TCU Student Strategic Communications Agency May 4, 2010 Prepared for: Dr. Julie O’Neil 226 Moudy South (817) 257‐6966 j.oneil@tcu.edu
By: Taylor Chatfield Mary Dries Blair Eckerle Kristy Minter
Table of Contents Executive Summary……………………………………….….………..3 Secondary Research Taylor Chatfield…………………………………………..…….4 Results of Qualitative Research………….……………..……...….7 Appendix A: Interview Script……………………..….….12 Appendix B: Study Participants………………...………13 Results of Survey Instrument…………………..………….……..14 Conclusion and Recommendations…………….……………....20
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Executive Summary To analyze the possibilities and perceptions about the creation of a TCU student‐run strategic communication firm, we conducted secondary and primary research. We began with a secondary analysis of student‐run agencies at universities within the United States. We also explored documented benefits of student‐run agencies and experiential learning. In order to gauge specific, in‐depth student perspectives about the creation of a student‐run firm, we conducted ten in‐depth interviews. Students in all interviews were interested in a student run agency and listed many perceived benefits that an agency would offer. These interviews also gave us an idea of how students would like an agency to be structured. To finish our research, we implemented a survey that was sent to current sophomore and junior strategic communication majors. This survey revealed that students believe a student‐run agency would be very beneficial in building skills and portfolios. Over 98 percent of survey respondents responded as interested in a student‐run agency. We have concluded that the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism should create a student‐run strategic communication firm. We recommend that the student‐run agency allows students to explore many career paths beginning during their sophomore year, compensates students with course credit and works with a variety of clients.
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Secondary Research Student Agency Structure A similarity between many student run public relations and advertising agencies is a multi‐step application process. MOJO Ad at the University of Missouri, AdWorks at Notre Dame University and Trisight Communications at the University of Southern California all three require a certain number of undergraduate hours before you can apply to work with the agency as well as a written application. MOJO Ad also requires letters of recommendation and an interview within the application process. Although all three of these agencies are student run and university sponsored, they differ from each other in many ways. MOJO Ad (University of Missouri) • Student staffed, professional services ad agency that specifically focuses on marketing aimed at youth and young adults (YAYA) • Only senior undergrad students and graduate students are allowed to apply for a job within the agency • Works with clients outside of the university • Students work for course credit rather than a salary or wage • The agency focuses on both advertising and public relations • The agency is not affiliated with PRSSA or AAF AdWorks (Notre Dame University) • Functions as an advertising and design agency • Advertising and graphic design majors are both welcome to apply • Design, print and distribute campus publicity items • Only works for on‐campus clients • Charges clients money for their services • The agency is not affiliated with PRSSA or AAF Trisight Communications (University of Southern California) • Functions as a public relations firm • Works for non‐profit and small business clients only • The agency takes on at least three clients per semester • Fifty undergraduate and graduate students are accepted in to the agency each semester • The agency is not affiliated with PRSSA or AAF
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Secondary Trends The Necessity of an Alternative to Outside Internships According to Judith Scott, employers often suggest teamwork skills, as well as practical work experience “offer a distinct advantage for new college graduates seeking employment” (Scott, 1996, p. 40). In fact, Chris Cobb reported that Travis Parman, northeast region public relations manager for General Motors, stated bluntly, “we want interns who have practical experience through previous internships” (Cobb, 2008, p. 14). Parman is not alone in this desire; many employers choose to weight previous work experience in the student’s given career field equally with academics when searching for new employees. Research often shows that employers believe there is a gap between theory and practice among public relations and advertising graduates (Scott, 1996). This gap is referenced in many studies, including Kathleen Kelly’s 2007 study in which she found that employers believe that often times students are not able to “connect the dots” between academia and the real world and therefore graduates are not valuable to their employer until the employer is able to train them (Kelly, 2007). Many schools employ internship programs to counter these negative assumptions, and often times realities, about their students, however, Kelly found that internships do not always provide students with valuable real world experience. She found that many educators believe that the tasks performed by their students during internships “do not provide adequate learning opportunities” (Kelly, 2007, p. 10) and that students do not receive enough interaction with experienced professionals to provide a benefit. Because of these negative characteristics of many current internship programs, as well as the ever‐present necessity for students to acquire real‐world experience prior to gradation, student run advertising and public relations agencies are necessary.
