IMC Hawks Blog

Category: UNCW

  • UNCW on Forbes Top 20

    As a university, UNCW must make a conscious effort to promote itself through advertising in order to continue to appeal to and reach perspective students. They also must network with other businesses and other universities to help expand and further their opportunities as a university. For instance, UNCW partners with many local and regional businesses during “Connect 2010” which is put on by the Communications department. The event allows students to meet perspective employers and for employers to connect with the freshest talent in the job market. Similarly, the Cameron School of Business hosts “Business Week” to promote the business school and help connect their students and other businesses. Also, international corporate communication is evident through UNCW’s partnership with foreign universities in order to place and entice students to travel and study abroad. With these types of corporate communication, UNCW is able to market and advertise the university.

    When corporate communication is successful, the university’s image is enhanced. For example, UNCW just received its highest regional ranking to date. It has been listed among the top 5 public master’s institutions in the South for the upcoming 2011 year. Out of 118 public and private universities in the south, UNCW ranks 13th for undergraduate and master’s level programs. UNCW is ranked at number 5 in the region, which puts it among the 68 colleges and universities nationally that U.S. News identified as making the most promising and innovative changes. It is estimated that in 2014 the student body at UNCW will have an average SAT score of 1170 and an estimated average high school GPA of 3.8. These studies can be found at U.S. News & World Report rankings can be viewed online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

    Similarly, because of UNCW’s successful corporate communication practices, top names such as Forbes Magazine ranked UNCW among the top 20 “Best Buy” universities in the nation. This ranking places UNCW in the magazine’s top 20 among all colleges and universities in the U.S. for providing a high quality education at the lowest cost to students. Corporate communication not only helps gets the message out about all aspects of the university to local communities, but it also plays a big role in why UNCW is recognized by such impressive organizations, namely Forbes and U.S. News.

    Breanna Alexander
    Lauren Dehart
    Lauren Smith
    Kelly Wiley

  • How Does UNCW Handle Communication?

    Within the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a department which offers a full range of services for providing optimal communication and promotion of news and events regarding the university.  The UNCW Marketing and Communications (MaC) department works to enhance the image of the university and to increase its position among other higher education marketplaces by managing marketing, communication, public relations, media relations, community relations, and advertising strategies.  MaC also seeks to preserve the integrity of UNCW and its reputation for excellence through a variety of services such as crisis communication, event promotions, issues management, and marketing and research strategies. Furthermore, MaC takes charge of the management of corporate events and marketing communication activities, which is done in order to build strong relationships with key institutional stakeholders who are vital to the continued success of the university.

    Although many crisis situations potentially occur without warning, many situations can be anticipated or mitigated before they get out of hand.  This is where MaC comes in.  MaC helps facilitate and maintain an extensive and effective system of communication during a period when the university may be in a crisis due to a campus emergency or circumstances that threaten to integrity of the institution.  In the event that an emergency occurs such as a major tropical storm, hurricane, fire or some other campus or regional emergency, MaC is responsible for communicating with the faculty, staff, students, visitors, and external audiences in the community.  The Seahawk Siren System, the UNCW Emergency Information Hotline, the UNCW Alert Website, as well as mass text messages and e-mails, are all efficient forms of notifying people if there is an emergency on campus.

    Corporate communication is the foundation of UNCW’s success as a university, just as with any successful business.  When dealing with crisis on campus it is important that it is effectively and positively handled through the marketing and communications department, but it also is important that the students and faculty are in the know and able to efficiently deal with the crisis. Students and faculty may be the image of this university, but a great deal of work is accomplished by other staff members, who are vital its success.  The university has very similar responsibilities and obligations to their students as a corporation does to their employees.  Each must create a strong public appearance in order to draw students/employees, and must provide a favorable work environment in order to keep them from leaving for another, more desirable, school or company.  Furthermore, within the system of higher education, UNCW must compete with other colleges and universities if they wish to be successful, thus it is just as important to foster a strong corporate bearing which will maximize opportunities for funding and university advancement.

