St. Bonaventure University’s Sports Management Department once again turned experiential learning into meaningful impact, raising more than $13,000 this season through a coordinated fundraising partnership at Buffalo Bills home games.

Through a season-long effort at Highmark Stadium led by Dr. Tiffany Demiris, assistant professor of Sports Management, students worked every Bills home game — including Jan. 4 vs. the Jets, the final regular-season contest ever played at the 52-year-old venue — to support several student organizations and departmental initiatives across campus.

The effort raised $13,432 for four different campus groups, combining professional experience with hands-on service and fundraising. Of that total, $6,292 was raised on behalf of three student groups.

The Pi Epsilon Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma will use its share to attend the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Research Conference in Philadelphia from March 4–6. Students Kyler Huels and Braxton Hall participated in the fundraising on behalf of the chapter.

Funds were also raised for the university’s Public Health Club to support student attendance at next year’s New York State Public Health Association Conference. Public Health students who worked Bills games included Kevin Eberth, Mya Dietz and Layne Steffen.

Additionally, the men’s and women’s tennis teams, who worked some games, will use proceeds to support their spring break training trip to Orlando, where they will train at the National Tennis Center.

Sports Management students raised $7,140 of the total, marking a strategic shift in how the program structures fundraising. This year, the department moved fundraising from its student club to the academic side of the program to help subsidize experiential learning opportunities tied directly to coursework and professional practicums.

Those opportunities include work at the College Football Playoff National Championship game, the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup matches this summer, and the Special Olympics National Games, where students will provide analytics and statistics support for flag football.

“This was our first year working with Allied Universal Event Services for stadium security after transitioning away from a concessions-based program,” said Demiris, who has coordinated experiential work for St. Bonaventure students at Bills games for several years. “Working with Jarvis Hinson, brand manager for Allied Universal, was a wonderful experience for both the students and me.”

Demiris said the partnership allowed her to directly supervise students at each game, creating real-time learning moments in a professional environment.

“When something happened, the students were able to see how I handled things, I was able to see how they handled things, and then we were able to debrief after and evaluate the situation,” she said. “It provided an immersive learning experience and important context you simply can’t replicate in a classroom.”

Students also gained behind-the-scenes exposure to the coordination required to operate and secure an NFL stadium, working alongside Allied Universal staff, the Erie County Sheriff’s Department and the Bills Guest Services team. Students will also be going with Allied to the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh in April.

“I am incredibly proud of the students,” Demiris said. “They endured rain, snow and frigid temperatures, often getting home in the early morning hours and still showing up to class the next day.”

Sophomore Hunter DiProsa told Demiris he was grateful for the opportunity.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” he said. “I had a blast."

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).