FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Diego State University Students Team Up with the U.S. Border Patrol
CONTACT: Renee Hix, (619) 594-5204, rhix@mail.sdsu.edu
Travis Rotham, EdVenture Partners, (619) 477-1511
SAN DIEGO, Thursday, March 23, 2000 -- San Diego State University students are receiving a hefty dose of real world career experience through an innovative industry-education partnership with the U.S. Border Patrol and the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS). Under the guidance of SDSU Instructor Mark Harmon, 25 marketing students are participating in the U.S. Border Patrol Marketing Internship program. The students formed a marketing agency called Promote This with the goal of researching, designing, presenting, executing and analyzing their own marketing campaign aimed at building awareness of careers within the U.S. Border Patrol, and recruiting new Border Patrol Agents.
Having completed initial market research, the students are now creating a professional, agency-style plan of their marketing strategy recommendations for recruiting new Border Patrol agents, which will be presented to Border Patrol representatives on April 5, 2000. The plan will then be implemented by the student agency.
"This is a unique opportunity for students to develop public speaking and presentation skills, and to build confidence, while they receive academic credit," said Harmon. "Today's college students typically find themselves in a 'Catch-22' when seeking employment - they lack experience because they do not have a job and they cannot find a job because they lack experience. The U.S. Border Patrol Marketing Internship effectively bridges the gap between industry and education and provides students with the hands-on, experiential learning necessary to find employment."
The student agency at San Diego State University is one of five similar teams from campuses across the country participating in a pilot program for the U.S. Border Patrol's National Recruitment Program.
"We are excited about growing this innovative program nationwide," explains Chris Lesser, the INS' College Recruiting Program Manager. "The students have a lot of fresh marketing ideas and energy to contribute to our goal of recruiting 2,000 Border Patrol Agents. And they will get so much experience out of it for future career growth. It's really a wonderful win-win situation."
The students are provided with a $2,500 budget to implement their campaign. EdVenture Partners, an education marketing company based in Berkeley, Calif., manages the U.S. Border Patrol Marketing Internship program. It has designed unique industry-education partnerships at more than 300 campuses across the United States.
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, it has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 76 areas, master's degrees in 58 areas and doctorates in 11. The more than 30,000 students participate in academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with professors and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, log onto www.sdsu.edu.
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