    – Arielle, Danielle, Haley and Lora

  • Remembering COM 495

    As the final blog the IMC-Hawks wanted to give Dr. Persuit and COM 495 salutations through a few testimonial statements to end on a positive note.  The following are from a couple of our team members who wanted to share their thoughts of the class as a whole.  We hope you enjoy:

    “Dr. Persuit’s IMC classes have been some of the most interesting and
    insightful classes I have taken in college. She is excited about what
    she teaches and encourages her students to be excited as well. Her
    Advanced IMC class has inspired me to go to graduate school to study
    integrated marketing communications after I work for a few years
    because I am convinced that it is the future of communication-related
    positions. I think that all Communication Studies programs should
    offer these courses.”

    -Nicole Doherty

    “Dr. Persuit’s passion for IMC and thoughtful interest to every single one of her lessons and students is not only obvious but it has created the most stimulating class environment I’ve experienced during my time here at UNCW.”

    -Taylor Diehl

    “The readings, discussions, and group projects really helped me to get a better grasp on IMC. Intro to IMC is exactly what it says it is, simply an introduction that leaves you more curious than before! The Identity project helped me to imagine what it would be like to work for a Marketing or PR Agency and our Event Planning Project shed some light on that career as well. That kind of classroom experience is far and few between and I am grateful for those opportunities because of their heavy weight on my ‘Career Wish List’! The blog also taught us team work and cooperation and was a taste of what corporate or business communication life would be like. I love it when you learn applicable concepts and themes not found in a text book! Everyone can use a little IMC!!”

    -Mandy Baker

     

    “COM 495 introduced me to many new things and I think writing blog posts was one of the most beneficial. This whole semester of writing has not only given me a fabulous way to share my writing samples, but has also taught me about the whole blogosphere, something I never thought I’d join. COM 495 – IMC combined so many aspects of the classes I’ve previously had, all bunched into one. Thus, to explain this class, I thought it’d be easiest in recipe form:

    Combine the following ingredients and stir over one semester of coursework”:

    3 cups teamwork
    2 cups creativity
    1/3 cup marketing
    1/3 cup PR
    1/3 cup advertising
    2 tbsps innovation
    and add a little bit of reading to taste!

    -Rachel Kaylor

    “Advanced IMC was such a great class, learning experience and opportunity! As a student we were placed in real life situations and were able to get a glance of what the real job world is like. The learning material for the class was challenging yet very exciting to analyze and discuss. This class was very unconventional; however the activities and readings we did really helped us understand more thoroughly Integrated Marketing Communication. Dr. Persuit is very knowledgeable on the topics and her real life experience made the class very exciting and memorable!”

    -Shannon Meadows

    This past semester as I was interning, I worked closely with the marketing department. One day someone asked me what I wanted to do after graduate. I said I would like to work for a few years and then attend graduate school. When they asked for what, I said IMC. They stared back at me with a confused look on their face. I was shocked that someone in a marketing department wasn’t aware of this concept. Perhaps they call it something different? Or perhaps we as students of this class are at a great advantage? I think the second one! This class has taught me how the many aspects of the business side of communication studies overlap. You can use a multitude of ideas and techniques to reach people, which allow you to be creative. Although it may not always be the easy at times, this is one course that definitely prepared me for real world. Dr. Persuit was there to guide us, but we as students directed the class and took on more responsibility in the classroom than usual. It was an awesome opportunity to be and IMC-Hawk and I would recommend it to anyone. Thanks so much Dr. Persuit!!

    -Jess Smith

    “She’s definitely the thought provoking teacher when it comes to understanding social media in the workforce and in society. I have skills that I can take with me anywhere. She is the REALEST professor I think I’ve ever had here at UNCW.”

    -Colby Lewis

    “After taking both the intro and advanced IMC classes with Dr. Persuit, I have finally figured out what I want to do with my Communication Studies degree. All aspects of IMC interest me, especially the parts dealing with the media (advertising, branding, etc.). This class has provided me with a background of experience in the field and I have finally found a potential career path!”

