The University of the Pacific has kicked off a multiyear partnership with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, a collaboration the college hopes will help students score opportunities outside the classroom.
UOP said having the Official Higher Education Partnership with the 49ers will give students access to internships and other opportunities with the 49ers.
Forty-nine UOP students took part in the team’s annual Students at the Stadium event Tuesday at the 49ers’ home field, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. With UOP now as the “presenting partner,” the event welcomed students from throughout the Bay Area for career workshops, networking opportunities and a chance to mingle and learn from the team’s staff.
In addition, UOP held a campus event last Friday to announce the event, with cheerleaders and mascots from both organizations and a blizzard of confetti.
Cheer squad members from both the University of the Pacific and the San Francisco 49ers fire up the crowd at a kickoff event for a collaboration between the two organizations. (Photo courtesy of University of the Pacific)
“Our two organizations share a common goal — to build champions on the field, in the classroom and throughout our communities — and we’re proud to stand alongside the 49ers as we work together to shape the future of California,” UOP President Christopher Callahan said in a statement.
While UOP has strong baseball, basketball and other competitive sports programs, it no longer fields a football team. But it has a number of sports-related majors, including athletic training, sports analytics and sports management.
Plus, UOP has had a past relationship with the 49ers. The team used UOP’s Stockton campus for its training camp between 1998 and 2002.
Together, the 49ers and UOP — which also has campuses in San Francisco and Sacramento — plan to back initiatives to help schools across Northern California, including college-readiness programs.
As part of the agreement, UOP pledges support for the team’s charitable arm, the 49ers Foundation, which has various programs. One supports schools focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEAM for short. The partnership will also allow 49ers employees to pursue degrees at Pacific or take part in the university’s professional programs.
“The holistic development of students across the Bay Area is central to the 49ers mission, and this partnership goes one step beyond, providing additional opportunities for our staff to further their educational pursuits,” said Christina Jefferson, senior director of Inclusion and Culture for the 49ers.
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