Ad Community's Connection to HBCU Recruitment: Savannah State's Dean David Marshall - Watch on Demand
Dr. David Marshall is Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Tenured Full Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at Savannah State University. As a 2022 inductee into the media and advertising community's Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors, Dr. Marshall is well aware of the challenges to Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in educating students about advertising and media career opportunities. In my Legends & Leaders conversation with Dr. Marshall, he spells out a plan for the industry to advance educational opportunities at HBCUs to inform and prepare students for advertising and journalism careers.
"I think that there is a recognition that this is an industry that is ripe with opportunity for everyone, and we've just not closed the gap on building an academic pipeline [with HBCUs]," he says. "We could not identify a single HBCU that has a full-fledged degree program singularly in advertising. There are a number of schools that have advertising embedded into something like a Mass Communications program. There might be a minor track where one can take two or three courses. I do know there are a couple of institutions which are looking very, very specifically on how to ferret out a specific degree program that focuses only on the art and science of advertising.
"In five years we could see a dramatic difference [if companies put financial support for an HBCU advertising curriculum] on their balance sheet," he continues. "I believe this is a problem that can be solved. We just have to have the will and the commitment."
For all those invested in advancing diversity in the advertising community, viewing this interview with Dr. Marshall is a must. Watch the video above.
The media and advertising communities are hosting Black Talent Outreach Week October 17-20, live streamed at MediaVillage.com and AdvancingDiversity.org. Promote it to your teams and support the campaign with your recruitment initiative.
Originally published October 3, 2022.
Jack Myers
Media Ecologist, Founder: MediaVillage and Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors Jack Myers is a media ecologist and founder of MediaVillage, the media and advertising community’s leading resource for market intelligence, education, business connection…
