Students in the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) online graduate program visited the Evanston campus last week as part of their leadership immersion class, some traveling from as far away as South Korea and Columbia. The immersion class takes place over the course of five and a half days leading up to commencement, the final course credit for about 1/3 of the students in the program. Students in the online IMC program engage with material online with intermittent synchronous sessions over the span of eight quarters (on average) covering the same curriculum as their counterparts in the on-ground IMC program.
In his introduction at the beginning of the week, Adjunct Lecturer Hud Englehart laid out the single greatest challenge the students will face as leaders in today’s world: “Technology is erasing the luxury of time.” Unlike the past where time to consider options was a luxury most were afforded, today’s leaders must be able to address issues in real time. To tackle this challenge, students spend their days covering techniques to nurture talent, make tough decisions, effectively communicate their brand, and plan for innovation and growth.
A highlight of the week comes on the brand communication day in which the students engage in an hour-long, informal dialogue with Northwestern president Morton Schapiro. President Schapiro’s talk has become an annual event, as he has spoken in the leadership class each of the four years it has been offered. The wide-ranging conversation touched on issues students raised, including diversity and inclusion and the cost of higher education; he also addressed questions of leadership challenges and techniques.
“As a leader, you have an obligation to best represent the institution,” Schapiro commented. “But you also have an obligation to yourself to understand your values and stick to them. Look, if I leave you with anything, it’s this: don’t lose touch with the things that bring you pleasure in service to your day job. Be yourself and the rest will work itself out.”
That message of authenticity resonated deeply with the students, who smiled and nodded in agreement with his comments.
Lauren McFarland, Communications Specialist with Boeing and student in the leadership class, took the President’s remarks to heart. “His description of Northwestern as a global institution distinguished by Midwest values is one of the reasons I selected IMC for my master’s program. From a professional media perspective, I respect and appreciate that he continues to use his role as the President of a major academic institution to share thoughtful viewpoints on world issues and events--challenging everyone to think more critically and consider the viewpoints of others.”
The students left President Schapiro’s talk energized to take on their final project for the leadership class: creating a business plan for a startup or a new innovative unit within a larger organization. For many of them, this is their final experience with IMC, as they earn the last remaining credit needed to graduate with their new Master’s degree.
The immersion week affords students the opportunity to finally meet their peers and instructors in person. Professor Candy Lee says this is one of the most rewarding experiences for those who attend. “It’s amazing to see how these students go from complete strangers who only communicate on discussion boards at the beginning of the program to high-tech pen pals by the end – constantly bouncing ideas and experiences off one another and building friendships in the process.”
“We’re lucky to have such outstanding students,” Lee added. “These are working professionals eager to get the most out of their experience. The immersion class not only allows them to feel a greater connection to their school and instructors, but to bond and network with one another.”
Erin Price, Director of Marketing for Sargento Foods and another student in the leadership class, echoed Professor Lee’s comments, “The IMC immersion week is an outstanding experience because it allows for so much interaction with faculty, other students, and some truly incredible guest speakers. I left the panel discussion with faculty members on the future of IMC with pages and pages of notes about things I wanted to research further and topics I want to explore at work.”
Regarding the connection to her peers, she added, “The students in the class have already formed our own Facebook group in order to stay in touch and continue to help each other both in the IMC program and in our careers.”