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Morningside Avenues

Ad campaign is a potential life saver

A class project to create an advertising campaign against drunk driving has turned into a real effort to save lives. The campaign recently got attention at the state level, receiving funding to expand its reach. Back in the spring of 2010, Dr. Pam Mickelson challenged her advertising class to develop a marketing campaign to support a good cause. The students settled on the topic of drinking and driving, and then worked in small groups to explore different approaches. In the end, they brought together their best ideas to create “Sober Driving Saves: Live to Have Fun Again.” The campaign features vanity license plates with messages like “SBRDRVR,” “KEYZPLZ” and “DUIKILS” that were created by Cara Anderson 2011 in a graphic design course the previous semester taught by John Kolbo 1977. It also shares facts about drunk-driving deaths, the amount of alcohol in a party cup and the cost of an OWI. It reaches people through everything from posters and table tents to key chains, air fresheners and ice scrapers. Throughout the class, students worked with professionals who deal with substance abuse issues on campus and in the community. These professionals were so impressed by the final product that they provided funding to help the students implement the campaign at Morningside College and at local bars. They also helped the students get their message up on three billboards in Sioux City. Last fall Anderson went with Mickelson to Des Moines to present the campaign to the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB). They were awarded $8,000 to take the campaign to 10 colleges and universities around the state, and they were invited to present at the annual traffic safety conference in April. Police officers supporting the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and St. Ambrose University in Davenport were among the first to seek campaign materials. Along with Anderson, other alumni and students continuing to help with this project are Katie Brannen 2011, Heidi Lieber 2011, Kelsey Martin and Becca Hansen. “This program has the potential to reach thousands of college students throughout Iowa delivering a very serious and life-saving message,” said Mick Mulhern, program administrator/youth coordinator for the GTSB.

By the numbers

grant awarded to Morningside College by the U.S. Department of Education for “Project Proficient,” a program designed to help teachers improve instruction for preschool through 12thgrade students with limited language proficiency in English. $1.7 million

Notable

Excellence in radio:

Two Morningside students were nominated for Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards for their work at KMSC Fusion 93, the student radio station. Nick Brincks was nominated for his promotions for his classic rock program, “On the Brinck,” and for his news reports on campus activities. Both Brincks and Ryan Tellinghuisen were nominated for their Boys Club of Sioux City public service announcement.

Good business:

This spring Morningside students competed against thousands of teams in the Business Strategy Game and placed in the global top 100 five times. In the online simulation, small groups of students from business schools across the world must match their strategic wits against the other teams. Teams receive weekly rankings in specific categories and overall. Three times Morningside students made the top 100 rankings overall – reaching as high as 52nd place – and twice they made the top 100 in specific categories.

Trip to U.N. headquarters:

Morningside student Elizabeth Norton was one of 20 female students in the nation selected for a practicum at the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters in New York City this spring. In addition to learning about negotiation, advocacy points and networking, Norton completed several assignments, and was asked to create an advocacy project when she returned to Morningside. Randy Hughes 1984, executive creative director at Carmichael Lynch, an advertising agency in Minneapolis, created a television commercial that was nominated for a 2011 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award and named one of the Top 10 TV Commercials of 2010 by Time magazine. The spot for Subaru tells the story of a parent whose daughter is about to drive alone for the first time. He goes over some safe driving tips with her. As he talks to her, she appears to be 5 years old behind the wheel. When she responds to him, she is now 16. To pull off the effect, a real father with two daughters was found to play the part. Hughes creative directs national advertising for Subaru of North America. You can watch the commercial online at bit.ly/subaru_mside or at www.morningside.edu/morningsider.

Have you seen it?

New award focuses on student learning

This spring Morningside presented the Dr. William C. Yockey Assessment Awards for the first time. Assessment is the process of systematically determining what students are learning and implementing strategies to improve student learning. Assessment award recipients were not only recognized and rewarded with a stipend; they also will give presentations at faculty workshops. The family of the late Dr. William C. Yockey 1949, a Morningside chemistry professor for more than 30 years, established the awards in his name. This year’s recipients for general education courses were Regina Bade in mathematics, Dr. Mike Calvillo 1985 in psychology, Dr. Greg Guelcher in history, Dr. Rachel Robson in biology and Dr. Chris Spicer in mathematics. The nursing program also received an award for departmental assessment.

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