GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR

DR. CONNIE R. BATEMAN

Professor & Chair, Marketing Department connie.bateman@und.edu

(701.777.4201)

One of the great rewards in life occurs when we take time to reflect on our hard work and see that it made a genuine difference in the lives of others. We are so very thankful for our connection with you, whether you are a current student, alumni, corporate partner, or community friend. In this newsletter, I am excited to share with you some truly meaningful highlights of our year! We truly have something special here and I believe that is reflected in the fact that our marketing student enrollments are growing and one of the largest in the college. We are a small but mighty department and are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with you to provide great engagement opportunities for our students. Our culture is strong and our future is bright.

Student Engagement. Our Student Marketing Club hosted a very successful social networking event at The Gorecki Center for Marketing students and area business leaders to connect with one another in a conversational environment. The event was supported through the Marketing Department ‘Student Outreach and Engagement’ alumni fund and Bully Brew Coffee. Our Club frequently brings in guest speakers working in or around the marketing field. If you are a Marketing alumni interested in volunteering your time as a guest speaker to the Marketing Club (in person or via technology), please let me know and I will make the connection. Our peer-to-peer postcard program (handwritten marketing student postcards sent to high school students who have contacted UND with an interest in Marketing) is in its second year and offers a nice tangible personal touch in this digital age. As Chair, I also personally send each interested student an outreach email with a positive message and attach a copy of our Spring Newsletter. Our Faculty Ambassadors regularly meet with incoming students and their families to personally explain our program and answer questions. Also, remember to FOLLOW US at #MarketingUND

Student Support. Recently we launched a Student ‘Tutoring Office’. With the support of UND Student Success Services, we staff several part-time marketing students to assist with grammar, writing, study habits, organization, etc. Our Tutor Office will serve a large contingent of students including those taking the introduction Marketing course (all NCoBPA majors), and the Introduction to Business course (NCoBPA and UND majors) and the Professional Communication in Business course (NCoBPA and UND majors) which are NCoBPA courses also under my purview as Chair. Student tutors are trained for their role, and can be certified online through an internationally respected organization. The Tutor Office is located in the Marketing Department. Faculty, Chair, and student tutors work closely together to ensure the needs and questions of those being tutored are met and answered. We host an open house the Friday of Homecoming where the Tutor Office will be open to our visiting alumni, students, and friends. Finally, the Pancratz Career Development Center manages an alumni mentor program that matches our Marketing alumni interesting in becoming a mentor, with current marketing students. The mentor-mentee relationship is established well and built using technology, but mentors and mentees also may decide to connect during homecoming or when one of the two is in the same area.

Curriculum Highlights. The number of companies seeking to host Marketing internships is growing. With partnership of our Internship Coordinator Dr. Sandi Luck, internship job descriptions are posted on Handshake digital platform for students to see and apply for, allowing us to find the best fit for the company-student experience. We are expanding our existing Sales, and Social Media and Digital Marketing curriculum to incorporate a number of industry respected certificates into our courses.

This Newsletter Theme – ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP. In the stories that follow you will experience the beauty of seeing our graduates elevate into professional careers and a wonderful future. I invite you to enjoy our featured stories relating to engagement and partnership. Share our pride and honor as we showcase our Distinguished Marketing Alumni Hal Gershman whose life and career trajectory is laced with vision, family honor, and a heart to give back to others. Share our excitement for Young Marketing Alumni Cassie Thompson who brought her dreams to reality. We thank each of them for their engagement with our students as guest speakers. Experience the joy from current marketing student Jordan Balvitsch as he shares with you his Disney internship experience. Chief Operating Officer of Marco, Jonathan Warrey shares his heart towards giving back to UND Marketing students by bringing a half-day Professional Sales Workshop onto campus. Both Warrey and Jeff Gau, Chief Executive Officer of Marco are Marketing alumni who show students what a positive and strong professional sales culture looks like. See how Mr. Rob Warren, Instructor, treats Marketing as a full-contact sport. Dr. Jennifer Stoner spreads her wings with the GFAFB (Grand Forks Air Force Base). Dr. Sandi Luck’s Social Media Takeover was again a success, and our part-time faculty share their commitment to excellence. Finally, we showcase the great relationship between Mary Fischer (Marketing Alumni, Pancratz Mentor) and our own Izzy Waite, marketing student. Please enjoy!

-By Dr. Connie Bateman