IMC Hawks Blog

Category: UNCW

  • “I want to be an event planner!”

    Contrary to popular belief, event planning isn’t all white dresses and fancy cakes.  In the realm of IMC, events are everywhere. From trade shows to music festivals, it takes knowledge of budgeting, marketing, advertising, organizational planning, and more to carry out a successful event. Our education in Communication Studies gives us a head start on other event planning hopefuls by providing opportunities through the classroom, internships, and extracurricular activities.

    Dress for Success Fashion Show Logo
    2010 "Dress for Success" Fashion Show Logo

    At UNCW, students have the opportunity to assist in the planning of fashion shows, academic conferences and meetings, concerts, multiple charity functions, and fundraisers. These opportunities give us valuable insight into all the necessary components of event planning. We come to understand that it takes hard work and long hours, excellent writing and public speaking skills…the list goes on and on! At the end of the day, an IMC student evaluates the outcome of his or her efforts not by how happy Bridezilla was, but by how it changed the behaviors of the client. For example, the success of a charity event might be measured by an increase in donations, not by how much people enjoyed the show.

    UNCW Communication Studies Society raised over $5,000 for breast cancer research in October 2010!

    When searching through the thousands of job listings, there are a variety of titles to consider: conference coordinator, special event coordinator, and meeting manager to name a few. Dependent upon the more specific interests of the applicant, these titles can start you on your way to a career in event planning!

    -Tiffany Evans, Deji Adeleke, Anna Kate Babnik, Katie Eagle, Carissa Niederkorn

  • Looking Forward to Advanced IMC

    It’s that time of year again!

    It is officially 2011 and spring semester classes across the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s campus have begun. Last semester we caught a glimpse of Dr. Persuit’s Corporate Communication class and what they had to say. This semester, the blog is back up and running with the class that originated it all, Advanced Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), but with new students and new insights.

    For all of our new subscribers and readers, you may ask, what exactly is Integrated Marketing Communication? Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) recognizes the importance of strategic planning to reach all businesses, customers, employees, as well as communities. Public relations and advertising are critical categories of IMC, along with promotions, event planning and marketing communications. IMC, so to speak, integrates all of these promotional tools and resources so that they can work hand-in-hand with one another.

    In this class, the projects and teamwork we will encounter will make us more knowledgable in the specified field and expand our resume and skill set.  This semester, we will be discussing topics anywhere from the Superbowl to careers in IMC.  We look forward to your comments and appreciate the feedback! ENJOY!

  • A Big Thanks to Dr. Persuit

    As a class, we would like to say thank you to Dr. Persuit, our amazing professor for Corporate Communication. In two major service learning projects, she has taught us the importance of a strong corporate identity. Each of us believes that the knowledge learned in Corporate Comm. will benefit us after graduation. Here are our personal thoughts:

    I have had Dr. Persuit for several classes. Corporate Communication, like all of her classes, has secured my feelings about the field of Communication Studies. I have found what I wish to do after graduation due to the knowledge learned in Dr. Persuit’s class.

    – Lacey Inman

    Dr. Persuit finds a way to make each of her classes interesting and unique.  She expects a lot from her students because she believes that we are capable of achieving greatness.  I appreciate all of the skills I learned in Corporate Communication as well as the other three classes I took with Dr. Persuit over the past few years.

    -Sarah McIntosh

    I absolutely love Dr.Persuit. Corporate Communication is my 4th class with her during my time at UNCW and if I could fit it into my schedule before graduation I would be taking even more with her! She has such a passion for life and a dedication to her students. She is such a great example of a working mom who has it all going on! Thank you for everything Dr.Persuit, my future career will always put what you taught me to good use.

    –Emily Hunter

    I extremely enjoy taking classes with Dr. Persuit!  I have had several classes with her here at UNCW and I’m looking forward to her Advanced IMC class next semester as my last class with her before I graduate.  I have learned many things from Dr. Persuit that will help me in my chosen career field in the future.  She really gets us involved and strives us to think about how we would handle all aspects of communication after graduation.  Thank you for all that you do and have done Dr. Persuit!

    -Danielle Dorantich

    I have had the unique opportunity to work with Dr. Persuit outside of the classroom. As one of Phi Mu’s advisers, we have spent a lot of time together working on ways to better our organization. I am so glad that I have not only gotten the opportunity to work with Dr. Persuit with my sorority, but to also have her as a professor. It is nice to actually learn things in class that will come in handy in the real world. This corporate communication class has further validated my belief that I want to work in this career field. Thank you for everything Dr. Persuit!