    -Lacey Inman

    “COM 495 has been a great end to my college career at UNCW.  I could have graduated last semester as my departmental and university courses were complete.  I knew Advanced IMC was being taught under Dr. Persuit this spring, and I chose not to graduate for a few reasons, but one being the opportunity to take this class.  I am so glad I did because the project experiences and the class discussions will be remembered and made my choice to stay worth the wait.  I encourage all COM majors to dabble in IMC because I promise you, you will want to learn more!  Even after the intro and advanced courses, I want to learn more, and plan to utilize my graduate career in doing so.  Thanks Dr. P!”

    –Allyson Corbin

  • Goodbye COM 495

    The day has come – the last day of the 2010 spring semester.  This day is bittersweet for many as today brings the end of an academic year, the closing of a chapter, and the end of some great courses.  I speak on behalf of the IMC-Hawks team when I say we all agree this class was superb.

    From day one I think we all knew this class was going to be different than many others taken previously.  I remember, before nestling into my seat, I sat next to Terry Hayes on the first day when he turned to me at the end Dr. Persuit’s opening and said, “This is the first time I feel like I am taking a real college course based on the projected workload.”  I also remember agreeing and sharing excitement with Terry.

    To get an idea of what we were presented, read the following to gain minor insight to Dr. Persuit’s syllabus:

    Your experience in this course will include the application of ideas in writing, presentational skills within a professional communication context, and consideration of the ethical implications of your actions.

    Course Objectives:

    In this course, we work from a praxis (theory-informed action) orientation to prepare you with the knowledge and skill to put what you learn into action in the marketplace.  This approach stresses that you cultivate the habit of learning.

    This class will provide opportunities to:

    • Understand and engage theoretical approaches to IMC.
    • Advance your practical knowledge of IMC strategies and tactics.
    • Engage your intellectual curiosity.
    • Function in a professional organization, on a project team, as a project manager.

    All fifteen of the IMC-Hawks were very excited for what the semester had in store, for we knew we had great opportunities and challenges awaiting us.  The above portion of Dr. Persuit’s syllabus generated a great deal of anticipation and expectation from the team, which I now look back and question how it went by so quickly.

    Many syllabi produce agony, misery, depression, and all other synonyms pertaining there to, but not Dr. Persuit’s.  However, her syllabus did present large shoes to fill as we all were looking forward to the best.  I again speak for everyone when I say these shoes were filled, but perhaps too small as she exceeded any and all expectations we had.

    From the beginning we moved at a very fast pace just as Dr. Persuit warned.  We opened with Bowling Alone and hit the ground running from there.  Dr. Persuit’s intent was to provide a classroom to resemble either a work environment with real and valid deadlines or a graduate school course with simultaneous work and loads of discussion, all while teaching us time management and stress relievers – I never said we had an easy class.

    All of our assignments had genuine meaning and related directly back to Dr. Persuit’s objectives.  We were able to take what we were learning from our course textbooks and apply them to each and every project, better known as praxis, one of Dr. Persuit’s goals.

    As one of Dr. P’s first intro classes, I am pleased to also be one of the first in her advanced course.  At the end of the introductory course, I wondered if the department would allow for the exploration of an advanced course.  I am so glad the department read my mind, or so I like to think, because this course has been one of my and my classmate’s favorite classes because of the application the course provided.  I hope the department hears the praise all of the IMC-Hawks team screams, and this course will have permanence and longevity.

    Rachel Kaylor, another type of lucky student, was allowed to take the course based on outside experience.  Her class assessment is as follows:

    Before taking advanced IMC, I learned about IMC through various internships. Bringing corporate knowledge of IMC to the theory-based classroom was an interesting but incredibly helpful experience. Though I understood IMC before taking Dr. Persuit’s class, I had not learned the academic side. Through the projects we completed all the way down to the nightly readings, the class enabled me to look back on campaign experiences I previously had and better understand what worked, what didn’t, and why! This was interesting because typically we learn in the classroom and apply it to the “real world.”

    Lucky for us, Allyson and I had the opportunity to take this class together from different perspectives, but the course still enabled the same opportunities.  Advanced IMC has offered us the opportunity to rename a company and participate in activities in which we want more experience.  For example, there were three choices for groups: IMC Conference planning (Academic Planning), Cape Fear Center for Inquiry Anniversary (Event Planning) and Google-Ad Words (Marketing/Advertising).  With an interest in the academic world of IMC, we both chose to research the logistics of having an IMC Conference here at UNCW – yes people, this is really happening!  This opportunity provided us the opportunity to learn all of the aspects of planning conferences, which is incredibly important in the realm of academia, as well as how to write a proposal, and how to pitch it.  We learned about the hoops and hurdles of reserving space, working with time and budget constraints as well as the infinite amounts of research it takes to complete something of this scale.

