Written by Tim Talley
Eastern students hold up their awards at the 33rd Annual International Collegiate Conference. from left to right Back left: Paul Rossitto, Alicia Demers, Nick Furlani, Gary Andrews, Josh Jenkins, Jennifer Daignault, Lisa Cassella and Eibel-Spanyi Front row: Michelle Thakur, Alyssa Deegan, Kim Kokofsky, Rob Regan, Marlana Carroll, Jenn Cushing, Laura Wooley, Jessica Roessler, Hannah Hirschfeld, Nicole Mungo
Willimantic, Conn. - Sixteen Eastern Connecticut State University students from the American Marketing Association (AMA) helped Eastern walk away with six awards at the 33rd Annual International Collegiate Conference held in New Orleans, LA, March 24-26.
The Eastern contingent received a trophy for being one of the top AMA chapters, winning a silver award while competing with more than 300 chapters internationally. "This is an incredible accomplishment," said chapter advisor and Marketing Professor Katalin Eibel-Spanyi. "Our students excelled in chapter planning, professional development, membership building, community services and communications."
Eastern's AMA members also won five awards for participating in multiple competitions at the conference and throughout the academic year. The five awards were a first-place "AMA Saves Lives" award for social media posts from Jan. 1-March 18, 2011; a third-place "AMA Saves Lives" award for donor registrations during the same time period; a third-place "AMA Saves Lives" award for a video series in January-March; an Outstanding Small Chapter Award; and recognition for Marketing Week activities.
"I am excited and proud of our club's success," said Jenn Cushing, a sophomore from East Lyme. "We have been awarded the highest placement in the history of Eastern's AMA. Not only did we gain real-life experiences from an upfront approach, we also gained insight into how things operate in a competitive marketing world through hosting events such as 'Love Your Body Day' and information about organ donation on social media sites. We attended several different sessions where there were successful marketing speakers who taught us how to efficiently and effectively market ourselves. AMA has had an amazing year and we hope to take this experience with us to next year's conference."
