UND Nistler College - Marketing Department Newsletter

MARKETING DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER UND Nistler CoBPA

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

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Student Scholarships

Ignite the future: support tomorrow’s leaders through scholarships. Funds will support our exceptional marketing students!

Faculty Research

Continue our legacy of leading: support our dedicated Department of Marketing faculty who uphold our reputation for research and innovation.

Student Outreach & Engagement Fund

This Marketing Department fund will support outreach efforts and engagement to potential and existing majors to include activities such as: interactive branding or sales workshops, national competitions, corporate tours, field trips, added value leave-behinds, monthly ‘Marketing Power’ business leader/student box lunch.

JORDAN BALVITSCH, MARKETING MAJOR

Marketing Internship at Disney

EXPERIENCING THE MAGIC WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS

When stepping into the Celebration Complex in Walt Disney World Orlando this spring semester for a marketing internship, Jordan Balvitsch was entering a new role, but a very familiar place.

Originally from Kenmare, ND, Jordan Balvitsch started visiting Disney World at the early age of 4, later becoming a season pass holder even living 2,000 miles away. Now Balvitsch is not visiting Disney as a guest, but as a Sales and Marketing Support Coordinator. Balvitsch’s new title falls under Disney’s Professional Internship Program, and is a spot coveted by many.

With 1300 applicants for this internship, Balvitsch’s combination of education, enthusiasm, and experiences secured him a spot in this highly competitive professional internship program.

Beginning his first internship the day after high school graduation, Balvitsch has had excellent preparation for this world-class experience, previously completing eight internships including the North Dakota State Fair, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, ND Small Business Development Center, and an event internship for the state of North Dakota.

Now Balvitsch is taking part in a new adventure that allows him to work side-by-side with leaders in the industry with legendary brands on a global scale.

Just one month into the job, Balvitsch already feels comfortable. “It just feels like home,” says Balvitsch.

In his role, Balvitsch has the opportunity to work primarily on the sales and marketing team overseeing functions for the post arrival market, domestic marketing strategy team, new campaign launches, among many other exciting initiatives. “I am excited that I get to work on things that matter and see the impact each day,” says Balvitsch.

In addition to the vast range of projects, Balvitsch is also provided countless networking/mentoring opportunities each week. “Interns are encouraged to take part in meet and greets with executives and VP’s; they really want you to grow,” said Balvitsch.

When involved in meetings and strategy sessions, Balvitsch says he really doesn’t feel like an intern and is encouraged to share his opinion. Through the core curriculum provided at the NCoBPA, Balvitsch says that he is able to apply the foundational knowledge he has learned in his economics and accounting courses which has allowed him to pull insights into meetings, even on legal matters. He says it validates that, “I do know what I am talking about.”

Currently Balvitsch is pursuing a BBA in Marketing, BA in Economics, BA in Strategic Communications and a minor in Graphic Design and Statistics. With this rigorous coursework, his ambitious goals will pay off with a unique combination of skills that will be very marketable to employers.

“I wouldn’t be able to do what I have been doing if I had went to a different college,” said Balvitsch. Balvitsch also credits his support system of “cheerleaders in GF” who continue to support him from afar. To stay on track for graduation, Balvitsch is working full-time, as well as keeping a rigorous academic schedule by taking 15 credits online this semester.

Following the completion of his internship in June, Balvitsch will return back to campus for the fall semester, with the goal to return to Disney and secure a full-time employment offer.

During his remaining time at Disney, Balvitsch hopes to make a lot of great connections and find the right fit for him at the company for the future. “I really want to work here,” Balvitsch said with excitement. In the meantime, Balvitsch is enjoying every minute of the professional experience, and exploring the Disney theme parks and all of the magic inside.

-By Laura Arneson

LEFT TO RIGHT

COMBINING SALES FORCES

Like most 19-year olds, Jonathan Warrey had no idea what he wanted to do when he grew up. While first starting out at the University of North Dakota (UND), Warrey was an accounting major. It wasn’t until he met Dr. Dennis Elbert that his collegiate trajectory changed to marketing.

