Experiential Education in Action: Inside Ohio University’s New Student Ad Agency
Ohio University’s student-run ad agency “NEXT” (photo by Chuck Borghese)
Experiential Education in Action: Inside Ohio University’s New Student Ad Agency
By Ken Klein
ATHENS, OH—Students immersed in the on-campus for-credit ad agency at Ohio University face real deadlines from real clients. And they encounter tough real-world problems that make this type of experiential learning transformative.
In fall semester 2024, junior Mia Cestra and classmates at the student ad agency were introduced to one their first clients: an addiction and mental health treatment center.
“It changed the way I viewed recovery and remission as a whole,” recalls Cestra, now a rising senior. “One of the moments I remember the most was when we got to speak with some of the clients in recovery via Zoom. We asked them questions about their situation, and it helped us build an idea of what we wanted our (awareness) campaigns to look like, to reflect who they are.”
Why Ohio University expanded experiential learning
Founded in 1804, Ohio University has a long, storied history of media education (journalism, photography, design, videography, production, and more). Experiential learning is baked into the institutional DNA via far-flung internships and hands-on experience at award-winning student publications and on-campus broadcast station WOUB Public Media.
As Ohio University celebrated its 100th year of journalism instruction (1923-2023), faculty at its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism decided to expand on-campus experiential learning in advertising by creating a student agency:
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Retrofitting an existing building to look and feel like an ad agency.
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Assigning a faculty advisor with deep industry connections (Charles Borghese) in New York and Atlanta.
Faculty advisor Charles Borghese
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Enrolling 12 students in fall semester 2024 (for academic credit) and 24 for spring semester 2025. Twelve students continue immersive work at the student agency during summer months.
Background on the student agency concept
The first student agencies for advertising, public relations, and marketing started in the 1970s, according to Professor Douglas J. Swanson at California State University, Fullerton. Swanson is author of “Real World Career Preparation: A Guide to Creating a University Student-Run Communications Agency.”
Nationally, the pandemic hobbled or ended dozens of the student-run agencies due to lockdowns and enrollment disruptions. But the concept of students gaining on-campus experience by serving real clients has survived covid, thanks to students’ hunger for resume-boosting expertise.
What happens inside a student ad agency
By spring, the student ad agency at Ohio University had eight pro bono clients ranging from national brand Captain D’s to local enterprises (a blacksmith who makes iron cookware, a baseball club, a realty/construction company that builds luxury cabins, an addiction-recovery facility, and more).
Logo of the student ad agency NEXT at Ohio University
Like for-profit agencies, students go through steps to create ads:
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On-boarding clients, which means listening to understand their challenges and goals.
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Research. Faculty advisor Borghese says this step is like journalism reporting.
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Creative development, which typically involves multiple ideas and team collaboration. Ohio University students have produced video, text, social media, and outdoor advertising.
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Media placement.
Dividends generated by a robust, effective student ad agency experience are multiple. On-campus experience counters distance and expense of far-away internships. Educators at Ohio University say experiential learning at its student ad agency should complement internships, not replace them.
Students enrolled in the new ad agency at Ohio University feature their on-campus experience on resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
Ohio University student Ashley Wright’s LinkedIn page features her experience at the student ad agency
Rising senior Ashley Wright will be president of the student ad agency when fall semester begins at Ohio University. When she arrived at her summer internship at the City of West Sacramento, CA, Wright didn’t need much training because of her real-world immersion at college.
She was more like an employee than a trainee, says agency advisor Borghese.
“Students who go the (student) agency route will be at a strong level of preparation that cannot be created in a classroom environment,” says Professor Swanson at Cal State Fullerton.
Douglas J. Swanson, California State University, Fullerton
Student ad agencies provide experiences valued by prospective employers: dealing with clients, pitching clients, working on teams, and meeting deadlines and budgets.
“We hit the ground running,” said Maxwell Burton who was immersed in Ohio University’s student ad agency during his senior year.
If Burton plans to enter the ad world, he’ll have to defer a bit. For the 2025-26 school year, Burton is a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan.
Ken Klein has four decades+ of experience in journalism, congressional staff work, and trade association leadership. He is an advisor to the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. As a student, Klein completed internships in Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, and Tel Aviv.
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