Benefits of Student Agencies Firstly, student agencies provide work experience to students who are unable to find a reliable internship, or who would like to augment an internship with more independent work. They also provide portfolio items, an enhanced resume, administrative skills development, motivation, self‐confidence, communication skills acquisition, strategic and tactical experience, networking opportunities and a verification of an anticipated career direction (Gibson 1994). These items will be explained in more depth to show their true benefit to a strategic communications student. Edward Lordan explains the ways in which group projects help to “sharpen” students’ public relations skills. He explains that often professionals complain about students’ public speaking and written skills, however by doing group projects in which students are required to complete a written part (the proposal or ad) as well as an oral section (the presentation of the proposal to the client), students learn to strengthen both their written and verbal skills (Lordan, 1996). This theory can be
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applied on a larger, more professional scale to student agencies. The goal of student agencies is to create and present a group project to a client, strengthening the students’ verbal and written skills, while allowing them to explore the ins and outs of an advertising or public relations agency. Lordan also explains that having students present their project to a client “can provide an opportunity for feedback and can help to further establish contacts in the industry” (Lordan, 1996, p. 47). Students not only gain verbal and written skills, but they also gain practical administrative knowledge of how to manage accounts through communication with clients and account supervision (Gibson, 1994). Professionals often find that recent graduates lack the confidence necessary to produce a product (Scott, 1996). This lack of confidence can be augmented through work in a student agency. Dirk Gibson found that students working at a PRestige, a student agency, “enjoy an enhanced sense of professional self‐worth…due to a superior experiential background usually unavailable through the classroom experience” (Gibson, 1994, p. 28). He also found that student agencies could provide students with a greater motivation for excellence than the typical classroom setting; this is especially true for gifted students. On top of acquired skills, student agencies also provide students with tangible benefits. With the increase in competitiveness in the advertising and public relations field, student agencies provide a competitive advantage in the job market; they represent a real life experience in which students are able to independently solve strategic communications problems. Agencies also enhance portfolios by providing students with proof of their professional experience (Gibson, 1994). Finally, student agencies provide students with real life contacts within the business world. These contacts may lead directly or indirectly to job placement after graduation, which is the ultimate goal of an advertising or public relations degree (Gibson, 1994).
Works Cited
Cobb, Chris. "The Real‐World Connection: Assessing the State of PR Education Today." Public Relations Tactics 15.11 (2008): 14‐5. Print. Gibson, Dirk C., and Virginia C. Rowden. "Profile of an Undergraduate Public Relations Firm." Public Relations Quarterly 39.4 (1994): 26‐30. Print. Kelly, Kathleen S. "Preparing Students for the Future: It's Time for PR Pros and Academics to Go Back to School on Internships." Public Relations Tactics 14.4 (2007): 10‐22. Print.
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Lordan, Edward J. "Using Group Projects to Help Students Sharpen PR Skills." Public Relations Quarterly 41.2 (1996): 43‐7. Print. Scott, Judith D., and Nancy T. Frontczak. "AD Executives Grade New Grads: The Final Exam that Counts." Journal of Advertising Research 36.2 (1996): 40‐7. Print.
Results of Qualitative Research In order to better understand current perceptions of the creation of a student‐run strategic communications firm within the Schieffer School of Journalism, we conducted 10 one‐on‐one interviews with current TCU students. We chose to sample current students within the College of Communication because they will be most affected by the creation of a student‐run strategic communications firm. These students also have the most insight in to the benefits a firm could provide to the current Schieffer School curriculum and what problems or deficiencies within the Schieffer School the firm could address. The interviewed people consisted of nine strategic communications majors, and one radio, TV, film major. For this study, we used convenience sampling because it was the most accessible form of sampling given our resources. All interviews were conducted between March 22, 2010 and March 27, 2010 (specific dates and times of each interview can be found in the appendix). Each interview lasted approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Participants’ involvement in our study signifies their informed consent, which was given verbally prior to each interview.
