MSU Partners With Altius Sports To Enhance NIL Education Program

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State University Athletics announced Thursday a partnership with Altius Sports Partners (Altius) to enhance and supplement the school's name, image and likeness program including ongoing strategic planning, evaluating and developing departmental initiatives, and comprehensive educational support benefiting all internal and external Bulldog stakeholders.

"We're thrilled to enhance and expand our name, image and likeness programming through our partnership with Altius," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. "We look forward to collaborating with their talented team as we continue preparing and guiding our student-athletes through the ever-changing NIL landscape."

An official partner of the leading collegiate athletic departments and sports properties, Altius specializes in developing and managing programs around crucial issues related to NIL. Through its expertise, range of services and intellectual resources, the firm's approach includes strategic vision and cohesive planning to help all stakeholders navigate structural change and excel in the new collegiate landscape.

Key elements of the MSU partnership with Altius include customized educational workshops for student-athletes, coaches and staff focused on marketing, branding, financial literacy and recruiting. Additionally, enhancement of departmental initiatives as well as education and engagement with internal and external constituents on NIL, capitalizing on other industry developments, and creating innovative approaches for long-term success are important components of the customized services.

"Mississippi State has taken a proactive approach to addressing the many impacts of NIL," said Altius Sports Partners Vice President of Collegiate Partnerships Andrew Donovan. "We are excited to build on the solid foundation established in Starkville and look forward to collaboratively positioning the Bulldogs for broad-based success amidst ongoing evolution within collegiate athletics."

The partnership with Altius represents the next NIL phase for Mississippi State Athletics after establishing itself as an early adopter in the space. In May 2021, MSU became the first university in the country to implement the COMPASS NIL platform to aid its student-athletes in capitalizing on NIL opportunities.

Mississippi State Athletics has a celebrated history, competing at the highest level as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs encompass 16 sports and 350-plus student-athletes.

Supported by operational leadership and a best-in-class client services team, the Altius cross-disciplinary network of partners and advisory team members includes:

David Carter, Executive Director of the USC Sports Business Institute, and a professor of sports business at USC's Marshall School of Business.
John Entz, 14-time Emmy winner and former President of Production at Fox Sports, SVP at MLB Network and producer at ESPN.
Gabe Feldman, Director of the Tulane Sports Law Program, Associate Provost for NCAA Compliance and Co-Director of Tulane Center for Sport.
Renie Anderson, CRO and EVP, Partnerships at the NFL.
Jené Elzie, former Pac-12 athlete and current Chief Growth Officer for Athletes First Partners, sister company of Athletes First, the nation's largest NFL talent agency.
Oliver Luck, sports business leader and former Commissioner of the XFL, EVP for Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Partnerships for the NCAA, and Athletic Director at West Virginia.
Michael O'Hara Lynch, former global head of sponsorship marketing at Visa, Inc. and global head of consulting at Nielson Sports, currently partner in 3 Emerald Marketing.
Jessica Mendoza, former Pac-12 athlete and Olympic gold medalist, is a broadcaster for ESPN.
Kenneth Shropshire, CEO of the Global Sport Institute, and professor at Arizona State.
Malcolm Turner, sports business executive and former Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director at Vanderbilt and President of the NBA G League.

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About Altius Sports Partners
Altius is a leading firm that delivers consulting, strategic planning, compliance support and education to its clients. An official partner of leading collegiate athletic departments and sports properties, Altius provides strategic solutions on topics ranging from NIL to the shifting landscape of employment and media rights within college athletics. The firm currently represents athletics departments at Arizona, Duke, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Northwestern, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. The firm has also partnered with Women Leaders in College Sports. Providing all stakeholders – athletics departments, coaches, and college athletes – with resources they need to thrive in the new age of college athletics, Altius leverages its deep reservoir of sports business sophistication to help those impacted to prepare and excel. We have built a team of cross-disciplinary leaders to reach higher levels of education, higher access to opportunities and higher standards of excellence.

Mississippi State University Athletics

MSU Partners With Altius Sports To Enhance NIL Education Program

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