Hall Named Director of USM’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security
Mon, 10/26/2020 - 08:52am | By: Van Arnold
Dr. Stacey A. Hall, Professor of Sport Management at The University of Southern Mississippi
(USM), has been named the new director of USM’s internationally renowned National
Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4).
Hall has served as the center’s interim director following the retirement of Dr. Lou Marciani in April. She worked closely with Marciani in developing a blueprint for NCS4 when the idea was first conceived in 2006 and served as associate director from the center’s inception until 2013.
“The NCS4 team will work hard to build upon the foundation laid by Dr. Marciani,” said Hall. “He is a highly respected figure in the industry and must be commended on his legacy and growing the NCS4 brand. I am honored to be chosen as the next leader of NCS4 and very much excited to be back at the center.”
Hall, a native of Portadown, Northern Ireland, earned her undergraduate degree in management from USM in 2001; her MBA from USM in 2003 and her doctorate from USM (sport administration concentration) in 2006. She has been a member of the USM faculty since 2006.
“Dr. Hall brings a rich history of sports management to the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security. We are fortunate to have someone with Stacey’s experience in both academic and security arenas to lead NCS4. I feel confident that she will take the NCS4 to the next level,” said Dr. Gordon Cannon, Vice President for Research at USM.
Hall and the staff at NCS4 recently wrapped up the center’s 11th National Sports Safety and Security Conference and Exhibition. The three-day event was conducted in a virtual platform due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Hall says that despite the unexpected challenges posed by the pandemic, NCS4 is poised to emerge much stronger in 2021 and beyond.
To that end, Hall has established an organizational structure that directly supports the three key pillars of the center’s mission: research, training & education, and outreach.
“We will focus on elevating our research profile and have taken a significant first step by issuing the nation’s first sports and entertainment venue safety and security survey providing data-driven evidence of practices and technologies at facilities across the United States,” said Hall.
She indicates that another primary focus will be to establish a closer connection with academic partners at USM and nationwide, including a push to help students obtain internship and job opportunities in the sports security field. Further, NCS4 plans to build upon its training strengths through ongoing partnerships with DHS/FEMA and INTERPOL by adding new training courses that address industry gaps.
NCS⁴ remains the nation’s only academic center devoted to the study and practice of sports and entertainment safety and security. Hall stresses that the center’s affiliation with USM, an R1 institution, enhances its national and international reputation.
“We are a critical resource for the sport and entertainment industry by providing quality training and educational programming and producing research with data-driven evidence for leadership decision-making today and tomorrow,” said Hall. “Additionally, combining practitioner perspectives with collaborative academic and research expertise, NCS4 is positioned to deliver lessons learned, best practices, professional development, scholarly inquiry, and technology solutions in safety and security.”
For more information about NCS4, call 601.266.6183 or visit ncs4.usm.edu.