“Dr. Elbert, who was the chair of the marketing department at the time, convinced me to major in marketing instead of accounting,” says Warrey, “and I said, ‘if I do that, will you help me land a job?’ And he goes, ‘yes, I will.’”

Little did Warrey know, Dr. Elbert was a man of his word.

Homecoming of Warrey’s senior year, Dr. Elbert introduced Warrey to the founder of Marco, a then 18-million-dollar

company that specialized in business IT services and copier/ printer solutions. And what a life-changing introduction it was.

“I got my job at Marco upon graduation (1996) and I’ve been there ever since,” says Warrey.

Warrey started out at Marco in St. Cloud, Minn. as a sales representative and worked his way up through the sales ranks. Twenty-three years later, he serves as COO of the now 400-million-dollar Fargo-based company.

“Favorite part of my job? Hitting goals. Satisfying customers. Staying relevant to them as their business tech provider. Watching people get better at their jobs. Even myself, I was so green when I started, and I got a ton of help from people. I’ll

Cheryl Kelley, Jeff Gau, Amy Henley, Connie Bateman, Jonathan Warrey

look forward to bringing some of the concepts of the business world into the classroom for UND students.”

JONATHAN WARREY

never forget the people who helped me when I started. Now, it’s our duty in leadership to create a culture that allows people to get better,” says Warrey.

Not only does Warrey serve as a leader at Marco, but he is now bringing his skills back to campus to engage students in a Marketing Sales Workshop in collaboration with Marco CEO Jeff Gau and UND NCoBPA Marketing Department Chair, Dr. Connie Bateman. CEO Jeff Gau is also a graduate of UND’s Marketing program.

This corporate sales training workshop and experience is offered to selected marketing majors interested in a sales career. “We greatly value our growing partnership with Marco’s leadership team,” said Dr. Bateman. The workshop took place

on Wednesday, March 27 with corporate trainer Cheryl Kelley of Hire & Inspire, LLC, using the DISC assessment tool utilized to best optimize employee talent to contribute to bottom-line performance of an organization.

“We look forward to bringing some of the concepts of the business world into the classroom for UND students. Jeff and I were in their exact shoes at one point and enjoyed hearing real life examples of sales and business professionalism from UND Alumni. We strive to bring that experience with us when we visit campus,” says Jonathan Warrey.

-By Averi Haugesag

“We

JONATHAN WARREY

Chief Operating Officer, Marco Technologies

FACULTY ENGAGEMENT

MARKETING IS A FULL-CONTACT SPORT

For the last 30 years, I’ve started every new term with the comment that marketing is a full-contact sport and to effectively learn it, you have to dig into the corners. Learning, I tell them, will not come from memorizing lists or sitting silently in class. Why do I tell them this? It’s simple; in the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with students and their employers, two ideas have consistently been listed as keys to their success or why they were originally hired. These concepts are a solid knowledge of core marketing theories and how to modify these theories to deal with real world problems.

Effectively teaching such ideas requires coming up with innovative ways that not only garner the attention of a student, but hold it so he/she can effectively process the information. To accomplish these tasks, I use a variety of teaching practices. The most basic is to constantly engage the class in conversation and reward students for coming forward with their thoughts, while another is to build exams around one issue facing a company; for example, Boeing’s evaluation of the market for a new airliner. It also includes allowing students to use their smart phones to participate in quizzes or discussions.

Examples of companies using the techniques discussed in the book are how students learn best and they provide the added benefit of demonstrating how theory often has to be modified in practice. The examples used in my classes come from a variety of sources including personal experience as a business owner, clients I’ve worked with over the years, businesses launched by students and current happenings in the news. In the capstone class, the students are given regular assignments to investigate the causes or implications of a marketer’s decisions. These have ranged from looking

