Marketing for Good

Through collaborations with government, nonprofits, and other organizations, NYIT School of Management is creating a new standard for students to engage with industry. Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of Professional Enrichment Deborah Cohn (M.B.A. ’89), Ph.D., is part of that effort. She is deeply committed to providing her students with hands-on work experience and networking opportunities. “We want our students to meet with industry professionals, gain cutting-edge knowledge, and develop the skills to network,” says Cohn. “This school really puts them in front of industry professionals for all of those reasons.”

Last year, Cohn’s students teamed up with the Department of Homeland Security through EdVenture Partners to find ways to counter technology used by extremists. As part of the initiative’s marketing campaign, the students developed a viral video that brought people together through a mannequin challenge. The video, which received views in hundreds of countries around the world, challenged other universities to create similar content.

For another project, students developed a marketing campaign for Casa de Spin Art Parlor in Massapequa. With the help of the Google Online Marketing Challenge for students, the campaign went live through Google Adwords. The students gained experience and, according to Casa de Spin owner Susan Wilkowski (B.F.A. ’85), got real results. “During the time that your campaign was running, I experienced a significant increase in the number of calls and booked events,” Wilkowksi wrote.

“It is essential that we are in sync with what is happening in the field of business, what the companies are doing, what their priorities are, and what their challenges are,” says Rakesh Mittal, Ph.D., assistant professor and chairman of the School of Management Industry Engagement Committee. “This helps to take concepts out of the classroom and into the real world.”

“I happen to love this university,” says Cohn. “When I was a student, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and the faculty here gave me some very good career advice. And that’s what I am helping to pay back now, to help these students find their career path.”