    –Fran Greene

    Throughout my few years UNCW I have been blessed with amazing professors and Dr. Persuit is one of the very best.  She has shown me how to apply the concepts of our discipline and now Corporate Communication into the real world that we all will enter into after graduation. Her positive attitude to the hardest tasks makes me want to strive to do even better.  I hope to take at least one class with her next semester before I graduate. Thank you for everything Dr. Persuit you have been an inspiring professor!  You will be one of the professors in which I will never forget and want to thank for being so inspiring throughout this semester and the semester to come.

    Kelly Wiley

    Dr. Persuit is an amazing professor, from helping me immensely work through my DIS and now  class in Corporate comm, I have learned that she is a professor that every student in the communication studies department needs to have at some point. Her positive outlook on everything is inspiring to all of her students. She makes it a point to make sure that the students are learning and succeeding. Her guidance through my undergraduate career has help guide me onto the correct path into my future. I appreciate all the time and effort she has put into our class and her time with me. Thank you Dr. P for everything, you are an amazing professor!

    –Arielle Williams

    I graduate in two weeks and I must say that this has been the most difficult, yet fulfilling semester I’ve ever had. I feel that I’ve learned more applicable information in this one semester than I’ve learned in the past four years of my college career. I also believe that Dr. Persuit is the reason for this learning and growth. She is a constant inspiration and gives me hope in my future endeavors, as well as in the Communication Studies program at UNCW.  She believes in her students and pushes them to be great. I’m disheartened to say that this is the only semester I’ve had, or ever will have, with her as a professor, but I hope that her knowledge and wit stays with me as I commence on this journey called life. Thank you, Dr. Persuit, for your dedication to students and learning. You have helped make my last semester one to remember.

    -Breanna Alexander

    I have had the pleasure of having Dr. Persuit as a professor for 5 courses now. I continue to choose courses that she offers because she genuinely cares about her student’s education. Not only is she incredibly intelligent in her field of study, but she is also very in tune with current events and modern uses of social media and networking sites. She has taught us the importance of creating a well rounded online presence to become more competitive in the workforce and to learn from others. Dr. Persuit is constantly encouraging us to apply the concepts we learn to real world scenarios so we can see the relevance of communication studies in our everyday lives. UNCW is very lucky to have Dr. Persuit as a faculty member and we are all fortunate to have had her as a professor. I know that she will continue to enlighten many more Seahawks for years to come.

    – Gracie Anderson

    So many students take courses with Dr. Persuit semester after semester due to her unique outlook and engaging teaching style. Lessons are always relevant and she makes a point to get to know every student on a personal level. I feel very lucky that Dr. Persuit has taught numerous classes that are of interest to me. All knowledge and insight I have gained from being a part of her classes has already proven useful and I can only imagine how much I will be reminded of these courses when I am in the workforce. I cannot thank you enough for these past few semesters, Dr. Persuit!

    -Haley Williams

    Corporate Communication was an interesting and insightful class. The content of Good-to-Great was very surprising to me. Dr. Persuit showed excitement and enthusiasm when teaching. I feel the knowledge and groupwork experiences I had will be very beneficial. I enjoyed this course very much and the information I gathered should be very useful in career aspirations for me.

    -Sean O’Connell

  • Eleven Days

    I can’t believe my time here at UNCW is coming to an end. In eleven days I will be walking across that stage and receiving my diploma.  In just eleven days I will be entering the “real world.” Only eleven days until my opportunities are limitless.

    These past four years at UNCW have been an absolute blast and most definitely a learning experience. From staying out too late freshman year, to studying abroad in the Netherlands, to finishing my capstone courses, I have truly had the time of my life. It’s hard to imagine myself when I first arrived on campus. I thought I had the whole world figured out; Little did I know that this adventure was just beginning.

    As a double major in Business Administration and Communication Studies, I feel that I have experienced the best of both worlds. I have had the more structured classes with direct answers in business and the more personable ones with ambiguous theories in communication. With the help of notable professors, these courses have taught me priceless information and have helped mold me into the person I am today.