at the opportunities open to Apple as iPhone sales peak or Panera’s recent decision to close its Panera Cares outlets. These examples are supplemented by having students work on marketing problems facing local firms. In these projects, the students serve as consultants and bring their marketing knowledge to bear on a given problem facing the small business. Projects have ranged from developing a distribution channel for a new brand of taco chip to determining ways for a local restaurant to boost sales. The final method I use is bringing in guest speakers. Some of you will say this is a tried-and-true method and you are right but often the speaker is an experienced executive or business owner. These “gray hairs” offer a wealth of experience but often aren’t seen as relevant by the students. To address this, I employ a different approach: bringing in past students who are at most 10 years older than those in class and asking them specifically to talk about how they’ve used their education in their current position. As an added twist, I call upon former students from around the world to provide a global outlook. For example, one of my former students from Thailand discussed what it’s like to be the Thai Airways country manager in Norway, while a former Canadian student discussed how she went about doubling the size of the family business, and another discussed what it’s like to be L’Oreal’s country manager for Australia.

Are these methods a success? I like to think so, as many students at UND have signed up for multiple courses with me and have reported how much they enjoy this teaching style. More importantly, many have said they want to return in a few years and be the guest speaker.

-By Rob Warren

ROB WARREN, INSTRUCTOR With Marketing students

The Support Squadron at the Grand Forks Air Force base recently approached Dr. Jennifer Stoner’s MRKT 310: Consumer Behavior Class for help evaluating some of their facilities and print media. Marketing students from that class performed consumer audits on five Air Force base facilities as well as the base’s print magazine. This opportunity provided students a chance to apply course information to a real world context. Groups of students toured their assigned facility and then provided their evaluation and recommendation in both a written report and oral presentation.

“The Marketing Department here at the Grand Forks Air Force Base greatly benefits from partnering with the UND Consumer Behavior students by getting to hear their fresh perspective on the different facilities in our squadron,” said Ashleigh Babbington, Marketing Director at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. “It’s very helpful to see an ‘outsider’s view’ from an audience who may not be familiar with the atmosphere of a military installation. It’s beneficial to hear what they believe we are doing right and we take their constructive criticism to heart. We greatly enjoy working with the students at UND and are considering some of their suggestions for improvement!”

-By Dr. Jennifer Stoner

701.777.3693

jaye@UNDfoundation.org

DR. JENNIFER STONER

HAL GERSHMAN

FROM MARKETER TO ENTREPRENEUR & PHILANTHROPIST

When preparing a traditional Mexican dish, there are three ingredients in particular that are often called for: cheese, red sauce, and some sort of condiment. Now think about this: those same three ingredients are what make up pizza; a dish Entrepreneur and UND Alumnus, Hal Gershman says wasn’t commonly found in Mexico in the late 1960s.

After graduating from the University of North Dakota Nistler College of Business & Public Administration (UND NCoBPA) with a degree in marketing in 1966, Gershman made his way down to Mexico City for graduate school at the University of the Americas. However, the United States was in the midst of the Vietnam War, so Gershman decided he better go home and apply to both Officer’s Training School and the Peace Corps. Gershman was first accepted to the Peace Corps in Bolivia where he would spend the next 27 months working on tuberculosis control and community development in a small village on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

In 1969, after his time in the Peace Corps, Gershman moved to Mexico City. “When I lived in Mexico City, I could never get a pizza, and I loved pizza,” said Gershman. “So, while I was in Bolivia, I had a tape recorder, and I started to put down some ideas of opening a pizza house in Mexico City when I got out of the Peace Corps, and that’s what I did.”

In 1969, Gershman opened ‘Happy’s Pizza,’ in Mexico. The shop was named after Gershman’s father, ‘Happy Harry.’ He says it was one of the first pizza houses Mexico knew.

“We had the fortune of opening next to the most popular taco place in the city called Ponchos. We made the pizzas right in the front window, so people could see us throwing them up in the air. I was introducing pizza to Mexico and it was a huge success,” said Gershman.

Despite his love for Mexico City, Gershman was required to go back to the United States every six months to re-register his American car. “While

I was in the States, I would buy all of the latest music – Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, all of it,” said Gershman. “I had a great sound system in the 120seat restaurant, and we would play the latest rock music months before the radio stations would have them in Mexico. Over the bar, I had a big projector screen and I back projected silent movies to the rock music. People loved it. Plus, the pizza was really good!”

