Sport management major Will Ferris ’25 named Student Organization Officer of the Year | Today at Elon
The president of the Sport Management Society was recognized for his exemplary leadership and service at the 2025 Dr. Leo M. Lambert Awards ceremony on April 30.
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Will Ferris ’25, a sport management major, was honored with the Student Organization Officer of the Year award during the 2025 Dr. Leo M. Lambert Awards ceremony on April 30. The recognition celebrates Ferris’ transformative leadership as president of the Sport Management Society (SMS), one of the university’s most active student-run organizations.
A longtime leader within SMS, Ferris has spent the past three years expanding opportunities for students interested in careers in the sport industry. Under his leadership, the organization – which currently has 55 registered members across campus – hosted site visits to professional teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and Durham Bulls. Additionally, Ferris was instrumental in creating the organization’s robust guest speaker series and organizing major departmental events, including the Sport Management Symposium, the Sport Management Internship Forum, and the senior awards banquet.
“Will exemplifies the best of Elon University,” said Young Do Kim, associate professor of sport management. “He is a servant leader whose work ethic, responsibility, and care for his peers have earned him the admiration of both students and faculty.”
Ferris’ dedication has been evident in moments large and small. In February, just one day after receiving eight stitches in his leg, Ferris led a group of 23 students on a field trip to Duke University Athletics, driving a university van to ensure his classmates had a valuable experience. Similarly, in fall 2023, he helped coordinate student transportation after a flat tire stranded a van returning from a Carolina Hurricanes game. His commitment, Kim noted, is matched by professionalism and humility.
In addition to this university-wide honor, Ferris was recently inducted into the COSMA Chi Sigma Mu Honor Society and received the 2025 James P. Drummond Service Award from the Department of Sport Management.
“These awards primarily recognize my work with our Sport Management Society, which I feel beyond proud to have led,” Ferris wrote in a LinkedIn post. “I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such fantastic friends, mentors, and organization members that make all of this service possible.”
Ferris is the second SMS president in three years to receive the Student Organization Officer of the Year award, following Nicholas Ullian ’24 in 2023.
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