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LECOM obtains naming rights to Pittsburgh Pirates training field

The partnership between LECOM and the Pittsburgh Pirates will benefit students and the community, LECOM president says.

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Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in Erie, Pennsylvania, has purchased naming rights of the former McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida, where the Pittsburgh Pirates conduct spring training. The college sees the new namesake, LECOM Park, as a partnership that extends beyond name recognition.

“When people come to LECOM Park, they will recognize our commitment not only on days when LECOM students will be at the ballpark promoting health and wellness, but also each time fans walk through the main gate, climb the stairs to the boardwalk, see the highlights on the new scoreboard, or recognize the school name when they see the games on TV or hear it mentioned on the radio,” says John Ferretti, president and CEO of LECOM.

The partnership will allow students from the college of osteopathic medicine and the schools of pharmacy and dental medicine to attend games at LECOM Park, where they will pass out giveaways that promote healthy lifestyles. Osteopathic medical students will also partner with athletic trainers on staff with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This is not the first time LECOM has partnered with professional sports teams to encourage health and wellness. The college is the official presenter and medical provider for the Erie BayHawks, an NBA D-League team, a sponsor of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, and the host of the Web.com Tour, a path for golfers to secure their spot on the PGA tour.

3 comments

  1. Jds

    How much did increase the cost of the tuition for their students? Was this really needed? What is the school’s primary purpose? Should it be to educate students or are they trying to advertise?

    1. Anonymous Student

      I couldn’t agree more. Schools like this one and many others including mine are out of control. Every year I have attended the tuition goes up by 3-5% without explanation. MS-I tuition was around $47,000 and the MS-I class entering after I graduate will be at least $54,000. The obvious answer is student loans because schools know there is no upper limit and competition to keep tuition affordable is virtually non-existent. It would be nice if my school would divert their resources to providing a quality medical school education instead of a bunch of unnecessary employees and departments. My school has a Diversity Department with several administrative level employees and each has a secretary, often with their own secretary and assistant. It is nauseating to walk by all these departments with so many employees doing such little work. Especially considering my school’s curriculum is porous, chaotic, disorganized,…etc. And seriously, how many Deans are necessary for a medical school that has about 170 students per class?

      1. Anonymous Student

        Additionally, the school sets up the core third year rotations with the remainder of third year and entire fourth year the responsibility of the student to find preceptors or travel to other sites to complete rotations (ie. find someone, do paperwork, follow up, maybe more paperwork, confirm). Tuition for these two years exceeds $100,000 while my preceptors get paid NOTHING.

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