    I’ve decided that I’m not going to write about individual experiences in college or how emotional it is to be leaving, because believe me, it is. Instead, I want to leave you with a video.


    I am a strong believer that life is what we make it. It is up to people like you and me, people who are graduating and moving out into the world, to be the change they want to see and to make a difference. From childhood, we are told to follow our dreams and I feel that that’s exactly what I’ve done. I hope I never lose that. We are the face of the future and these years in college have been the stepping stones for achievement and success. Randy Pausch and the video above has been an inspiration to me in my college career and I hope that it does the same for you. I hope that I continue to be inspired to make a difference and can inspire someone else, just the same.

    I can’t believe my time here at UNCW is coming to an end. Eleven days until it’s my turn to change the world.

    Breanna Alexander

    The full lecture can be viewed below:

  • A Final Goodbye

    “You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You’ll never remember class time, but you’ll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does…” – Tom Petty

    Ok, so perhaps this is a little misconstrued for the overall college experience, but the point Tom Petty was making is still true. College is the last chance you have to live your life the way you want and enjoy the superficial things in life before it is time to grow up and enter the real “world”.  While the whole academic educational experience has been invaluable and rewarding for my future the social aspect of college has been almost as educational in its own way. You learn self credibility and responsibility; like when you stay out all night and still drag yourself to your 9am class. Just kidding, but seriously college is an experience I wouldn’t change for anything and my time here at UNCW I’ll always remember.

    Now that it is time to say farewell to UNCW, I would like to share some of the observations I have made about our teachers here at UNCW from my experience as a communication studies and Spanish major.

    Communications Studies – After spending the past few years in this department I am convinced this major is the most underrated. This department offers so many different areas of studies that are all valuable and imperative in their own respect. Though some may think that Communication Studies is like “Business light”, it is only because they are ignorant to what Communication Studies is all about. I can say this because I had no idea what it was all about before becoming a Pre-Com and later a Com major. This department also offers some of the most intriguing and intelligent Professors I have had.  I would like to thank a few specific teachers for making my time at UNCW enjoyable and being truly great influences and teachers. A special thanks to the following: David Bollinger, Dr. Weber, Dr. Kelly Fellows, Kelly Dixon, Dr. Deborah Brunson, Dr Olsen, and Dr. Persuit for making my experience in the Communications department memorable and truly enjoyable.

    Spanish – Though the Spanish Foreign Language department here at UNCW doesn’t exactly turn out a ton of majors, it has impacted me in a big way. For anyone considering this as a minor that is awesome, but don’t stop there; go for the major. It is truly an amazing department with the best teachers I’ve ever had. I can honestly say I have not had one teacher that wasn’t amazing. So, go for it. Take the few extra classes needed and Major in Spanish. I loved my Spanish classes and truly enjoyed coming to class and engaging with my teachers and the material. All of the teachers in this department truly care about their students. They want you to learn and they show enthusiasm and encouragement in their teacher styles. Learning a foreign language isn’t easy and they do the best they can to help you accomplish your goal; and it is a great feeling when you do. Like I said, I have loved all of my teachers in this department but a few have really made a difference in my education and I would like to thank them especially. Jess Boersma: for teaching me grammar very thoroughly whether I wanted to learn it or not and helping me enjoy and learn Spanish literature.  Amanda Boomershine: for being one of the nicest teachers I’ve ever met. Emmanuel Harris: the fact I took four of his classes should speak for itself. He is Awesome. He cares about his student not just in an academic setting but them as people. He is a great teacher and if you have the opportunity to take his class; do it. Joann Mount: Thank you for making my all of my classes from the 200’s through the 400’s a great experience and for being a great teacher. Thank you for always taking the time to help me when I needed it and going above and beyond with the extra advising help even though you weren’t my advisor. Thank you. And, Valerie Rider: I had for one class and never forgot it; by far one of the most entertaining and nicest teachers. THANK YOU to all of you, seriously, you made my experience unforgettable and I would encourage anyone to become a Spanish Major at UNCW.

    Lauren Smith

  • What I Learned in Corporate Communication

    I cannot believe the semester is coming to an end. As I reflect on the Corporate Communication course, there are several things that I have learned. Thinking back to our first day of class and the definition of corporate communication we formulated, we selected several terms; brand, consistent, reputation, identity, narrative, integration, persuasion, symbolic, building/maintaining. These terms only started the process of discovering what corporate communication is about. From class discussions, our mid-term project and our readings there are more that I would add; discipline, alignment, values, vision, mission, responsibility, customer service, diversity and the list could go on!