Emerging Themes Throughout the interview process, reoccurring themes emerged concerning the benefits of a student‐run strategic communications firm as well as the needs students would like the firm to address.
Specifics It was important to all study participants that the agency offers opportunities for students of all interests and with varying skill sets. All participants agreed that a main benefit of creating a student‐run firm is students’ ability to “try‐out” different jobs and responsibilities in order to find their perfect match. Participants listed advertising, public relations, event planning, graphic design and marketing as services that they would like the firm to offer. Most participants in the study looked toward the Skiff as a model for the way students are compensated for their time and effort. However, there was deviation
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from the Skiff model in that most participants wanted to receive some kind of journalism credit, whether it be as an elective or as a requirement for the major, so that they are not adding extra responsibilities to their weekly schedule without receiving tangible credit.
Explore Career Opportunities An important benefit of a student run strategic communications firm, that most participants mentioned, was the ability to explore possible career opportunities within a real‐life firm. By creating a student‐run firm, students are able to truly learn about the inner workings of a communications business and what certain jobs might require. One student in particular wished that he or she had more of an opportunity to see what it is actually like to work within an advertising agency or public relations firm. If he or she had had the opportunity to work at a student‐ run agency, for instance, then they would have had a better idea of what jobs they might prefer or be better suited for. If a student were to work with an agency, then perhaps they would be able to deduce whether they would rather work on the advertising end of the spectrum or on the PR end of the spectrum. In addition to knowing what it is actually like to work with an agency, students can explore the individual positions present within the agency. One student indicated this and wanted to know which positions were available within an agency and which ones he or she would be best at. Having an internship at a student‐run agency gives students the opportunity to learn the internal operations that happen in such an agency. It gives students the opportunity to become familiar with the tasks that go into working a strategic communications campaign, including research, campaign planning, creative implementation and evaluation. When working at the agency, students are able to experiment with different positions and utilize their personal strengths, identify their weaknesses and figure out which jobs suit them best. One particular aspect that proved to be disappointing to the students was the lack of a wider array of explored career opportunities within the Schieffer School. One student indicated that the Schieffer School should broaden its opportunities available to the student body by stating, “I know a lot of students who are interested in event planning and we don’t get any education on that in the Schieffer School.” Several students indicated that, while event planning is an important aspect of public relations, in reality there are few opportunities to explore the various aspects of event planning. They indicated a need for the school to broaden career paths within each department because “not everybody wants to do the most common jobs out there.” By implementing a strategic communications firm, the Schieffer School can effectively satisfy the needs and interests of students who’s interests aren’t specifically covered in course material.
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Learn what you Love (and Loathe) The participants in our study continually spoke about their concern regarding finding a job that they actually love. They all said that having the opportunity to work in different positions within a firm would be infinitely beneficial in helping to narrow their career interests. Two participants spoke about internship experiences they thought they would love that they ended up hating. One participant said “until you really get in to that situation you don’t know if you want to do it...as far as PR goes I know I don’t want to do promotions and that’s because I was in that internship.” These internships changed their expected career paths and helped push them closer to what they actually do love. A student‐run firm could have the same effect on a much larger and more efficient scale. All participants said that they think students should be able to change positions within the firm per semester or year so that they can understand the responsibilities of each position and figure out if they are a fit for that specific job. One participant said, “[having different positions in the firm] would help me pinpoint what I want to do and what I’m best at.” Because the strategic communications field is so broad and there are so many applications and career possibilities for a strategic communications degree, the participants in our study agreed that a student‐run firm would be one of the most efficient ways to explore and identify which specific career fits their passions and skills best.
