NEWS
BRIEFS
Student Design
Agency Provides
Real-World Career
Connection
Last fall, students in the inaugural Design Center
course taught in the School of Design learned first-
hand how it is to work for more than one client. The
course, co-taught by Stephanie Verni, M.F.A., Professor
of Business Communication, and Inna Alesina, M.F.A.,
Assistant Professor of Art, served as an integrated mar-
keting communication agency during the fall semester,
tasking students with understanding clients’ needs and
concerns.
The first client of the 18 students in the course—
who were business communication, graphic design,
and film and moving image majors—was the School of
Design itself. Their mission: to establish a new Design
Center. Students researched possible names and created
brand identities to showcase the in-house, student-run
agency. These were pitched to faculty in the School of
Design who ultimately chose the name “The Mill at
Stevenson University.”
Once The Mill was established, the students focused
on their second client, the Eastern Communication
Association (ECA). Leeanne Bell McManus, Ph.D.,
Professor of Business Communication, was in charge of
planning the annual convention for ECA in Pittsburgh,
Pa., held April 25-29, and she worked with the students
in The Mill course to promote the event. Students
created collateral such as invitations, brochures,
convention logos, 30-second videos, and social media
messages to spread the word about Pittsburgh, ECA,
and the convention.
Founded in 1910, the Eastern Communication
Association is the oldest professional communication
association in the United States, and Stevenson
students were able to work with scholars, teachers, and
other students from across the region. Students from
The Mill also presented on a panel at the convention,
sharing their experiences of working with a client
based on what they learned in the classroom.
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VENTURES/SUMMER 2018