The Wisconsin Idea, the concept of connecting the university to the state as a way of moving forward together, is the cornerstone of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s mission. The School holds true to this idea through project-based courses like J445: Creative Campaign Messages and its partnership with UniverCity Alliance.
UniverCity Alliance is an organization that connects UW–Madison resources with Wisconsin communities to solve local challenges. It is also the perfect partner for J445, taught by Evjue Centennial Professor Doug McLeod. The organization’s strong connection to the Wisconsin Idea creates a common goal between McLeod, his students and UniverCity Alliance, to improve the state together.
“As faculty, researchers and students at the University of Wisconsin, we want to take the knowledge that we’re gaining and building, and go out into the state of Wisconsin and share that knowledge in ways that will help our community,” McLeod said. “That’s the epitome of the UniverCity Alliance.”
Each semester, students venture out of Madison to work with a different real-life client through UniverCity Alliance. Currently, students are working on creating civic pride and boosting morale through marketing and promotional content for the villages of Taylor, Melrose and DeForest. Having students work with UniverCity Alliance and the villages creates value for all parties involved.
“I’m constantly amazed at how much cool stuff goes on on this campus, and I’m constantly amazed at how few people outside of this campus get to really feel those benefits or those positive impacts,” UniverCity Alliance Managing Director Gavin Luter said. “I feel like we are at the forefront of making the university useful, practical and tangible to people outside of the university.”
Students have the opportunity to learn about communities they rarely interact with and gain valuable experiences and knowledge from the people they communicate with. In turn, the villages benefit from a new, outside perspective from students and content they can use to promote their community.
“I’m just so grateful that Doug continues to do the work with us,” Luter said. “There’s nothing in this contract that requires him to do real world community based work, and he chooses to do it because he knows that that’s the right way to actually teach.”
UniverCity Alliance acts as a strong backbone of support for J445. The organization connects McLeod and his students with the villages that are interested in introducing new campaign messages. From there, McLeod meets the clients to learn about their goals for the future of their community.
For students to truly understand the villages they are working with, UniverCity Alliance arranges transportation and lunches for McLeod’s class to visit the locations, take photos and meet with locals to hear their perspectives and experiences living in the community. Students use their experience to enhance their campaign messages by gaining a comprehensive understanding of the viewpoint of the community locals.
“I know [the clients] enjoy the opportunity to work with our students, engage in some fascinating conversations about their town and get to share what they like about their town with a group of outsiders,” McLeod said. “They’re generally, I would say, incredibly impressed with the work that our students can do in six weeks.”
There is a lack of trust between the state and the university. The idea of the university being disconnected from the challenges of the rest of the state is being tackled by the Wisconsin Idea that UniverCity Alliance and McLeod value greatly.
“We’re really at the forefront of rebuilding trust between UW–Madison and the rest of the state,” Luter said. “Universities are so used to being experts at everything. When we show up and we say, ‘what do you need help with?’ it puts us in a little bit more of a humble position to take requests and respond to requests.”
The excursion to the villages was a great learning opportunity for SJMC senior Caroline Kivlehan.
“It was very eye-opening to speak with the local government,” Kivlehan said. “We all met at the Town Hall in Melrose, and it was really cool to speak with them about their town, why they love the town that they live in, and how they want to make it better for the people that live in it.”
McLeod understands working with real clients can be a difficult challenge for students to tackle, but it prepares them to take on the real world outside of the SJMC. If McLeod gave students “softball challenges,” they would not be as well equipped in the future.
McLeod’s mission of making the course challenging and beneficial shines through to his students.
“[This course gives] real, hands-on experience that I can speak to in job interviews while also feeling like I’m helping someone at the same time,” Kivlehan said. “It’s cool to extend classroom skills to a real world setting. It’s really fun, yet challenging, too.”