RealWorld Experience
One common finding among all of the participants interviewed is the agreement that the Schieffer School of Journalism should offer more hands‐on experience in each major. Each participant agreed interactive experience is beneficial in preparing students for a career. Although lecture is necessary to teach the basics and background of each major, getting to experience what each field has to offer is crucial to a well‐rounded learning experience. One participant said, “You really only absorb so much information in class…when you’re actually doing something and it is hands‐on you are obviously learning it more.” Participants from the interviews agreed that the courses that prepared them the most for an actual career were the ones that provided a hands‐on learning experience. The courses that required the students to engage in projects that they will handle in their potential career are the ones the students felt they benefited from. One participant said, “There should be more hands‐on learning. I learned more from doing work in classes like Communication Graphics than I did from my lecture classes.” All the interviewees agreed that lectures are beneficial, but did not provide a stimulating and realistic experience. Each participant discussed several different ways the Schieffer School could incorporate these interactive experiences. They suggested that TCU integrate actual
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instances that will occur in their career into the classroom. They agreed that by offering a student‐run agency, students will have the ability to work hands on in a true to life environment, which stimulates learning through experience. One participant commented on the need to accommodate all learning types within the Schieffer School and how a student‐run agency will allow all kinds of students to learn in the best way for them. The study showed that all participants feel hands‐on learning is beneficial and necessary to prepare TCU graduates for their career in the real world. A hands‐ on learning opportunity and environment can be achieved by creating a student‐run agency, which focuses on interactive real world situations.
An Internship without Grunt Work Another common finding discovered among participants in the study is the agreement that internships are not always beneficial in preparing the student for their career. Several of the interviewees discussed how their internship consisted mainly of grunt work that did not allow them the opportunity to learn form a real‐ world work experiences. One participant said, “I don’t think the [internships] I had were beneficial because all I did was grunt work and shredding paper for three hours does not teach me anything.” When we asked the participant what skills she obtained from the internship she said, “I’m a great paper shredder now!” The students seemed to agree that internships with hands‐on experience are the ones that best prepare you for a career. They also agreed that a student‐run agency would be very beneficial for students because it would offer exclusively real‐ world experiences. It would allow students to learn from each other and from their mistakes and successes to become more effective strategic communications practitioners. Rather than students wasting time in internships where their responsibilities are unrelated to possible career responsibilities, a student‐run firm gives students constant real‐world exposure and responsibilities.
Expand Student Portfolios All participants in the study agreed that a very important benefit of a student‐run firm is the ability for students to expand their portfolios. Many strategic communications careers require applicants to show a portfolio of their work. However, most work that a graduating senior will have in their portfolio will be from class assignments. A student‐run firm would give students the opportunity to create real‐life campaigns, events, press releases and more, that show a student’s ability to work in a real work environment with real clients. Many participants in the study stated that the Schieffer School needs to offer more opportunities to expand students’ portfolios prior to graduation. The addition of a student‐run agency would facilitate the expansion of students’ portfolios with the addition of real pieces for real clients.
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A student‐run agency would not only prepare students for life after graduation by giving them real‐world experience, but this opportunity would also help students expand their portfolios to include work for real clients.
Form Bonds—Get Recommendations In regards to expanding students’ career opportunities, many of the participants agreed that forming bonds and networking is very beneficial and necessary in order to find a job after graduation. One participant said, “Networking gives you the confidence to achieve the career you set out for.” The Schieffer School currently offers some ways for students to network with professors and local business professionals in order to gain recommendations. However, participants agreed that a student‐run firm would increase these opportunities with both professors and people in the Fort Worth community, giving students who work within the agency an advantage over those who do not. Many of the participants stated having recommendations directly from a TCU agency or organization would be more beneficial than recommendations from smaller, less known firms. One participant specifically stated, “It will be more reputable to have recommendations from a TCU agency rather than some startup agency that needed cheap labor and cheap creative so they hired interns.” Peer‐to‐peer networking within the TCU community was also often stated as a direct benefit of a student‐run firm. This networking would allow student to form bonds with students who have different skill sets from their own, which may help advance their career paths in the future. Most participants agreed that it’s important to create and maintain relationships within their chosen career paths to be successful; they also agreed that a student firm would help them achieve this goal.
