grunge. Guitars. Screaming. Nirvana. Pearl Jam. Etc. Even my recent purchases don't stray far from that... Sleater-Kinney, Jack White, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And, yes, I still buy music (on vinyl now).
 
Favorite Book
I've always loved the wordplay and rhythm of Dr. Seuss's "Fox in Socks."
 
Favorite Movie
The Godfather. Or Airplane! if I feel like laughing.
 
Favorite Quote
It's not so much a quote, but more of a philosophy: When I was in high school, my grandfather admonished me for complaining about a low quality teacher. He argued, "It is your responsibility to learn, no matter who the teacher is." It was a reminder that we need to fight and compete to achieve our goals, no matter what obstacles stand in our way. 

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