Boston Bound

After living in Mexico City for three-and-a-half years, Gershman and his wife Kathy, who was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, made their way back to the United States.

“I opened up a pizza delivery place in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was a failure,” said Gershman. “I started at the top and worked my way down. I spent three-and-a-half years struggling in that business. That really was an education. I don’t wish that on anybody, but that’s absolutely where I learned about business,” he added. “Nothing succeeds like failure, and nothing fails like success.”

In 1976 Gershman’s father became ill with cancer so he and his wife, who had received her masters and doctorate at Harvard, decided to move to Grand Forks to help out. Kathy soon landed a job as professor of education at UND, a position she stayed in for 34 years.

“UND is very significant to us in that it created an interesting life for both of us. So that was a big reason we stayed, because of UND,” said Gershman.

After Gershman’s father passed, he took over the family business in Grand Forks, Happy Harry’s Bottle Shop on Gateway Drive. Gershman continued to grow the business, expanding Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops to five locations, two in Grand Forks and three in Fargo, as well as taking on other business ventures.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the beauty of the architecture of

barns. So, when I decided to build my first store in the barn style, I thought it was going to be fun, interesting and kind of an ode to where we are,” said Gershman. “We owe a lot to agriculture and the farming community and it’s an architecture that blends into the landscape of North Dakota. So that’s why we did it. Since you don’t get to build a building every day, you might as well make it interesting!”

Aside from its infrastructure, Gershman says what makes Happy Harry’s Bottle Shop unique is the level of service its employees give customers. All employees operate with the same mentality: “Every customer is our best customer.”

“The minute you put profit above customers and the employees, you do it at their expense,” said Gershman.

Giving Back

In addition to working as a life-long entrepreneur, Gershman is an active member of the Grand Forks community. He was elected President of the Grand Forks City Council in 2000, a position he held for 14 years. Gershman and his wife, Kathy, also chaired the fundraising to convert the Empire Theater to the Empire Arts Center.

“It’s become an icon in the city, so we’re very proud of that,” said Gershman. “We have great interest in the city and its well-being.”

The Gershman’s involvement in Grand Forks isn’t limited to just the city, they are also active at UND. Their latest project at North Dakota’s Flagship University is restoring the J. Lloyd Stone building, which was also the original University President’s residence build in 1903. By the end of this summer, the space will be transformed into what will be named the ‘Dr. Kathleen & Hal Gershman Graduate Engagement Center.’ The Gershman’s $3 million donation received a $1.5 million matching grant from the State of North Dakota. The Gershman’s say they would like for the space to serve as a quiet study place, as well as a space for collaborative work, meetings, small seminars and informal gatherings.

“Right now, graduate students don’t have a place to go of their own to get together for work and fun, but soon they will! I think it will be a good recruiting tool and I think it is always better for education if students engage with each other. It will once again be one of the most beautiful buildings in the Upper Midwest when we’re done,” said Gershman.

Gershman has also spent time in the classroom as a Marketing Department guest lecturer. Students aren’t the only young people Gershman has given back to in the last five years. In 2015 the Gershman’s made the decision to hand the keys to Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops over to their employees. “I decided while Kathy and I were still healthy, that we would manage the change we knew would eventually come,” said Gershman.

Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops is now converting to 100% ownership

by

“Here’s what I like to tell people and it’s true,” said Gershman.

“When I was younger, I was a pretty damn good retailer. But this team at Happy Harry’s now--they’re better than I was. I’m so proud of them, they’re just great. And they’re ending up with the business, which is a good thing. They deserve it.”

Gershman - an entrepreneur, philanthropist and proud UND NCoBPA alumnus was not intimidated by the world post-graduation. With his UND Marketing degree in-hand, the Grand Forks native accomplished a number of remarkable undertakings, benefiting his family, the community and the state of North Dakota.

-By Averi Haugesag

“Nothing succeeds like failure, and nothing fails like success.”