Interesting Findings An interesting benefit of creating a student‐run firm, which one participant elaborated on, is the unity within the journalism school that a student‐run firm would create. She discussed the unity among business majors “they are all unified, they are all from the Neeley School,” she said that Schieffer School students do not have that same unity and pride. She said that strategic communications students might take one or two entry‐level courses with journalism, RTVF or graphic design majors, but after that everyone separates in to their distinct and divided paths. She thinks that by creating a student‐run firm, it would give Schieffer students and even marketing and graphic design majors a way and a reason to collaborate. This collaboration will foster peer‐to‐peer learning. She said that including people from different majors who have different skills would create an experience that “isn’t found in internships” because we will be able to “learn from each other.” She also said that the intercommunication between people with different skill sets is a great networking opportunity for our careers later in life. In the real‐world outside of TCU, it will be necessary to work with people in different communication fields; a
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student‐run agency will not only teach students how to do this, but it may give students connections that they can use in their careers. Another participant explained the benefits of a student‐run firm for the promotion of the Schieffer School as well as strategic communications as a major. She said that by having a student‐run firm, it could “give better definition of what [strategic communications] is.” She believes that a student‐run firm would not only help those students participating in the firm explore their career opportunities, but the firm could also promote the benefits of graduating with a strategic communications degree. She feels that currently the major is vague and undefined, but that a firm would give the major and the Schieffer School something to say, “this is what our strategic communications students can do.”
Appendix A Interview Script
Interviewee Name: Date: Time: Major: Projected Graduation Date:
What have you started thinking about concerning getting a job after college? What type of occupation are you interested in after graduation? Have you had any internships? In what ways did you feel that they were beneficial or not beneficial? If you have had an internship, what skills did you obtained from having this internship? In what ways do you feel TCU prepares you for life after graduation? In what ways do you feel TCU does a poor job at preparing you for life after graduation? In what ways do you feel the Schieffer School does a good job and a poor job at preparing you for life after graduation? What kinds of opportunities do you wish the Schieffer School would offer? How could the Schieffer School of Journalism better their program to prepare you for the real world? Does the Schieffer School offer enough internship opportunities to their students? If no, how should they improve this? What types of internships opportunities should the Schieffer School focus on?
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How do you think it would benefit students if the Schieffer School created a student run agency? How do you think a student‐run agency would improve the Schieffer School program? Would you be interested in participating in a student‐run agency? What kinds of skills would you like the agency to include? What would you like students to do at the agency? How would you like to be compensated for working at the agency? How do you think an agency would help students after graduation? Do you have any other comments about a student‐run agency that I did not address?
Appendix B Study Participants Stephanie Allen Date: March 25, 2010 Time: 7:30 am S.m.allen@tcu.edu Kalyn Baldwin Date: March 24, 2010 Time: 5:00 p.m. K.m.baldwin@tcu.edu Bianca Castro Date: March 27, 2010 Time: 11:30 a.m. Bianca.castro@tcu.edu Jenna Cole Date: March 24, 2010 Time: 9:00 a.m. Jenna.lynn.cole@tcu.edu Jessica Curington Date: March 23, 2010 Time: 2:50 p.m. J.curington@tcu.edu
Kennedy House Date: May 25, 2010 Time: 7:00 p.m. K.house@tcu.edu Meghan Jones Date: May 25, 2010 Time: 7:55 p.m. Meghan.r.jones@tcu.edu Rachel Nelson Date: March 23, 2010 Time: 5:00 p.m. Rachel.e.nelson@tcu.edu Tiffany Rogers Date: March 23, 2010 Time: 6:40 p.m. T.rogers@tcu.edu Lauren Secchio Date: March 23, 2010 Time: 5:15 p.m. Lauren.secchio@tcu.edu
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Results of Survey Instrument Page:
1. What aspect of strategic communication interests you? Check all that apply. Response Percent
Response Count
Account management (managing clients on behalf of an agency)
44.7%
34
Creative advertising
68.4%
52
Digital media
35.5%
27
Event planning
71.1%
54
Media planning (making media buying decisions for clients)
40.8%
31
Public relations
68.4%
52
I don't know.
2.6%
2
answered question
76
skipped question
0
Page:
1. How many advertising and/or public relations internships have you had to date? Response Percent
Response Count
None
62.7%
47
1
30.7%
23
2
6.7%
5
3 or more
0.0%
0
answered question
75
skipped question
1
14
Page:
1. Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. Strongly disagree
Somewhat disagree
Somewhat agree
Strongly agree
Response Count
I am developing my portfolio.
8.1% (6)
33.8% (25)
43.2% (32)
14.9% (11)
74
I understand the tasks of the different positions at an agency.
