Who says college students don’t do real work?

I beg to differ with anyone who makes that statement. As part of my Integrated Marketing Communication Campaigns class, my group teamed up with Catholic Charities Wichita to create a campaign for their Angels for all Seasons keepsake collection.

Team members were responsible for creating a plan to promote the 11-piece collection, whose proceeds benefit Catholic Charities’ St. Anthony Family Shelter, a homeless shelter for families. As part of the project, the team utilized traditional public relations and marketing tactics, as well as newer methods. In addition to press releases, brochures and postcards, plans for the nonprofit’s Angels for all Seasons, Facebook and Twitter pages were also devised.

The decision to launch a new campaign for the keepsakes was made after the collection reached its 10-year milestone. For the 11th year, Catholic Charities wanted to rename the collection to give it a consistent look and feel.

This is where my campaigns group came in. In the past, the keepsakes have been marketed only as ornaments during the holiday season. One of our campaign objectives was to select a name that conveyed the versatility of each piece for yearround display. We met to brainstorm ideas and decided on Angels for all Seasons.

The newest addition to the collection is the Angel of Serenity.

The designer in our group, Carissa, created a new logo to unify the collection and give the new name some pizzazz.

The best part? Helping a local nonprofit and getting useful, real-world portfolio pieces out of the deal.

Last night, WSU played host to a celebrity.

Let me preface this by saying that I can be a complete news dork. My high school economics teacher used to play John Stossel segments for the class to help explain money and government. So I was really excited when it was announced that John Stossel was giving a lecture at WSU.

The “20/20″ co-anchor spoke to a packed auditorium at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

Stossel’s visit concluded the first day of sessions for Communication Week 2009. This year represents a milestone for The Elliott School of Communication as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Professor Les Anderson presents Stossel with questions from the audience.

I volunteered to usher as part of my Comm 626: Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns class, and was rewarded with great seats near the stage.

Stossel’s remarks were witty, relevant and entertaining. Several news outlets covered the event, including The Wichita Eagle and KAKE-TV. Catch him at his new gig with Fox News, where he will host a weekly show on Fox Business Network and appear regularly on Fox News Channel.