2000
1996
VCU Adcenter opened its classrooms to 51 students in three tracks – copywriting, art direction and strategy.
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL
VCU
After years of planning, founder and original managing director Diane Cook-Tench received approval from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to open Adcenter.
1995 The Beginning
1998
The first class graduated from VCU Adcenter with master’s degrees.
The school’s work became a staple on the awards circuit. In this year alone, VCU Adcenter was recognized by D&AD, ANDY’s, Clios, One Show and the Cannes Festival.
1997
1995: The Beginning - After years of planning, founder and original managing director Diane Cook-Tench received approval from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to open Adcenter. The first four board members to accept seats were Harry Jacobs and Mike Hughes of The Martin Agency and David Martin and Tim Finnegan of Arnold Finnegan Martin. Shortly thereafter Dan Wheldon of Coca-Cola, Jay Chiat and Dan Wieden also joined the board. 1996 - With ten days until the arrival of the first class of students the school moved into its space in Richmond’s Shockoe Slip. Just as the last plug was plugged and the final wall painted, VCU Adcenter opened its classrooms to 51 students in three tracks – copywriting, art direction and strategy. Along with Diane Cook-Tench, VCU Adcenter was led by Roger Lavery (strategic planning), Tim Chumley (technology), Coz Cotzias (copywriting) and Jerry Torchia (art direction). Immediately the school garnered interest from the advertising community. The Wall Street Journal, Adweek and numerous local media outlets ran coverage of VCU Adcenter. 1997 - Another 50 students began the fall semester, bringing the total student population of VCU Adcenter to 101. The school expanded its faculty to include Jelly Helm for the creative students and Peter Coughter to teach second year strategists. The school’s work became a staple on the awards circuit. In this year alone, VCU Adcenter was recognized by D&AD, ANDY’s, Clios, The One Show and the Cannes Festival. 1998 - The first class from VCU Adcenter graduated with master’s degrees. John Adams presented each student with a green beret as a symbol of the training and mission of the school. Within six months, each of the students had a job in the industry. Two new traditions began this year: the annual Adcenter Prom and Adcenter couples - as two members of the class of 1998 married prior to graduation.
7
The first school softball game, pitting art directors versus writers, took place. These games became an annual affair, but shifted to rival class against class. Rick Boyko, former Chief Creative Officer North America and Co-President of Ogilvy & Mather, became VCU Adcenter’s managing director.
2003
2006
The school swept the student competition of the Athenas and received a $50,000 grant from the Newspaper Association of America to build newspaper advertising into VCU Adcenter’s curriculum.
#1
In March, VCU Adcenter was named the top advertising school by Creativity Magazine and the Creative Brand Management track was introduced.
2005
2000 - Mark Fenske, formerly of Wieden + Kennedy and The Bomb Factory, began teaching at VCU Adcenter. He brought his unique perspective on the business as well as a wicked curveball. The first school softball game, pitting art directors versus writers, took place. These games became an annual affair, but shifted to rival class against class. The school also welcomed a new managing director, Patty Alvey, to lead the program. The work coming out of VCU Adcenter continued to impress, and helped to bolster the school’s industry credibility. 2003 - Rick Boyko, former Chief Creative Officer North America and Co-President of Ogilvy & Mather, became VCU Adcenter’s managing director. Drawing on his agency experience and industry involvement, Boyko began directing the school toward a truer reflection of the current and ever-changing advertising business. The curriculum began to focus on more holistic problem-solving and incorporated media planning in campaign development. Planning for the Creative Brand Management track began. Along with Boyko, Cabell Harris (TBWA/Chiat/Day, The Martin Agency and WORKLabs) became a professor. VCU Adcenter held a roast of Joe Pytka in New York to raise funds for scholarships. The chicken was reported to be delicious. 2005 - In March, VCU Adcenter was named the top advertising school by Creativity Magazine based on surveys of creative directors and hiring managers of the industry’s leading agencies. In the fall, the Creative Brand Management track was introduced. The goal of the track was to train brand managers how to think creatively and better work with agencies. Adweek and Fast Company both featured the track and the school. Wayne Gibson (longtime creative director and commercial director), Don Just (former CEO of The Martin Agency) and Donna Spurrier (Spurrier Media Group) joined the faculty, further solidi-
