Curriculum, student engagement, and plans for the
annual Digital Marketing Conference are top of mind but subplots include a show
of force from the marketing faculty, outreach initiatives and development
efforts. “The presentation from the
committee working on cultivating content and expertise from this board is very
encouraging. I think all of us on the faculty recognize the study and practice of
marketing is changing and this board is a great help. It is very much
appreciated” says Professor Frank Fu.
Fu is not alone. The Marketing Department Chairman
Haim Mano is enthusiastic on behalf of all faculty members. Board members
include Graduate student Brianna Smith and Undergraduate Marketing Club
President Patrick Eberle. Both made
presentations. Anyone can see there is
an incredible seamlessness happening even as the essence of what it means to
prepare for a career in marketing in an age of digital disruption.
These are interesting and challenging times for
marketers. The two and one half hour meeting seems almost historic, if not a
bit chaotic. There is optimism as the group absorbs the inevitable politics of running
a college of business and university.
Yet in the same room there are interested parties looking for ways to
apply the principals of marketing at all levels of the student and community.
My two cents has to do with fortification of the collegiate
chapter of the American Marketing Association. UMSL has, in the midst of all
these other initiatives, successfully met all requirements of becoming an
active collegiate chapter – one of just a handful in the State of Missouri to do so. This has
been accomplished with an incredible partnership with the St. Louis AMA
professional chapter.
UMSL St. Louis - Photos above (c) Wes Morgan (from l to r) board members Mark Sanders of Locker Dome; President of UMSL Marketing Club Patrick Eberle; board member and Graduate Student Brianna Smith. Marketing Faculty Gerald Gao, Michael Elliott, Marketing Chair Haim Mano and Frank Fu and a wide shot of the meeting room.
