Contacts:
Kristin Broka
Associate Vice President, University Marketing, Cleveland State University 
pr@csuohio.edu / 216-534-2848 

Curtis Danburg
Vice President, Communications and Community Impact
cdanburg@cleguardians.com / 216-577-5381

Cleveland State University Partners with the Cleveland Guardians to Launch Collaboration Focused on Enrollment, Education and Community Engagement

Cleveland, Ohio (June 11, 2025) – Cleveland State University (CSU) and the Cleveland Guardians are proud to announce a strategic partnership, in their shared commitment to fostering community engagement and advancing educational opportunities for the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio communities.

“This partnership formalizes and strengthens opportunities for our current and future students to engage with one of Cleveland’s beloved professional sports teams,” said Roy Gifford, CSU chief marketing and communications officer and vice president of marketing and communications. “CSU is in and of the city of Cleveland, and we are thrilled to partner with the Guardians to successfully provide opportunities to future and current students that no other university in the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio has to offer.”

As proud partners, CSU and the Guardians will work together on a variety of initiatives to create lasting opportunities that benefit future and current students as well as fans. Combining their expertise in academia, athletics, the business of sports, and community engagement, together they will build upon their existing relationship to provide further hands-on opportunities for students in fields ranging from operations, supply chain, marketing, sports management, engineering, exercise science and more.

“The Guardians are excited to partner with CSU to provide these opportunities and continue our long-standing relationship,” said Tim Salcer, Cleveland Guardians vice president of sales and service. “We are particularly proud to provide CSU students with the tools and experience to succeed in sports-related fields and also further engage with the community to make a lasting impact for the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.”

Key Initiatives of the Partnership Include:

Academic Programs, Internships and Careers 
The partnership will offer CSU students exclusive internship opportunities with the Guardians, providing invaluable real-world experience in a professional sports environment. The internships complement CSU’s academic programs in sport and entertainment management, operations and business that prepare students for careers in the sports and entertainment industry. 

The Guardians will make introductions to hiring managers through a series of on-campus events and educational panels which will be open to current and prospective CSU students. The Guardians will also become the premier sponsor of the CSU Career Fair and continue to post all their internship, co-op and career opportunities to CSU’s job board platform. 

Athletics
Building upon their existing relationship with CSU Athletics, the Guardians will continue to support CSU Men’s Club Baseball through the Guardians Nike RBI program, part of Major League Baseball’s larger Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) youth outreach program.

Student and Community Engagement
CSU and the Guardians will collaborate on community outreach initiatives that engage local schools, underrepresented communities, young athletes and the CSU community through a series of events including, but not limited to, CSU’s VikesFest, classroom lectures/guest speakers, sales skills courses, summer high school programming, in-park and on-campus events, fan nights, as well as the annual CSU Day at the Guardians, which will include our alumni, students, faculty and staff. All engagement opportunities are designed to further strengthen the connection between the University, the greater Cleveland community and the Guardians.

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About Cleveland State University
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution located in the heart of Northeast Ohio with 14,000-plus students, ten colleges and schools, and more than 175 academic programs. Find more information at csuohio.edu or contact pr@csuohio.edu.

About Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians Baseball Club, established in 1901 as one of the four Charter members of the American League, is an organization striving to unite and inspire the City of Cleveland with the power of team.  The Guardians organization has provided superior customer service and entertainment to over 60 million fans at Progressive Field since the gates opened in 1994.