School of Journalism and Broadcasting News

Author: Tommy Newton Date: Sunday, May 6th, 2012

Return

Students enrolled in the senior-level, advertising course have worked most of the spring semester on researching, planning and producing an advertising and public relations campaign for BRIMS. The campaign is designed to generate community awareness of the challenges facing BRIMS and to engage the community to help by supporting BRIMS in a number of ways.

BRIMS has a rich history of igniting the minds of children about science in today’s world, but the organization is suffering from a lack of community support. April McCauley, who joined BRIMS last December as director, has led the organization’s members through strategic planning sessions. The students worked with McCauley and the BRIMS Board to conduct research leading to the final recommendations.

The BRIMS project is part of a new community outreach effort called Community Projects. Developed by the Ad+PR programs, Community Projects provide students with opportunities to gain first-hand experience in their fields, while giving back to the local community in a truly significant way.

Students in the campaigns class are excited about their ideas for BRIMS. Lexington senior Jesse Caylor said that the BRIMS project “is just what I need to stand out in today’s crowded job market. Most students work on pretend cases; our team has a complete, real-world example of our ideas to show off to potential employers.”

Professor Cliff Shaluta, coordinator for the Ad+PR programs, sees Community Projects as “an amazing opportunity for advertising and public relations students to gain experience by applying their ideas and talents to real-world community problems.”

He said that the BRIMS project included all areas of the program from branding to print to interactive design.

McCauley said she is “very excited to see what has come from the hard work Professor Shaluta and all the advertising students have invested this semester. They are giving us some substantial food for thought and defining channels that we can use to serve the community better.”

Visit http://wkufusion.com to learn more about the WKU Ad+PR programs and the Community Projects Initiative. Visit the BRIMS website at http://brimsbg.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BRIMSMuseum.

Contact: Cliff Shaluta, (270) 745-5833.