HAL GERSHMAN

the employees via an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

HAL GERSHMAN

Distinguished UND Marketing Alumnus

A BALANCING ACT

Those first few weeks after commencement can be hectic and stressful for a new college graduate. Do you have a job lined up? How will you pay your bills?

But Cassie Thompson not only secured full-time employment after graduating with her Marketing degree, she also became a business owner by starting a yoga studio with two partners.

Perhaps being a yoga devotee since she was a teenager growing up in Grafton, North Dakota, gave her the sense of self to tackle such a daunting post-graduation path.

“Yoga comes from an ancient word that means to yoke, which means to bring your physical body and your mental body into one; learning how to realign ourselves,” says Thompson.

Thompson finished up her last UND classes in June of 2017 and by July 1 was working with her partners on renovating the space in a building along Demers Avenue in East Grand Forks. Ganesha Yoga was ready to offer its first classes by September.

During the two-month renovation process, Thompson also started her professional career, so she was working full-time in marketing, while helping out nights and weekends at the studio. Since it opened, she has maintained that schedule by teaching yoga classes at times when she’s not working as a marketing specialist for Dakota Commercial in Grand Forks.

“At first, it was stressful in the fact that I wanted to make sure I was dedicating my time between being a good business partner, a good employee, and a good instructor! I think for the first few months of everything, I ran on very little sleep.”

Ganesha Yoga has two studio spaces, including one that is kept around 100 degrees for “hot yoga” classes. Thompson says those classes are particularly popular with college students.

“Hot yoga is really good at detoxifying your body as you stretch and release. You sweat a lot in there, so you’re sweating out all those toxins,” says Thompson. “You’re also able to get into postures deeper within the hot yoga room just because your body becomes more flexible.”

UND Connection

Thompson earned a BBA degree in Marketing and a certificate of Entrepreneurship at UND. She says both have been helpful in opening the studio and giving her confidence in developing a business plan.

“I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it without [my UND background]. It really has helped a lot. In Marketing, we focused a lot on the Grand Forks community and a lot of our projects were about local businesses, so that really helped because I had a really good grasp on the community when I decided to open a business here. It just felt right.”

Thompson hasn’t left UND too far behind; she has students from the social media marketing class with Sandi Luck (Instructor) running the studio’s online presence as part of a class assignment this semester. Thompson says she gives them some direction, but also has given them the freedom to be creative and apply the best practices they have learned in class.

“It’s been fun for us to watch the girls take control of our social media. We have enjoyed having them in the studio with us. I love how creative they have gotten with it; I get excited to see what they post each day. I think it’s great how she [Sandi Luck] gets them out in the community because I think getting out into the community was one of the best things that I did during college.”

Finding Balance

Thompson has been practicing yoga since the age of 16. She says she wasn’t sure she wanted to teach, but the further she advanced in her own practice, the more she wanted to share the positive impact of yoga with others.

“One of my favorite things to say to my students is that it’s not really what happens on your mat. It’s what happens after you leave your mat, after you leave the space, and you take the yoga off your mat into your daily life. That’s a really cool part of it and I wanted other people to feel what I felt from that change.

“I think most of us are—and I’m not perfect either—most of us are really out of whack. So we just want to create a safe environment where you can come and just work on you without judgment. I definitely do feel called to it.”

-By Milo Smith

Cassie Thompson, ’17, went directly from the classroom to owning a business while holding down a full-time job.

YOUNG ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

“In Marketing, we focused a lot on the Grand Forks community and a lot of our projects were about local businesses.”

CASSIE THOMPSON Marketing Specialist, Dakota Commercial and Owner & Instructor, Ganesha Yoga Studios

CASSIE THOMPSON At Ganesha Yoga Studios

MARY FISCHER, DIRECTOR OF SPONSORSHIPS, UNITED HEALTH AND IZZY WAITE, MARKETING MAJOR

MENTORING IS CHANGING THE GAME

The Department of Marketing at the University of North Dakota strives to enrich education for students by delivering high impact practices including being mentored by a successful Marketing Alumnus. One core focus for the department is experiential learning. Experiential learning promotes the use of previously learned skills and knowledge and encourages the learning curve to continue via hands-on real-life experience.