8.1% (6)
24.3% (18)
56.8% (42)
10.8% (8)
74
I have experience multitasking to meet the deadlines of a client or organization.
6.8% (5)
18.9% (14)
45.9% (34)
28.4% (21)
74
I feel comfortable working with a team on a project.
2.7% (2)
2.7% (2)
32.4% (24)
62.2% (46)
74
answered question
74
skipped question
2
Page:
1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the possibility of working at a TCU student agency. Strongly disagree
Somewhat disagree
Somewhat agree
Strongly agree
Response Count
Working at a TCU agency would give me an opportunity to try out different tasks.
0.0% (0)
0.0% (0)
20.3% (14)
79.7% (55)
69
I would welcome the chance to work with real clients at a TCU agency.
1.4% (1)
1.4% (1)
13.0% (9)
84.1% (58)
69
I would rather have an internship external to TCU than work at a TCU agency.
10.0% (7)
37.1% (26)
42.9% (30)
10.0% (7)
70
I would be able to network with clients by working at a TCU agency.
0.0% (0)
0.0% (0)
37.7% (26)
62.3% (43)
69
15
I would want to work under the supervision of a TCU professor. I don't have the time to work at a TCU agency due to my busy
0.0% (0)
7.1% (5)
50.0% (35)
42.9% (30)
70
24.3% (17)
44.3% (31)
28.6% (20)
2.9% (2)
70
0.0% (0)
1.4% (1)
15.7% (11)
82.9% (58)
70
0.0% (0)
5.7% (4)
45.7% (32)
48.6% (34)
70
68.6% (48)
17.1% (12)
11.4% (8)
2.9% (2)
70
schedule. Working at a TCU agency would help me build my portfolio. Working at a TCU agency would help me secure a job upon graduation. I'm not interested in working at an agency.
answered question
70
skipped question
6
Page:
1. If you were to work for a TCU student agency, how would you prefer to be compensated? Please check only one response. Response Percent
Response Count
Credit for a three-hour course
20.3%
14
Internship credit
36.2%
25
Financial compensation
43.5%
30
answered question
69
skipped question
7
Page:
1. What types of clients do you believe the TCU agency should work with? Check all that apply. Response Percent
 
Response Count
16 
Percent
Count
Corporations
87.0%
60
Non-profit organizations
79.7%
55
Sports-related organizations
72.5%
50
TCU
84.1%
58
Other
30.4%
21
answered question
69
skipped question
7
Page:
1. Please indicate whether you would be interested in doing the following tasks at a TCU agency.
 
Very interested
Somewhat interested
Not interested
Response Count
Account management (managing accounts for a client)
41.2% (28)
38.2% (26)
20.6% (14)
68
Creative design
56.1% (37)
28.8% (19)
15.2% (10)
66
Event planning
63.2% (43)
32.4% (22)
4.4% (3)
68
Media planning (making media purchasing decisions for a client)
41.8% (28)
41.8% (28)
16.4% (11)
67
Media relations
45.6% (31)
47.1% (32)
7.4% (5)
68
Promotions/Public relations
69.1% (47)
26.5% (18)
4.4% (3)
68
Research
15.2% (10)
48.5% (32)
36.4% (24)
66
Social media initiatives
37.3% (25)
52.2% (35)
10.4% (7)
67
Writing
20.6% (14)
60.3% (41)
19.1% (13)
68
answered question
68
skipped question
8
17 
Page:
1. If the Schieffer School were to develop an on-campus agency, would you be interested in participating? Response
Response
Percent
Count
Very interested
85.3%
58
Somewhat interested
13.2%
9
Not interested
1.5%
1
answered question
68
skipped question
8
Page:
1. Please indicate your year in school. Response Percent
Response Count
Freshman
19.1%
13
Sophomore
51.5%
35
Junior
29.4%
20
Senior
0.0%
0
answered question
68
skipped question
8
Page:
1. Please indicate your gender.
 
Response
Response
Percent
Count
18 
Percent
Count
Female
80.9%
55
Male
19.1%
13
answered question
68
skipped question
8
19
Conclusion and Recommendations After analyzing trends and benefits among student‐run agencies throughout the nation, conducting ten qualitative interviews and carrying out a survey that assembled student perspectives, we have arrived at some conclusions and have recommendations for the future of the program.
