Fall 1999

Why do alums go back to school? In the case of Prof. Meryl Gardner's "Introduction to Marketing" class, alumni return to help her evaluate current students' oral reports.

"Most of the students are juniors or seniors who have taken some business courses, but this is their first exposure to marketing," Gardner explains. "We cover all the basic concepts and terminology in class, and then I ask them to choose a local business for analysis. The students actually go into that business and assess the current situation, applying the concepts they've studied in class. Then, they prepare a detailed report describing the business situation and offering suggestions for how it might be improved. The goal is to make this an interpretive experience in which the students apply as many of the concepts they've learned as possible."

The students must analyze a wide range of factors for their reports. The final step is to give a 15-minute oral presentation summarizing their findings.

"I instruct the students to act as if they were a consulting firm, presenting their results to a client," Gardner says. "The goal is to give a presentation that is so good that a company would recommend hiring them to their friends. The students need to be well-prepared, well-organized and professional."

That's where the alumni come in. "We represent the real world," says John R. Slack Sr., founder and
co-owner of Sassafras River Marketing. He is one of Gardner's dedicated alumni volunteers who attend the class presentations and provide a businessperson's feedback.

"One of the things that Dr. Gardner does is ask the students to think," Slack says. "That can be tough, because they won't be able to find the answers in a book."

Another alumnus who volunteers his time to the students is John A. (Jay) Reed, director of marketing at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware. "I've been observing the presentations for two years, and I've noticed that the students are becoming much more professional in both their appearance and their presentation skills," he says. "This is a reality of business--the package and its content both count."

The alumni give specific and practical advice to the students, and their participation also helps Gardner shape her future classes. "I've tried several different assignments over the years, and the alumni are always instrumental in my decision about which ones to use and how to modify them," she explains.

"By having fresh perspectives, the alumni are able to see more and help all of us," adds Gardner. "I have had students come back and tell me that they've used the experience of creating and presenting a marketing plan as a discussion point in job interviews. Later, when they were working and were asked to do this kind of project, they felt more confident, having done it before in our class."

Are the alumni willing to come back again? "Definitely," agree Reed and Slack.

"It's one way that I can give back to the University," Reed says. "I believe that this is a valuable program and that the lessons learned and messages heard are important. If I can deliver useful tips and get students to think, then that's a bonus."

"It's also helpful to keep up with what students are being taught today," adds Slack. "Listening to the students present is fun, and sometimes you find a real gem. If such a student were in the right area, I would consider hiring that person."

"Now that," says Gardner, "would be an excellent complement to the learning aspect of the class project."