ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – As Winthrop University’s Close Scholars Program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, coordinators tapped into student talent to design a plan to showcase the program’s successes and to boost its profile.
A marketing class taught by Katharine Hubbard, an assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication, spent the fall semester researching and creating a marketing plan. The marketing students presented their findings on Dec. 8.
Shelia Burkhalter, vice president for student affairs, said the class suggestions were impressive. “The students approached the Close Scholars Program as a genuine client. Their thorough research, synergistic team work, and professionalism yielded an exceptional work product that will significantly enhance the program’s visibility,” she said.
The four students who worked on the plan – Austin Spencer, Victoria Trump, Jenn Cruz Rojas and Max Cote Colisson – said the Close Scholars Program provides a powerful story of dedication, service and family that deserves more attention.
Established in 1998 with gifts from the Springs Close Foundation, the program admits a minimum of six students per year and maintains overall enrollment of 24 students per year. The scholars must maintain a 3.0 GPA and provide 112 hours of service per semester to a community partner. They also strive to emulate the benevolent character of the late Anne Springs Close.
A new component was added in the last few years to give the scholars the opportunity to travel and to serve others in different countries. The Close family recently pledged three additional years’ worth of funding for international travel experiences.
The marketing students found a recurring theme in interviews with current and past scholars, which involved a longing for connection throughout the program. That observation led them to suggest improving connections among the Close Scholars, scholar alumni and program donors.
Their media plan was designed to help draw those three groups closer as Anne Springs Close would have wanted.
The marketing students’ suggestions included:
The Close Scholars is a remarkable program that embodies principles that enhance the quality of humanity, said coordinators. “With such a valuable program, we have talked about the importance of raising the profile of the program,” said Miguel Caldwell ’23, who is the Close Scholars program manager and a former Close Scholar. “The media plan that the class provided will do so much more than raise the profile, it will elevate the program and showcase all of the amazing things Close Scholars have to offer.”
For more information, contact Burkhalter at burkhalters@winthrop.edu or Caldwell at caldwellm@winthrop.edu.
