The Chatham Business & Entrepreneurship Department would like to recognize and congratulate the Chatham Marketing Association’s (CMA) many successes at this year’s 40th annual American Marketing Association (AMA) International Collegiate Conference! The CMA returned to New Orleans with faculty advisor Dr. Debbie Delong, as well as student members Courtney Noal (CMA President), Morgan Shultz-McArdle, Anna Ferri, Carlie Klanica, Michelle Bloom, Tia Biesinger, Maya Goldstein, and Thomas Grigans.
Similar to last year’s AMA Conference, the CMA once again placed in the Top 5 of roughly 180 Small Collegiate Chapters, placing in the Top 20 out of roughly 350 Collegiate Chapters overall. Courtney Noal won First Place in the 2018 AMA Social Impact Scholarship competition. For this achievement she will receive a $3000 tuition scholarship to recognize her creative arts management and marketing achievements. Maya Goldstein and Thomas Grigans (first years) competed in the Perfect Pitch (personal branding) competition, with Tommy making it to the semi-finals. This placed him in the top 25 out of the 300 students in this event. Morgan Shultz-McArdle and Michelle Bloom also made it to the semi-finals of the Marketing Strategy competition, placing them in the top 30 of 90 teams.
For the first year ever, CMA received a chapter Exhibit award: a third place finish for “Best Use of Conference Theme.” CMA also won an Honorable Mention for their Marketing Week activities and reporting. Lastly, CMA was awarded an Honorable Mention for their submission to the Mary Kay international case competition. This is a particularly prestigious and rigorous event that spans the entire fall semester of meetings, secondary and primary research, creative executions and ROI analysis. CMA’s case performance placed in the top 20 of 120 competing schools this year.
Along with the many awards earned, the CMA presented in an invited session about how to become a Top Small School Chapter to an audience of other small chapter officers and members.
Finally, a group of CMA members created and presented a research poster on a student-faculty research collaboration recently completed with Dr. DeLong. Several of the attending CMA members also participated in a Digital Marketing Bootcamp, taught by Chatham’s very own Andrew Garberson (whom AMA recruited to teach this session).
CMA advisor, Dr. DeLong, is the 2017-18 Collegiate Chapter Council President. She spent the entire year with 10 faculty members from other colleges and universities to plan and implement all of the programming for the collegiate division, including this conference. Many of its competitions start well before the event in New Orleans, and involve a lot of coordination, time and effort. At the conference, Dr. DeLong was busy behind the scenes and on stage keeping things moving. From keeping tabs on all the CMA members, setting aside time to take the attendants on a memorable street car ride, bringing the CMA to her favorite restaurant (Camellia Grill) and enjoying Café du Monde beignets, Dr. Delong helped Chatham’s student representatives have a fantastic time, gain great experiences, and return to Pittsburgh as champions of marketing.
This enthusiasm and all-around drive is supported by CMA president Courtney Noal’s statement to the university after a triumphant return:
“This year, the Chatham Marketing Association saw a large boost of members and dedication, making it a very pivotal year within our organization. We are so excited to see what next year will bring personally and in our professional development. We greatly appreciate all of the continued support and funding we receive, as we would not be as successful as we are without the incredible support we receive from our institution. CMA is so proud to represent Chatham University! Thank you so much!”
Courtney was not the only one with post-event gratitude, however. Dr. Delong followed up with the Business & Entrepreneurship Department to say:
“I am constantly amazed by the creativity and the energy that our students invest in their work both in class and in opportunities such as those offered by the AMA. No one is forcing these students to compete and participate in AMA competitions and workshops, and yet they do, achieving amazing results every time. Working with the high quality students we attract to our business programs makes my job a pleasure and an honor.”
The Chatham B&E Department would like, once again, to congratulate all members of the Chatham Marketing Association and Dr. Delong on their incredible achievements this past year in New Orleans. The department recognizes and is consistently impressed with the sheer drive and effort put in by the members of CMA. We are excited to see what else the CMA will accomplish in the future, and consider ourselves lucky to have such skilled students and faculty.
Trevor Borsh is a second-year Chatham Business student majoring in International Business, alongside a minor in Political Science. He is also pursuing the European Studies Certificate. This is Trevor’s first year working within the Chatham B&E Department, and he looks forward to promoting advancement and global outlooks for students and the university alike.