    One concept that struck me the most from our readings was the Hedgehog concept. The story is about a fox and a hedgehog. The fox is cunning and always trying to get at the hedgehog in various ways. The hedgehog follows his daily routine and whenever the fox tries to pounce, he consistently rolls into a ball with his spikes protruding. The point of the story is the hedgehog has a simple plan and he wins every time. The underlying message of the hedgehog concept is to align your strengths with your passions and what drives you economically. As I reflect on the key terms from our definition of corporate communication and the Hedgehog concept, they are not solely meant for a corporation as a whole, but for each individual that breathes the life into a corporation as well.                                               -Jocelyn Beam-Walson

    Corporate Communication has certainly taught me a great deal over the course of this semester.  I have expanded my knowledge on all of the things Jocelyn touched on above, but I think the most important concept I am walking away from the class with comes from a book we read called Good to Great, by Jim Collins.  In the book, Collins talks about getting the right people “on the bus”.  This essentially means that if you want to succeed, you need to surround yourself with people that also want to succeed and who are driven and motivated to do so.  Although I’ve been doing group projects for most of my college career, this thought never occurred to me.  Obviously I never intentionally agreed to work with bad group members, it just seemed to happen.  After reading about the importance of getting the right people on the bus and the bad ones off, no matter what.  From now on I will always remember this concept and make sure that I get on the right bus with the right people!                                                                                                                                                         -Eliza Wadson

    Corporate Communication has given me a surprising amount of information and provided me with helpful experiences as well. I found the content of Good to Great very insightful. I was surprised by the attributes that forge the path to greatness. Rather than there being a miraculous transition or advances in technology, greatness is obtained through a collection of factors that synergistically interact, specifically having the right solidarity between indomitable perseverance, winning people, and valuing actual results over flashy appearances. The information gathered from this textbook helped me to view successful companies in a different light. This course also gave me some good experience with group work. I have had some unpleasant experiences with groups in the past; however, this semester I have been part of a group that displays efficiency, a desire to get things done, and putting forth equal effort in completing objectives. Corporate Communication has taught me new facts and ideas and I feel these will be useful in my future career aspirations.                              -Sean O’Connell

    This class was set up unlike any other class I have taken at UNCW.  It was structured to mimic a real work environment by allowing us as students to formulate class discussions.  Each class, we took topics from the reading and generated them into issues that were relevant to us.  When we presented our midterm papers, we arranged the class like a boardroom and fostered a conversation on our findings, rather than standing up in front of the class and lecturing.  Another helpful tool that we used in this class was the blog.  Having something that we are responsible for that reaches a large audience is empowering as students.  It also made us a part of the current transition in corporate communication towards social networking. This skill will prove useful to us in our future careers.  Overall, this class gave me a new perspective on corporate communication and what it means to work in the industry.  It made me excited to enter the work force and start putting these skills I have learned to action.                                                                                                                  -Sarah McIntosh

  • Corporate Christmas?

    Holidays are usually perceived as a happy, carefree time of year, however, when reaching the holiday season corporations have to discuss and agree upon the appropriate way to acknowledge the different holidays. This is especially true in public school systems. In a school system such as a catholic school it is to be expected which holidays will be celebrated and even taught. However, in the case of UNCW, a public, non-denominational university special considerations must be made in order to not offend or exclude different beliefs. Instead of putting up specific decorations UNCW puts up things like wreaths with pretty red bows and some simple white lights. In my opinion they do a very tasteful and appropriate display of festivity without any favoring of a certain holiday or religion.

    This same phenomena can be seen in large business setting corporations. Many times instead of Merry Christmas you will see “Happy Holidays” or instead of hosting a Christmas party it will be titled as a Holiday Party. This sensitivity to others beliefs is respected in the office I work in, instead of sending Christmas cards to the donors and committee members the secretary sends out Thanksgiving cards that are very general and just say how appreciative our office is of our donors.

    This is not to say that the holidays are overlooked. There are still things such as holiday grab-a-dates, tacky Christmas sweater parties, decorations, holiday breaks from school, delicious food and even some festive weather to look forward to!
    -Emily Hunter