The Pancratz Mentor Program is an example of an experiential learning tool that Marketing Chair Connie Bateman and Pancratz Director Kathy Lund encourage UND CoBPA marketing students to utilize and Marketing Alumni to participate in (can be done remotely). The program matches students with a mentor who is following the career path the student intends to follow. The goal is to create a positive and professional relationship that will help the students launch a successful career in business.

UND Marketing alumna, Mary Fischer has mentored students in the program for five years and says she enjoys the way helping students makes her feel. “For me obviously I do it because I like helping other people and I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing that I’m doing something to help somebody else,” said Fischer.

This year, Fischer has been mentoring senior marketing & graphic design major, Izzy Waite. Waite and Fischer have many shared interests and similarities. Both were collegiate athletes, have a love for marketing and even have the same taste in fashion, as Waite learned upon her first meeting with Fischer. “She walked in this flower print dress and it was something that I would wear. I thought to myself, ‘wow I feel like we could be friends,’” said Waite with a smile.

Fischer understands and emphasizes the importance of having someone to look up to who also roots for your success. “It’s nice for them to have a sounding board that’s out in the workplace and somebody that is cheering for them,” said Fischer.

Waite appreciates Fischer and everything she has done to guide her so far, including introducing her to other professionals in the marketing field. “She’s opened doors and showed me different things about the industry that you don’t really get in a school setting because it’s very real-life,” explained Waite.

Like Fischer, many marketing alums are so graciously eager to lend a hand to students by participating in experiential learning activities such as the Mentor Program, networking events, Marketing Executive in Residence guest speakers, and supporting corporate tours for our students. Fischer has a very positive outlook on the alumni base and what they are willing to do for one another. “We love each other, we always look out for each other and we’re very tightly connected,” said Fischer.

-By Kari Strandberg

Mary got VIP access for Izzy and her family to go on the Vikings field before the game

DR. SANDRA LUCK

SOCIAL MEDIA TAKEOVER

Social Media 6-week takeover is taking over again.

“Each semester, marketing students enrolled in the social media course do a takeover for a local business. They work closely with the owners/managers and post content for the Instagram and Facebook accounts. The students schedule the posts one week prior to the content going live. The owners/managers review the content to assure it fits their mission and then wait for the engagement on their platforms.

On behalf of the UND Marketing Department, thank you to the following businesses for giving our students this real-world opportunity and experience: Sterling Carpet OneGF, Fenworks, Greenberg Realty, Jozy Huff Media, iHeartMedia, The Olive Barrel, French Taste, LLC, Empire Arts Center, Northern Roots Boutique, Evolve GF, Ten Acre Marketing, 322 Hospitality Group, Leighton Broadcasting, Lifetime Vision Center, Bully Brew Coffee, Rhombus Guys Pizza, Play It Again Sports, Valley Memorial Homes, and SO many more! Check out the student’s posts in the past and soon-to-come on their social media pages!

-By Dr. Sandra Luck

Department of Marketing

Nistler College of Business & Public Administration

Nistler Hall Suite 321

3125 University Avenue Stop 8366

Grand Forks, ND 58202-8366

LET’S CONNECT

Help Us Help a Student You Know

If you know of a student that you would like to receive information about the CoBPA Marketing degree, email us at UND.MRKTdegree@UND.edu with the student’s name, email address, mailing address, and phone number.

Volunteer as

a

Speaker

or

Mentor Professionals from all industries offer unique insights and experiences.

Sponsor Networking Programs and Events

We are looking for sponsors to work with us to enrich student experiences by developing student skills in marketing, experiential learning, research, corporate engagement and networking.

Connect with the Chair (connie.bateman@UND.edu) to develop an engagement plan that is best for you.

Host a Corporate Site Visit

Give students a unique perspective of your industry, offer a tour, and showcase how you engage in marketing.