To encourage and support Leighton School clubs, Dean Rob Ducoffe pledged the Leighton school would match up to $3,000 raised by any club. “The Leighton School recognizes that student organizations and clubs enhance the quality of our students’ experience,” said Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics Dean Rob Ducoffe. “I implemented the match, so Leighton School clubs would have access to additional funds to provide a wide array of opportunities for their membership.”

After several successful fundraising events and matching funds from the Leighton School, members of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) were able to participate in trips to Chicago and New York City at a very low cost. In February, AAF members traveled by bus to a career fair in Chicago to network and participate in workshops. Following the career fair, members toured IRI, a market research company, and met with an IU South Bend alum working in the organization. In addition, they enjoyed dinner and networking with other alums working in the Windy City.

This year for the first time, 15 AAF members also took a trip to New York City. Flying from Chicago to LaGuardia the students attended a career fair at the Roosevelt Hotel, less than a block from Grand Central Station. “Some of the top New York ad agencies in the nation were represented at this career fair,” said AAF President Paige Ullery. Overnighting in an Airbnb townhouse for three nights in mid-town Manhattan, the students networked, learned from those already in the industry, and took in the sites of NYC.

Students in the IU South Bend Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) were also on the move. With funds from their own fundraising efforts and the match from the Leighton School, the group attended a two-day SHRM Region Annual Student Conference and Case Competition in Cincinnati last April. SHRM also attends and hosts a number of professional meetings with several guest speakers from the HR profession each semester.

In addition to building connections with other students with similar interests, students who join clubs linked to their disciplines and future careers gain opportunities to learn more about the field from professionals already working in the industry, to network with alums in the field, and to discover more about job opportunities available for graduates in their field of study. “I’m very pleased our student clubs were able to plan trips to career fairs and conferences in other cities,” said Dean Ducoffe. “They were able to experience a lot of firsts. Some of the students had never travelled outside of the area. And, it was the first time a few of them had been on an airplane.”