IMC program helps graduates find their niche

IMC is helping Elaine Tooley become a versatile professional

Interesting classmates, good material, great professors, friendly schedule. Elaine Tooley has found a lot to like in St. Bonaventure’s Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) master’s degree program.

She was recently named associate director of donor services at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. 

Looking to resume her graduate study, Tooley was attracted to the variety of the IMC degree.

"This was a perfect combination of several things I had interest in," she said. "The program combined communication, business, advertising, marketing and PR – a lot of things I was interested in but I didn’t necessarily want to choose one in particular to get my master's in."

Several courses into the IMC program, Tooley’s expectations were met. She found the two-evenings-per-week schedule “perfect” and she appreciated her classmates – a productive mix of early to mid-career professionals, recent college grads and upper-level SBU students taking the program on a dual degree basis. The latter helped her to better understand the population served by her store, while working peers brought real-life experience to class discussions.

The IMC degree is helping her become a versatile professional, she said.

"You can say, 'Hey, look at all the things we can do now, or look at all the things we have knowledge of now,'" she said. "This program will further you in what you can accomplish; you can be an asset for so many people trying to figure out how to put pieces together. The marketability that you personally and professionally have when you leave this program is really something to be commended."

IMC Q & A with Elaine Tooley

What is the best aspect of the program?  

I appreciate Brother Basil Valente and his expectations. When expectations are set high, people rise to the occasion and do things they never thought they could do. I love having that external push because it makes me want to work harder. There is a high expectation about what students leaving this program should be able to do.

What advice would you give to someone considering IMC?
This is kind of general for any grad program, but know what you want to do, or at least have an idea of some direction you want to go. This isn’t a "I want to go find myself grad program." I think it’s more of a "I know I want to go in this direction, and I want help getting there." Before you enter any grad program, know that you want to be there.

Is IMC just for one particular type of person?  

"IMC isn’t just something for journalists. It’s not just something for market researchers, and it's not just something for advertisers or creative people. This is a conglomeration of so much more than that. If you want something that’s going to be helpful and marketable when you leave, then this is a fabulous program."

IMC gave Megan Wagner the edge she needed to rise above the field

Megan Wagner is the director of corporate communications at WNED-TV Buffalo-Toronto. She joined the WNED team in December 2010 and oversees all media relations, advertising and multimedia promotion. She also works to create a brand identity and distinctive image for WNED’s broadcast and educational services.

"I truly believe that because I was enrolled in the IMC program, it gave me the edge over other candidates when I was interviewing for my new position," said Wagner. "Actually, several people in my cohort found new positions while they were enrolled in the program."

Prior to her current position, she served as the marketing and public relations manager at a local shopping center, where she guided new and existing projects in the areas of consumer promotion, print and mass media advertising, and direct marketing campaigns. She also led successful social and digital media initiatives along with serving as the media spokesperson. She channeled employee and mall merchant internal communications while managing all website content.

"I enjoyed what I actually did at the shopping center and greatly appreciate the experience I received, but it was time for a different challenge. I needed a new creative and learning outlet where I could grow my career in ways that my job couldn’t provide. After enrolling in the IMC program, the creative energy was back and I ended up landing a wonderful new position at WNED. It was awesome how everything fell into place," said Wagner.

Early in her career, she worked in various marketing and customer service capacities in the financial and retail industries. She earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in marketing and business administration in 2004 from Indiana State University. Before graduation, she expanded her hands-on marketing and public relations knowledge in the academic sector as a student intern in the ISU Office of Communications and Marketing.

"As much as my undergraduate education at ISU laid a solid marketing/business foundation for me, my IMC master’s degree helped me build upon that foundation. It allowed me to fuse my marketing knowledge with communications principles and practices," said Wagner.

"The courses were very fun and exciting, yet challenging at the same time. I always came away learning something new. With each class I took, I came away feeling smarter and dumber at the same time: smarter, because I learned so many incredible things; dumber, because as a marketing communications professional, these were things I felt I should have known all along."

IMC Q & A with Megan Wagner

What is the best aspect of the program?  

The course study was very exciting and cutting-edge, making you very passionate about learning. As a working professional, I found the weekend format very accommodating. Also, the diverse backgrounds and industries that were represented in my cohort were awesome. It was nice that you could privately talk about a challenge in your job and have an instant network of several other professionals helping you find a solution.

What advice would you give to someone considering IMC?  

You can never go wrong with building your education, especially when it’s certain to get you a step closer to achieving your career goals. If the program courses excite you, go for it! Also, if you’re not happy in your job/career, change something about it. Only you have the power to do that. The IMC program is an excellent first step toward that change.

I would also advise that you build a support system of, not only members of your cohort, but your family and friends. Make sure that they know your goals for the program and understand that this is a significant (but temporary) time commitment. My external support system, which included my husband, family, friends and co-workers, were amazing. They all understood my time was very precious and wanted to help me succeed in this program. From proofreading my papers to giving me encouragement, they made all the difference in the world!

Is IMC just for one particular type of person?