Creating a Schieffer School Agency All research that we conducted revealed that most Schieffer School students would be interested in participating in a student‐run agency for one or more of the following reasons. Students believe that a student‐run agency will help them prepare for life after college by building their portfolio and professional skills, providing them with opportunities for networking and allowing students to explore all communications career possibilities within an agency. A student‐run agency will also allow students to solve real problems for real clients, something many students may not experience until after graduation. We believe that the Schieffer School needs to create a student‐run agency because the survey indicated that there is a lack of internship opportunities for students. An on‐campus student‐run agency would be convenient for students because of its close proximity. It also allows students without internship experience to build their skills in order to obtain future outside jobs and internships. In our qualitative research, one participant explicitly stated that a student‐run agency could foster bonds within the Schieffer School and allow students with different skill sets and interests to learn from each other. The participant compared the bonds that a student‐run agency could create to the recognizable unification of the Neeley School of Business. A student‐run agency would give the Schieffer School a competitive edge when ranked against other journalism programs. An agency would also make the Schieffer School more desirable to potential students during the college admissions process. For these reasons, we recommend that the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism create a student‐run strategic communications firm.
Structure of the agency Because of the wide variety of possible career paths within the strategic communication field, we feel that it is important to make these varied options available to students within the agency. These include career paths such as creative advertising, digital media, event planning, media planning, public relations and account management. Out of these areas, the agency should place added emphasis on event planning, creative advertising and public relations because these areas were the most popular among the students surveyed and were also specifically mentioned during our qualitative interviews.
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We believe that it is very important that the student agency offer opportunities for event planning and creative advertising. The Scheiffer School currently does not offer specializations in either of these areas; by including these areas of interest, students will be able to expand their skills and broaden their knowledge base. Including event planning and creative advertising will make the student‐run agency more desirable for student participants because these areas of interest aren’t offered elsewhere. Digital and social media should also be included in the student‐run agency. In the survey we conducted, digital media was the least popular area of interest to be included in the agency. This is ironic because of the growing importance of digital media within the strategic communication field. Upon graduation students will be expected to be proficient in all areas of social and digital media in order to be competitive on the job market. We believe the reason why student did not show interest in the survey in digital media is because they do not fully understand the ways in which it can be used. This lack of understanding is due to a need for more exposure to digital media in the Schieffer School curriculum. A student‐run agency will give the Schieffer School an opportunity to update the strategic communication program. In addition to updating the program and preparing students for graduation, a digital friendly agency will make the Schieffer School more competitive among journalism schools at other universities. Because of the lack of internship opportunities for underclassmen, we believe that the student agency should allow them to participate under the supervision of more experienced students. This structure imitates the structure of real‐world agencies. By having underclassmen and upperclassmen working together, it allows students to not only gain advertising and PR skills, but it also allows upperclassmen to hold leadership roles. In outside internships, having a leadership role is rare; most interns work under a professional and never have the opportunity to lead others. Having a leadership role within a student agency, once again gives students an advantage over others in the job market. From our research, we have decided that course credit would be the most appealing and efficient form of compensation for the agency. In the survey results, financial compensation was a more popular choice than course credit. However, our qualitative interviews and secondary trend analysis suggests that course credit or internship credit would be more beneficial and is the most widely used form of compensation for students. Most students surveyed were underclassmen; we feel that underclass students do not feel the pressure to accumulate the necessary number of hours for graduation in the same way that upperclassmen do. This could explain the difference between the survey results and our interviews with regards to compensation. If more upperclassmen had been surveyed, we believe that a larger number of students would have chosen to be compensated with course credit. Students indicated on the survey and in our interviews that they would be interested in working with a variety of clients, including corporations, non‐profit organizations, sports‐related organizations and Texas Christian University. They
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feel that working with different organizations will give them valuable experience in various working environments. Based on these results, we recommend that the Schieffer School creates a student‐ run agency that allows students to explore many career paths beginning during their sophomore year, compensates students with course credit and works with a variety of clients.
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