    (Back to Allyson typing) Even though we had different backgrounds coming into Advanced IMC, we are both leaving with great course experience that will help us indefinitely.  We are hopeful that IMC will become as popular in the COM Dept. as we perceive it to currently be.  We would like to send a shout out to Dr. P for all of her effort and hard work put into our awesome class.  Thank you, Dr. Persuit!!

    -Rachel Kaylor & Allyson Corbin

  • Back to Undecided

    As Shannon said in her previous blog, I must also admit as well that I am not graduating in May. But, I am technically a senior and will graduate in December along with some of my fellow IMC-Hawks! My decision to graduate in December is based on saving money. Having 24 AP credits from high school has definitely been worth it, as I was only “undecided” for a semester!

    After taking a mass communication class and learning briefly about IMC, I immediately looked into graduate school programs. I absolutely fell in love with Emerson College’s program in Boston. I wanted to go to Emerson for undergrad, but there was no way I wanted to spend that much money, so when I found they had an IMC graduate program, it was like it was meant to be. I immediately requested materials (yes, as a sophomore) and plan to apply when the time is right. IMC has been a very influential subject in my academic career, and I cannot wait to apply it outside of the classroom and help others understand what IMC is about.

    Thus, though I am moving past the undergraduate level, I am going back to my “undecided” roots. After I graduate, I don’t really know what path I want to take. I plan to continue with IMC in some way, shape or form, whether it’s incorporating it in my job, or continuing my education through a graduate program. Hopefully next semester I’ll move away from “undecided” to something a little more focused! I think continuing education is important and keeps your mind sharp as you proceed past the “undergraduate” stages of your life.

    Rachel Kaylor

  • Senior Week

    As the end of their last semester draws nearer, our seniors of The Advanced IMC Class are impatient, yet hesitant, to exchange the all familiar ‘Teal World’ for the foreign ‘Real World.’ We are confident in them and their abilities to succeed because of the knowledge and experience they have gained here at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. So this week on our blog, our seniors will reminisce over their experiences during the past four years at UNCW, discuss plans for the future, and of course, share how IMC has impacted their lives forever.

    – The Juniors – Mandy Baker, Lacey Inman, and Alissa Lockwood

  • Why work for free?

    Communication Studies has become a popular major among students at UNCW over the past few years. With a wide variety of sub-fields, including media production, public relations, and communication technologies, the department certainly gives students many options for potential careers. Prior to graduation, students are encouraged to gain knowledge and work experience in the communication studies field through an internship. An internship gives students a chance to actually apply their training and knowledge, and gain more insight into that type of work.

    Searching for internships can be difficult. Places such as CMT and MTV have been popular places to look for internships outside of the Wilmington vicinity that are still related to communication studies. But there are numerous opportunities for internships in Wilmington as well. Competition is high, but the experience is once in a lifetime. Whether paid or not, everyone walks away with more experience than before.

    Internships are extremely beneficial when searching for a possible career in the field of communications. Although many students would prefer having an internship with a large and well-known company, any experience is better than none at all. As an intern with the event coordinator at the Bluewater Grill, I have learned a great deal about event planning and the work experience has certainly been beneficial.

    The Communication Studies department at UNCW works with students to find the perfect internship to suit their needs. The department offers credit hours in place of getting paid for the internship. Sure, getting paid would be ideal, but why not get school credit for such valuable work experience? Through the Communication Studies website, students may access information on how to find an internship, along with how to get course credit for their internship.

    The value of an internship cannot be put into words. Not only can internships open doors for future jobs and careers, but having the ability to combine the formal training with realistic practice makes the internship well worth the time. As an intern, I can only hope that everyone finds their internships as beneficial as I have. Communication Studies is a hands-on major, and an internship in this field will give students a chance to put their knowledge to work.

    Lacey Inman