Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 25 presentations to potential clients, to faculty members, or even to other students concerning the work that they are doing. The marketing resource lab will also contain additional resources, including office space where students can potentially make sales calls, manage projects, and supervise the lab. Optimally, we will develop a scholarship fund that will help support two or three students who are hired each year to supervise the lab and any sponsored projects. Additional resources will include a variety of printers that allow students to print advertisements and other marketing materials in color, access to various marketing databases including the Prosper Foundation Database awarded to the Langdale College of Business for non-commercial academic purposes, and a 3D printer that will allow students to produce product mock-ups for research, design, and presentation purposes. EXPERIENCE, ENGAGEMENT, AND IMPACT Not only will this evolved classroom allow students to gain valuable experience that will serve them well in their chosen profession, but it will also help them to engage with the larger university community as well as with the city of Valdosta itself. In so doing, it will have an impact that extends far beyond our students today. It is the faculty’s expectation that this lab will be viewed as a benefit for the entire community by providing it with a much needed service. Many small, local organizations simply cannot afford the type of marketing that we are inundated with on television, in magazines, and across every other media that we encounter on a daily basis. They cannot afford the media, the design, the development, or some combination of all three, but a marketing resource lab changes that. In developing a resource lab for our marketing students, we are also developing a valuable resource for the community. For instance, a local small business owner by the name of Phillip Storey has spoken of his difficulty in doing the marketing it takes to ensure that his business not only succeeds but thrives. He admits to understanding very little about marketing, but he also says that he cannot really afford to do the type of marketing that his paving company warrants. “I’d love to have some professional help, but that comes in short supply in communities such as ours. This marketing lab would provide an opportunity for me to get some invaluable assistance in meeting my goals without costing me anything but my time and cooperation. I’d be happy to sponsor a project that helps students advance their education that helps me as well.” And with an added emphasis on internships and service learning opportunities in the college and department, the marketing resource lab becomes a powerful tool that students can add to their resume when applying for various marketing internships that may require resources that individual businesses do not have or simply cannot afford. Again, the availability of the lab gives our students an additional leg up on the competition they face when entering the job market. To go along with these new students who have evolved beyond the lecture-based classroom, we must rethink what the classroom looks like so that it mirrors our students and, to a large extent, the society that they are building. It is one that will be collaborative and cooperative while still maintaining a healthy competitive balance. It is one where the barriers between the classroom and the corporate world become blurred as experiential learning becomes the norm rather than the exception. It is one that will adapt and evolve much more effectively as circumstances and contexts change, and it is one that the marketing faculty in the Langdale College of Business Administration happily and expectantly faces alongside their students, ready to roll with the punches as they do, helping them to better themselves, their community, and their future in the process. S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 25