The School of Communications professor served as a conference panelist, discussing the structure and operations of successful student-run advertising, public relations and design firms.
A key goal of the conference was to explore how IMC, as grounded in the communication discipline, enables community engagement. The conference theme was inspired by the work of conference keynote speaker J. Kevin Barge, who studies communication design theory.
The panel discussion was a plenary event and highlighted successful student-run advertising, public relations and design firms and their university’s dedication to engaged and experiential learning. Panelists described agency structure and operations while highlighting case studies of client successes and student achievements in real-world settings. One program that emphasizes these student achievements is Live Oak Communications, Elon’s student-run strategic communications agency.
“Live Oak is an excellent example of proven experiential learning. It allows students to apply classroom theory in real-world situations with real clients,” said Vincent. “It gives students a chance to impact their community by effectively employing their communication skills.”
Vincent said other university representatives reacted positively to the panel. “I was very encouraged at the level of interest other universities exhibited in wanting to create or support experience learning programs like Live Oak,” he said.
According to Vincent, conferences such as “Creating Spaces for Engagement” are a great opportunity to strengthen the academic community as a whole. “It was very exciting to see teachers and scholars from several departments collaborating to enhance integrated arts and communication across all disciplines,” he noted.
Among the other institutions in attendance were Duquesne University, Texas A&M University, University of Georgia, University of Maine and University of Notre Dame.
By Brett Gubitosi ’16